Where to go for soft coral?

[Johnnycat]

Can you guys recommend a good location for colorful soft coral? I would assume most Pacific spots have softies, but is there a site that really has it? I'm attracted to the small stuff more than the pelagics.

I realize that Fiji is known as the Soft Coral Capital. I went there on the Island Dancer a few years ago and really don't care to go with them again. N'aia seems to have a good reputation but they are booked when I want to go (June 2015). I am open to land based and live aboard - I just want 4-5 dives a day. Also, I need weekend-weekend and not mid-week departures.

Any suggestions?


Thanks,
JBA

 

[Kevrumbo]

Truk Lagoon, on all the wrecks especially on the Shinkoku Maru Tanker, Fujikawa Maru, and the Hanakawa Maru. Just as beautiful as the soft corals I've seen in Fiji.

Truk Odyssey Liveabord, Truk Stop Hotel or Blue Lagoon Resort

 

[ASA400]

I'll second Kevrumbo's suggestion of Truk Lagoon. Here's a photo of a soft coral I shot on the Fuji.

 

[Seya]

Truk coral is amazing. I love sweet anemone shrimp and saw lots last week and super sweet wrecks.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

 

[Hintermann]

Truk Lagoon is great for everything. The world's best wreck dives (Fujikawa Maru is arguably the best wreck dive on earth), great soft coral and lots of fish too. I suggest spending a few additional days in Blue lagoon Resort because Estos will take you to wrecks not covered by the liveaboard cruise like the Amagisan Maru and the hair-raising night dive of Heian Maru. Also, try to get a dive at Shark Point to see lots of black-tips and other sharks.

Truk Odyssey is a superb liveaboard and the diving seems surprisingly easy. All dives off the main boat's dive deck, solo dives allowed, no current anywhere and crystal clear visibility. But this "ease" is deceptive of course. The determining factor at Truk is the depth and so deco times, getting narked etc can occur if one is not careful. I did not plan properly for my dive of San Francisco Maru and paid the price.

 

[shutsal]

I thought Rainbow Reef in Taveuni, Fiji was pretty spectacular for soft coral. The white wall and purple wall certainly live up to their respective names for the amount of soft coral that is there. We stayed at Paradise Taveuni and would definitely recommend them.

 

[SpeckledGrouper]

We just got back from Fiji. The diving was absolutely spectacular. We stayed at Wananavu, a little more than a 2 hour drive from Nadi, so no domestic flight was required. The resort was perfect in all regards. Same can be said about the dive operation, they got us out into the Bligh Waters every single day, as far as Mount Mutiny, a site that usually only the Liveaboards frequent. The colors of the soft coral, yellow, pink, purple sometimes looked unreal. And the amount of fish rivaled Raja Ampat, maybe not in diversity, but in quantity for sure. Very happy with our choice.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Hintermann? What price did you pay for poor planning?