Thinking of diving in Fiji... need advice!

[JMorben]

If you are looking for great diving and a small, safe resort with great food, check out Nakia on the island of Taveuni. We were there last Christmas and have booked Christmas 2011 as well. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

 

[Blighbaby]

go to wananavu is my advice. a1 resort, a1 diving. best of both worlds. fine for single traveller, always people to meet. stay away from mamanucas although nice, diving is poor.
I'll be back at wananavu this december - maybe see you there
check the web Fiji Beach Resort Accommodation Fiji Diving Wedding Honeymoon - wananavu Beach Resort
otherwise matava is way cool and paradise taveuni on taveuni

 

[parrotheaddiver]

I went on the Nai'a a couple of years ago....only way to do the Bligh waters IMO....the crew the boat the food everything about the Nai'a is top shelf.....and the reason you go to Fiji is the soft corals....they are awesome...also stayed at Wananavu very nice resort they just got a new dive op in the last few months and it appears that they will be based at the resort.

I have also been to Taveuni it was a beautiful island the the diving was great....some of the currents in Fiji are tricky but it is worth it to dive there.....

 

[dive travel goddess]

Go to Volivoli Beach Resort that sits on the edge of Bligh Waters to stay at the best resort and experience the best soft coral diving Fiji has to offer - already mentioned above by fiji_diver. Absolutely incredible color. The resort is fast becoming known as a dedicated dive resort so get there before you can't get in the place. It has newly constructed accommodations to knock your socks off. All air-conditioned with WiFi access and incredible views. The family who owns and operates this resort and their in-house dive operator Ra Divers, are Kiwis. You've not partied until you've partied with Kiwis. They can drink some beer in New Zealand. Mom and Dad Darling, if they are in residence are in the restaurant bar every night partying as long as anyone will stay up with them. The ones who do all the work are their two sons, Stevie and Nick, both are this side of 30 and will be in the bar after the dive day is over. While we were there, Stevie and Nick took some in our group to the town of Rakiraki which is a 10 minute ride from the resort. There is a locals bar there where they partied until the wee hours. So, yes. You can get the best diving in Fiji and party at night. It is happening at Volivoli Beach Resort. check this place out: YouTube - ‪Fiji: Volivoli Beach Resort & Ra Divers In The Bligh Straight‬‏

 

[Strongdiver]

Bula, Greg! Fiji has been on my list for 40 years. Now Continental-United is dropping their direct flight from Guam, so I am planning to be in Fiji July 9-23. I will be traveling alone, and probably will not choose LOB. Guam divers have loved Beqa. I have now read too many choices and am overwhelmed. Since I have been diving Indonesia and Micronesia, I want to see Fiji's famous soft corals, and I prefer a location that's a step above backpacker level, (like in Bali), but not honeymooner-3 star. I've already done enough shark dives. Since I want to do some cultural stuff (Indo-Fijian, Hindu temples, kava, etc.) I will probably limit my diving to 7 of the 15 days. I love drift diving and won't be photographing. I hope you can advise me.

 

[Down2bizDiver]

Although the diving was good and the Fijian people very nice, my experience with the non-Fijian "owners" and management at Matava was extremely negative, far outweighing the positives - I say again, stay away from Matava, it is very poor value for the money.

 

[kheldz]

Hey there, ive just come back from a 16 day trip to Fiji. I have to say it is an experience of a life time. DUring the planning phase of my trip , i kept reading people's blogs about how nice the fijians were and i goto say, spot on. They're the coolest folks ive yet to come across. Even if you go alone (i wasnt thou), divers are usually the most social bunch, keep in mind 80% of guests are from US. If you dont want to mingle, the locals are always welcoming over a nice few bowls of Kava as they play local music with guitars and ukelele's ...

as for diving, i wont say much , rather prefer to show you some of my videos :

10 days in Qamea resort (honeymoon resort) which I wouldnt recommend you go solo ..diving is quiet but beautiful.
Id recommend you look up a resort that dives in SomoSomo Straits near Taveuni - RainBow Reef was top notch but rather strong currents so best for advance divers.

Qamea...a Coral Haven on Vimeo

next stop was Beqa island, at the beqa lagoon resort. The infamous shark dive was what attracted us there and goto say they have a pretty big dive organization going on. 3 big boats 45 dives out 6 days a week. 2 dives with the optional night dive ...the diving wasnt as beautiful as Qamea/Taveuni although some of the sites were just as nice, while others were ''okay'' and I say ''okay'' in relevant terms (still top notch).

beqa diving: I Dream of Fiji on Vimeo

shark dive: Sharks patrol these waters! on Vimeo

on another note, apart from the shark dive, i was alittle disappionted in the marine life. We did see few sharks here and there, a couple of octopus, a mantis shrimp or two, but there were any rays or many sharks as ud think there would be. I saw 1 turtle in the entire trip. On the otherhand, we spotted dolphins and humpbacks from a distance (guess maybe i wasnt very lucky

the weather in july/aug was fresh, not too cold nor too warm. It did rain alot, although its supposed to be the driest month of the year. go figure. water was 26-27c which was fine for me wearing just a rashy (rash guard) while most other divers where in 3mm suits.

my 2 cents, hope you enjoy it.

 

[kheldz]

ps: i met the manager from paradise in tavueni , very cool ...never been to the resort thou, worth checking it out i say.