peterjmaerz
Guest
I'm just back from two pretty incredible weeks of diving in Fiji. I'd been quite concerned about damage both above and below the surface from Cyclone Ami which had ripped through the islands, particularly the northern and northeastern ones, in January.
First off, I was pleased and amazed to find very little evidence of damage. Certainly nothing obvious on the reefs and, topside, none in northern Viti Levu. There were plenty of tree trunks and limbs obviously snapped off and on the ground on Taveuni but the vegetation grows so quickly and lushly there, it had completely enveloped the downed trees and bushes. Those trees that had been stripped by the storm had already regrown dense folliage so the overall impression was in keeping with Taveuni's nickname of the "Garden Island".
So let me try to give my impressions, starting with week 1 at the GARDEN ISLAND RESORT on TAVEUNI with AquaTrek DIVE OP. The Air Pacific flight I took, aboard a musty, well-worn 747 from LA to Nadi, the capital on Viti Levu, was maybe a third full so most folks were able to stretch out in the mid section of the cabin and snooze for much of the 10 hour flight. The airport is under renovation so it's not so easy to find a place to hang out for the wait for the connecting flight to Taveuni. I ended up dragging my 65 pound rolling duffel to the parking lot to sit on a log and watch the dawn come up.
The Sun Air flight, which stops along the way at paradisical Savusavu and then continues to Taveuni, travels along a visually spectaculary stunning route over Viti Levu's rugged mountains and green coastline. You're flying in a beat-up Twin Otter aircraft, with plenty of swooping and diving on the air currents. Some of the honeymoon couples on board my flight exchanged nervous, tight-lipped glances.
Once on Taveuni, it's about a half-hour trip down a gorgeous coastal road to the Garden Island Resort. As I stepped into the "lobby", I was greeted by a view out through the open air dining terrace that took my breath away. Beyond the resort pool was an expanse of gleaming blue water and then the lush mountains of southern Vanua Levu beyond. No beach there, mind you, but the view never ceased to fill me with wonder and pleasure during my stay there.
From the moment I walked in to reception to the time I left, every clerk, server, maintenance person and dive operation employee greeted me by name at each meeting and, usually, enquired as to how I was enjoying my stay. More on the Fijian people in a moment. The rooms at the Garden Island are basic motel quality but more than adequate: a separate table and two chairs, a desk perfect for working on camera or laptop, LOADS of storage space in big open, bin-like shelves, the same fantastic views as from the dining terrace, nice porches, fairly large bathrooms and the most powerful shower I've ever experienced at a resort! (Almost knocked me against the far wall of the stall the first time I turned it on).
It's a short walk from most of the rooms (about twenty five feet from mine) to the AquaTrek dive shop, itself just a couple of feet from the boat ramp/dock. The AquaTrek boats are all-aluminum with plenty of room to gear up and a one-person size platform for stride entries. The week I was there was a fairly quiet one so we utilized the smaller of the two main boats, about a 28-foot affair for our group of about 6 divers. All equipment, from day one to final day, is handled, set up and THOROUGHLY cleaned and stored by the crew. There are separate rinse tanks for cameras, masks, and wetsuits (this tank with sanitizing detergent). Again, everything is rinsed by the crew, including wetsuits. These are hung up to dry in the shop which, though locked up overnight, is well ventilated enough to thoroughly dry the suits. Booties are stored on mesh racks and dry well also. While there is no camera rinse tank on board the boat, the crew does everything in its power to protect and gently handle cameras. Plenty of water on board and cookies and fruit for surface intervals.
Trips to the dive sites run, on average, about 20 minutes, the longest, maybe 40 minutes. The diving in the Somosomo strait: just incredible. This was my first Pacific experience, my previous diving limited to the Caribbean, though I've dived almost all the islands there and down into Central America's Atlantic side. So, much of the fish life was new to me. Regardless, the density, profusion, color and variety of both fish life and corals was mind-blowing! As advertised, soft corals are draped almost everywhere. They come in every color of the rainbow and some that would be hard to find on any artist's pallette. Among and around them, clouds of basletts, damsels and other small fish hang in the current. Lionfish--common. Titan triggers--plenty. Nudibranchs---ranging from 2 inches to three I saw that were literally the size of a doormat! Coral trout, the beautiful Regal Angel, wrasses, ghost pipefish...just look in a pacific Reef Fish book and you'll find them all in the strait. Vis was great, averaging maybe 80 feet and certainly ranging up to 100 or more.
But, as many have mentioned, look out for the currents! It's in these currents that most of the "action" is: those fish and soft corals just hover imotionless in the breeze sucking down nutrients. But we mortals must try to negotiate sometimes mild and sometimes absolutely ripping currents by descending or swimming behind an outcropping or the pinnacle itself, finning like mad or sometimes just grabbing on to something. I'd never willingly touched any surface down below before, but this time, trying to use no more than a finger or two, there were occasions where it was either that or be blown away. Of course, there's enough dead coral and rubble around to find SOME kind of environmentaly safe hold, but it's still a bit of a challenge.
All the dives are expertly and consciensciously guided, however, and these guys (just one woman DM who didn't dive with us) know these waters, tides and currents. They try to choose sites where the current is strong enough to bring out the good stuff without sending their divers to Australia. And they know where to find that good stuff as well. They're certainly not breathing down your neck; you're pretty much free to dive your own dive, but they're there if you need them and want them and they offer very good pre-dive briefings as well. Favorite Dives: Annie's Bommie, Blue Ribbon (yes, the eel awaits you), the fabled Great WHite Wall.
Liesurely, hour-long surface intervals are taken on spectacular, Robinson Crusoe islands, usually deserted, with vast thatches of soaring palms, dense undergrowth and pristine white sand coves with plenty of shade in which to escape the soldering iron sun.
Dock departures are between 8:30 and 9:00am and you're generally back on shore by 1:30 or so, plenty of time to make it to the terrace for lunch. Food at the Garden Island, as has been reported before, is plentiful. I was on the all-meals plan and was informed that I could order anything off the menu, regardless of its stated cost. Lobster quickly became a mainstay of my diet. I must say, though, that, to my pallette, the food was not so hot. Lots of gloppy sauces, cheese and a fair amount of oil. There are no green vegetables that I know of in Fiji, just manioc and other root stuff, so everything's imported and the veggies at dinner were mostly canned stuff. For lunch, I found and stuck with a "Veggie Delight" sandwhich with Avocado, cheese and some other goodies. The Breakfast buffet opens at 7:00am. Don't order a cooked breakfast unless you want to risk having to rush to make the dive boat. Fiji time, as in many island cultures, is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d o-u-t.
The promised word about the Fijians: the most welcoming, genuinely friendly, happy and loving folks I've ever come across. Much of their time is spent ether laughing or singing (or both simulaneously), though their economic environment is punishing at best. It's not so surprising to be treated cordially at a resort, but, during my hikes though the countryside, not one person, whether exhausted laborer, farmer, school kid or hanger-out let me pass without a friendly "Bula!" hello. Most asked how I was enjoying my stay in Fiji. It's rare to see a child under, say, 12 years old that's not envoloped in its parent's arms. One of my best experiences was at the "Water slide", a natural rock-walled flume about a 25 minute hike uphill from the Garden Island. On a Sunday, there are 50 kids or more making use of this natural amusement park ride. During my trip there, I was immediately welcomed into the fold and found my self at the top of the flume, packed in hip to hip with about 15 local guys, laughing hysterically, as we formed a human dam. When we could no longer hold resist the mounting tidal wave, we roared down the slide in a tangle of arms and legs, crashing into each other and down into the pool below. What an experience.
The second week of my trip was spent at the Wananavu Resort on the northeastern tip of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu. The resort is very beautiful, with every inch of ground covered with flowering plants, palms and shrubs. The oceanview "Burre" or cabin I had looked like something out of Architectural Digest, with high ceilings, spot-lit white shelving, beautiful hard wood walls and louvered windows and a bathroom that took up a third of the floor plan with a 15-foot-long vanity and a shower with plate glass window facing an enclosed garden. The views are great from the oceanview burres and the dining terrace, looking out onto the channel which separates the mainland from the island of Nanu I Ra and its smaller neighbors.
The food here was much better than at the Garden Island and the pool very unique, with large stones embedded in it and a rock wall and lush vegetation surrounding it.
I had wanted to sign up with the Crystal Divers op after reading raves in Undercurrent, but was forced (according to Reef and Rainforest agency) to dive with Ra Divers. I took to calling this the "Loser Op". Real nice guys, but the equipment is not in great shape and the operation is much more loosely run than AqueTrek's. Every day a problem prevented us from leaving anywhere near on time, though they maintained that divers must be at the dock at 8:30. A dead battery, a shorted wire to the motor that lifts the outboard up, a fouled fuel filter, a late-signing passenger and other calamaties interfered to lesser or greater degrees with the diving experience. Also, my gear was handled so roughly that it sustained some pretty serious damage (I watched from shore one morning when the tank with my gear attached fell over at the hands of the lead DM. That one took care of a zipper pull on my BC and, as I discovered after returning home, broke the housing on my second stage---no WONDER I was sucking so much water on my last dives!).
There were not one but two tropical depressions that made their way over our resort during the week so conditions were obviously pretty funky. With that in mind, though, the diving was not nearly as good as in Somosomo Strait. Nowhere near the amount of fish life, very few sharks. But almost every surface blanketed with finger corals, octo corals and all manner of stuff, a fair amount of soft corals and some fun swim thru's and overhangs. The diving is all among large pinnaces or "bommies", stacked one up against the next, so the views are pretty dramatic (or would be if the vis were greater than the 30 or 40 feet I experienced). Admitedly, we did not dive the farther-out Bligh Water sites that the liveaboards and, apparently Crystal Divers do, but it still was not the same experience as in Taveuni.
Well, if you've had the patience to read this far, I hope this was informative for you. I emphatically, heartily recommend Taveuni, AquaTrek and the Garden Island Resort and I wouldn't throw Wananavu out of bed either! Happy Diving, all..
Peter
First off, I was pleased and amazed to find very little evidence of damage. Certainly nothing obvious on the reefs and, topside, none in northern Viti Levu. There were plenty of tree trunks and limbs obviously snapped off and on the ground on Taveuni but the vegetation grows so quickly and lushly there, it had completely enveloped the downed trees and bushes. Those trees that had been stripped by the storm had already regrown dense folliage so the overall impression was in keeping with Taveuni's nickname of the "Garden Island".
So let me try to give my impressions, starting with week 1 at the GARDEN ISLAND RESORT on TAVEUNI with AquaTrek DIVE OP. The Air Pacific flight I took, aboard a musty, well-worn 747 from LA to Nadi, the capital on Viti Levu, was maybe a third full so most folks were able to stretch out in the mid section of the cabin and snooze for much of the 10 hour flight. The airport is under renovation so it's not so easy to find a place to hang out for the wait for the connecting flight to Taveuni. I ended up dragging my 65 pound rolling duffel to the parking lot to sit on a log and watch the dawn come up.
The Sun Air flight, which stops along the way at paradisical Savusavu and then continues to Taveuni, travels along a visually spectaculary stunning route over Viti Levu's rugged mountains and green coastline. You're flying in a beat-up Twin Otter aircraft, with plenty of swooping and diving on the air currents. Some of the honeymoon couples on board my flight exchanged nervous, tight-lipped glances.
Once on Taveuni, it's about a half-hour trip down a gorgeous coastal road to the Garden Island Resort. As I stepped into the "lobby", I was greeted by a view out through the open air dining terrace that took my breath away. Beyond the resort pool was an expanse of gleaming blue water and then the lush mountains of southern Vanua Levu beyond. No beach there, mind you, but the view never ceased to fill me with wonder and pleasure during my stay there.
From the moment I walked in to reception to the time I left, every clerk, server, maintenance person and dive operation employee greeted me by name at each meeting and, usually, enquired as to how I was enjoying my stay. More on the Fijian people in a moment. The rooms at the Garden Island are basic motel quality but more than adequate: a separate table and two chairs, a desk perfect for working on camera or laptop, LOADS of storage space in big open, bin-like shelves, the same fantastic views as from the dining terrace, nice porches, fairly large bathrooms and the most powerful shower I've ever experienced at a resort! (Almost knocked me against the far wall of the stall the first time I turned it on).
It's a short walk from most of the rooms (about twenty five feet from mine) to the AquaTrek dive shop, itself just a couple of feet from the boat ramp/dock. The AquaTrek boats are all-aluminum with plenty of room to gear up and a one-person size platform for stride entries. The week I was there was a fairly quiet one so we utilized the smaller of the two main boats, about a 28-foot affair for our group of about 6 divers. All equipment, from day one to final day, is handled, set up and THOROUGHLY cleaned and stored by the crew. There are separate rinse tanks for cameras, masks, and wetsuits (this tank with sanitizing detergent). Again, everything is rinsed by the crew, including wetsuits. These are hung up to dry in the shop which, though locked up overnight, is well ventilated enough to thoroughly dry the suits. Booties are stored on mesh racks and dry well also. While there is no camera rinse tank on board the boat, the crew does everything in its power to protect and gently handle cameras. Plenty of water on board and cookies and fruit for surface intervals.
Trips to the dive sites run, on average, about 20 minutes, the longest, maybe 40 minutes. The diving in the Somosomo strait: just incredible. This was my first Pacific experience, my previous diving limited to the Caribbean, though I've dived almost all the islands there and down into Central America's Atlantic side. So, much of the fish life was new to me. Regardless, the density, profusion, color and variety of both fish life and corals was mind-blowing! As advertised, soft corals are draped almost everywhere. They come in every color of the rainbow and some that would be hard to find on any artist's pallette. Among and around them, clouds of basletts, damsels and other small fish hang in the current. Lionfish--common. Titan triggers--plenty. Nudibranchs---ranging from 2 inches to three I saw that were literally the size of a doormat! Coral trout, the beautiful Regal Angel, wrasses, ghost pipefish...just look in a pacific Reef Fish book and you'll find them all in the strait. Vis was great, averaging maybe 80 feet and certainly ranging up to 100 or more.
But, as many have mentioned, look out for the currents! It's in these currents that most of the "action" is: those fish and soft corals just hover imotionless in the breeze sucking down nutrients. But we mortals must try to negotiate sometimes mild and sometimes absolutely ripping currents by descending or swimming behind an outcropping or the pinnacle itself, finning like mad or sometimes just grabbing on to something. I'd never willingly touched any surface down below before, but this time, trying to use no more than a finger or two, there were occasions where it was either that or be blown away. Of course, there's enough dead coral and rubble around to find SOME kind of environmentaly safe hold, but it's still a bit of a challenge.
All the dives are expertly and consciensciously guided, however, and these guys (just one woman DM who didn't dive with us) know these waters, tides and currents. They try to choose sites where the current is strong enough to bring out the good stuff without sending their divers to Australia. And they know where to find that good stuff as well. They're certainly not breathing down your neck; you're pretty much free to dive your own dive, but they're there if you need them and want them and they offer very good pre-dive briefings as well. Favorite Dives: Annie's Bommie, Blue Ribbon (yes, the eel awaits you), the fabled Great WHite Wall.
Liesurely, hour-long surface intervals are taken on spectacular, Robinson Crusoe islands, usually deserted, with vast thatches of soaring palms, dense undergrowth and pristine white sand coves with plenty of shade in which to escape the soldering iron sun.
Dock departures are between 8:30 and 9:00am and you're generally back on shore by 1:30 or so, plenty of time to make it to the terrace for lunch. Food at the Garden Island, as has been reported before, is plentiful. I was on the all-meals plan and was informed that I could order anything off the menu, regardless of its stated cost. Lobster quickly became a mainstay of my diet. I must say, though, that, to my pallette, the food was not so hot. Lots of gloppy sauces, cheese and a fair amount of oil. There are no green vegetables that I know of in Fiji, just manioc and other root stuff, so everything's imported and the veggies at dinner were mostly canned stuff. For lunch, I found and stuck with a "Veggie Delight" sandwhich with Avocado, cheese and some other goodies. The Breakfast buffet opens at 7:00am. Don't order a cooked breakfast unless you want to risk having to rush to make the dive boat. Fiji time, as in many island cultures, is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d o-u-t.
The promised word about the Fijians: the most welcoming, genuinely friendly, happy and loving folks I've ever come across. Much of their time is spent ether laughing or singing (or both simulaneously), though their economic environment is punishing at best. It's not so surprising to be treated cordially at a resort, but, during my hikes though the countryside, not one person, whether exhausted laborer, farmer, school kid or hanger-out let me pass without a friendly "Bula!" hello. Most asked how I was enjoying my stay in Fiji. It's rare to see a child under, say, 12 years old that's not envoloped in its parent's arms. One of my best experiences was at the "Water slide", a natural rock-walled flume about a 25 minute hike uphill from the Garden Island. On a Sunday, there are 50 kids or more making use of this natural amusement park ride. During my trip there, I was immediately welcomed into the fold and found my self at the top of the flume, packed in hip to hip with about 15 local guys, laughing hysterically, as we formed a human dam. When we could no longer hold resist the mounting tidal wave, we roared down the slide in a tangle of arms and legs, crashing into each other and down into the pool below. What an experience.
The second week of my trip was spent at the Wananavu Resort on the northeastern tip of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu. The resort is very beautiful, with every inch of ground covered with flowering plants, palms and shrubs. The oceanview "Burre" or cabin I had looked like something out of Architectural Digest, with high ceilings, spot-lit white shelving, beautiful hard wood walls and louvered windows and a bathroom that took up a third of the floor plan with a 15-foot-long vanity and a shower with plate glass window facing an enclosed garden. The views are great from the oceanview burres and the dining terrace, looking out onto the channel which separates the mainland from the island of Nanu I Ra and its smaller neighbors.
The food here was much better than at the Garden Island and the pool very unique, with large stones embedded in it and a rock wall and lush vegetation surrounding it.
I had wanted to sign up with the Crystal Divers op after reading raves in Undercurrent, but was forced (according to Reef and Rainforest agency) to dive with Ra Divers. I took to calling this the "Loser Op". Real nice guys, but the equipment is not in great shape and the operation is much more loosely run than AqueTrek's. Every day a problem prevented us from leaving anywhere near on time, though they maintained that divers must be at the dock at 8:30. A dead battery, a shorted wire to the motor that lifts the outboard up, a fouled fuel filter, a late-signing passenger and other calamaties interfered to lesser or greater degrees with the diving experience. Also, my gear was handled so roughly that it sustained some pretty serious damage (I watched from shore one morning when the tank with my gear attached fell over at the hands of the lead DM. That one took care of a zipper pull on my BC and, as I discovered after returning home, broke the housing on my second stage---no WONDER I was sucking so much water on my last dives!).
There were not one but two tropical depressions that made their way over our resort during the week so conditions were obviously pretty funky. With that in mind, though, the diving was not nearly as good as in Somosomo Strait. Nowhere near the amount of fish life, very few sharks. But almost every surface blanketed with finger corals, octo corals and all manner of stuff, a fair amount of soft corals and some fun swim thru's and overhangs. The diving is all among large pinnaces or "bommies", stacked one up against the next, so the views are pretty dramatic (or would be if the vis were greater than the 30 or 40 feet I experienced). Admitedly, we did not dive the farther-out Bligh Water sites that the liveaboards and, apparently Crystal Divers do, but it still was not the same experience as in Taveuni.
Well, if you've had the patience to read this far, I hope this was informative for you. I emphatically, heartily recommend Taveuni, AquaTrek and the Garden Island Resort and I wouldn't throw Wananavu out of bed either! Happy Diving, all..
Peter
