Going to Fiji...

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The Chairman

Chairman of the Board
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Location
Cave Country!
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I just don't log dives
It appears that I will be heading to Fiji at the end of this month... I have a ton of questions and where better to answer them then right here at ScubaBoard!

Water temps? Air temps?

What should I bring to wear?

What gear should I bring (if any)?

What gear should stay home?

Are there any customs I should know about?

Are there any American customs I should avoid?

Most importantly...

:wink: Should I wear my Flamingo hat??? :wink:

Oh yeah, I am SURE that I forgot some salient questions, so act like I asked them, and give me the inside scoop!
 
I can answer your questions if you'll can tell me where you are staying & who you are diving with.

Best regards.

DocVikingo
 
NetDoc:
What gear should stay home?
I don't think that you'll need your new drysuit. :D
 
I can't help on water and air temps, although I can tell you that I was there this past August and we were wearing 5mil full suits. It really depends on where you are staying as to what clothes to bring. It can rain so I would recommend a windbreaker or light rain gear. If you plan on hiking, bring some boots as the hills can be rugged. Don't go overboard on clothes. I think you'll find that laundry is cheap and available...and you'll most likely be in your bathing suit, or wetsuit, most of the day anyway :wink:

As for gear, that also depends on where you go and how much you trust the rental outfit/s. My wife and I brought our own BCD's, regs, computers, fins, masks, snorkels, and light cannons. However, we normally travel with our gear anyway. We rented wetsuits, for the sake of convenience. I would also recommend a safety sausage and/or other signalling device as currents can be swift and chase boats don't always necessarily chase. Most resorts will have fins and snorkels for you to use..but I'm always more comfortable in my own. And we did A LOT of snorkeling...and a dozen dives.

I suggest calling ahead to where you are staying and seeing what they have to offer.

FIJIAN CUSTOMS: Kava drinking is a must. There is not much to know about it...except that you have to drink a tub full of it to feel anything other than a fuzzy tongue...

You'll soon learn the value of "Fiji time". If you've been to Mexico you already know the routine.

Learn to say "BULA" it is hello, goodbye, and all other greetings combined. Try not to be too flashy, especially around villages. And don't enter villages without being invited. If you are invited for dinner at a villager's home they will wait for you to finish your meal before they eat. So don't take too much food.

The fijian people are among the nicest in the world...no worries.

American customs/tendencies to avoid(there is truth to some of these :wink: ):

1) Bermuda shorts with dark socks and topsiders/loafers
2) Complaining that there are no good Sushi restaraunts around
3) Complaining in general
4) Overtipping
5) Being upset that there is no TV in the room.

About the hat: yes, wear the hat, but please, not while diving..... :wink:

BULA!!!

have a great trip...

and let us know where you are going....
 
What humanfish said.

Except that he didn't go to the right kava people. Your kava was old my friend, as our Fijian friends told us, if it gets old it has less effect.

We used 5 mm fullsuits in Taveuni in June where water temps were 73-75 F. Mega rain on Taveuni. I always bring my own gear because I want to have a good time, not deal with the Kmart equipment that you get at resorts.

I fully agree that the Fijian people were the nicest happiest people you could meet. Always a big BULA!



humanFish:
I can't help on water and air temps, although I can tell you that I was there this past August and we were wearing 5mil full suits. It really depends on where you are staying as to what clothes to bring. It can rain so I would recommend a windbreaker or light rain gear. If you plan on hiking, bring some boots as the hills can be rugged. Don't go overboard on clothes. I think you'll find that laundry is cheap and available...and you'll most likely be in your bathing suit, or wetsuit, most of the day anyway :wink:

As for gear, that also depends on where you go and how much you trust the rental outfit/s. My wife and I brought our own BCD's, regs, computers, fins, masks, snorkels, and light cannons. However, we normally travel with our gear anyway. We rented wetsuits, for the sake of convenience. I would also recommend a safety sausage and/or other signalling device as currents can be swift and chase boats don't always necessarily chase. Most resorts will have fins and snorkels for you to use..but I'm always more comfortable in my own. And we did A LOT of snorkeling...and a dozen dives.

I suggest calling ahead to where you are staying and seeing what they have to offer.

FIJIAN CUSTOMS: Kava drinking is a must. There is not much to know about it...except that you have to drink a tub full of it to feel anything other than a fuzzy tongue...

You'll soon learn the value of "Fiji time". If you've been to Mexico you already know the routine.

Learn to say "BULA" it is hello, goodbye, and all other greetings combined. Try not to be too flashy, especially around villages. And don't enter villages without being invited. If you are invited for dinner at a villager's home they will wait for you to finish your meal before they eat. So don't take too much food.

The fijian people are among the nicest in the world...no worries.

American customs/tendencies to avoid(there is truth to some of these :wink: ):

1) Bermuda shorts with dark socks and topsiders/loafers
2) Complaining that there are no good Sushi restaraunts around
3) Complaining in general
4) Overtipping
5) Being upset that there is no TV in the room.

About the hat: yes, wear the hat, but please, not while diving..... :wink:

BULA!!!

have a great trip...

and let us know where you are going....
 
Oops, forgot to include that Vinaka means Thank you.




Shasta_man:
What humanfish said.

Except that he didn't go to the right kava people. Your kava was old my friend, as our Fijian friends told us, if it gets old it has less effect.

We used 5 mm fullsuits in Taveuni in June where water temps were 73-75 F. Mega rain on Taveuni. I always bring my own gear because I want to have a good time, not deal with the Kmart equipment that you get at resorts.

I fully agree that the Fijian people were the nicest happiest people you could meet. Always a big BULA!
 
My wife and I are off to fiji over Christmas. We're staying for a week at Marlin Bay on Beqa (I think it's now Beqa Lagoon). We are then staying on the Coral Coast at The Beach House. We are thinking about doing a river rafting trip with Rivers Fiji. I enjoyed reading the previous tips, and I'd love to hear some more.
 
EricJ:
We're staying for a week at Marlin Bay on Beqa (I think it's now Beqa Lagoon).

Beqa Lagoon's a wonderful place -- we went this last August. The people are wonderful, the food is fantastic (and I tend to be pretty picky about that), and the water they serve at Beqa Lagoon is absolutely safe to drink. The dive sites have got lots of beautiful little and medium-sized critters. My favorite dive at Beqa was a place called "Joe's Best" (named after Joe Liburdi, the owner of a LDS here in SoCal). There can be a little current, at Joe's Best, but it's got a great swimthru with oodles of little fish and a wonderful anemone-filled mesa for your safety stop.
 
Will there be Internet access... anywhere?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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