Fiji trip advice?

[BeeCee]

Hello

After reading some great posts here and general net surfing I've booked flights to fiji (3rd til the 14th of Feb).

Main attraction for me is the shark diving by b.a.d. and aquatrek so keen to stay all or most of my time in pacific harbour probably at Uprising beach resort rather than Pearl. Travelling with girlfriend (non diver .... for now).

Would be grateful for advice from recent travellers re:
current form of Uprising resort?
any must do dives other than the shark dives?
best intro dive options for GF?
Other adventurous non diving activites around pacific harbour e.g. rafting ??


thanks

BC

 

[fiji_diver]

Hi
Lots of dives in Beqa other that the Shark Dive. Uprising have a deal with BAD but you are not obliged so give Brendon at Aquatrek a call as well. Probably cheaper if you book when you are here.
The best dives are on the Western side of Beqa, e.g. Golden Arches, 7 Sisters, Fantasea and Side Street.

Uprising is expanding and improving facilities. The service can be a bit slow at times but on the whole, good value for money. More so than the Pearl for sure.
You could think about staying on Beqa itself at Beqa Lagoon Resort. They all dive the same places. Soft coral sites are generally close to Beqa but the Shark dive locations are much closer to Pacific Harbour than to Beqa Island.

Either operator will be happy to arrange a try dive for your GF. My location of choice for these is off Batiluva surf camp / resort beach on Yanuca island, next to Beqa, but they will have their own arrangements of course.

Other than diving there is lots to do, from hiking in the hills to waterfalls, to river rafting - the Rivers Fiji gang are located at the Pearl or Zip lining. There is also a Jet Ski tour and coastal kayaking based at PH. General entertainment is a little more limited but the PH Arts village do stage some cultural shows and the Uprising bar is popular with local ex-pats. They also have live bands from time to time.

A 45 min taxi ride gets you to the capital Suva, where there is a 6 screen cinema, excellent museum and numerous restaurants, but I guess that isn't what you are coming to Fiji for but if the weather turns crap for a day.

Have a great trip and do let me know if you need any more information.

Cheers
Greg

 

[BeeCee]

Hi Greg, thanks for your response. Latest thoughts now are to base ourselves at Uprising for the whole trip (FJ$200 for both of us in a beach front bure sounds great) what we save by staying there will free up $ to spend on more dives and other activities. Do you think it's sound to just head to uprising and work out diving and other activities from there depending on weather and how we feel? Also thinking of Uprising itself do you think we should book our accomm in advance (would they discount for a ten day advanced booking?) or maybe just book a few days and re-assess when there (would they book out this time of year?) ??

Cheers

BC

 

[Orange Roughy]

I stayed at Uprising in November 2009 in a beachfront bure. Very nice.
You should be able to book your diving once you're there, but it might be best to book all your accommodation in advance to ensure you have somewhere to stay. And booking accommodation over there can be a bit hard.

My wife did the BAD shark dive and loved it (I couldn't dive as just had sinus surgery three weeks before), and I did the zipline which was quite good. We also both did the Rivers Fiji rafting tour and that was awesome! And you should have plenty more water than we did. They also do a river kayaking trip (on a different river) and a sea kayaking trip too.

We also stayed at Beqa Island Resort and loved it! My wife did a few reef dives there too.

Regarding the shark dive - Aquatrek also does a shark dive. I believe the difference is that BAD hand feed them while Aquatrek just dump all the food at once so is a bit more of a frenzy. Maybe you could do one and book the other company if you like it?

 

[BeeCee]

Thanks O.R.

How many beach front bures do they have?

 

[OnTheSpot]

HI BC,

I think the Uprising Resort has six beach front bures and right now has availablity for early February. I would book soon as its great value and they do fill up.

Have a great holdiay.

 

[fiji_diver]

Hi
Definitely book accommodation in advance as the resort is not huge. 6 Beach Front bures I think.
They should offer you a discount I think, so worth asking.
As for diving, you can book when you are here but it is possible one or possibly both operators will be full on any given day, but it is rare.
Aquatrek and BAD both hand feed the sharks and provide a general feeding bin. I prefer the Aquatrek approach to conservation and community relations, but both are good and similar in equipment, boats etc.

Check with Uprising if the provide a transfer service, if not, then depending on your arrival time, the best and cheapest option is to get on the Coral Sun coach. 7.30 and 1pm departure I think. Buy your ticket when you arrive in the office just after the arrivals concourse and customs. It is much cheaper than buying in advance on line. FJ$20 per person one way.

Any problems with diving etc, drop me a line. You can also call when in Fiji
+679 927 9938 - Yo can rent a local Vodafone SIM card when you arrive, on the left as you exit customs / baggage hall.

Have fun. Let me know if you need any more info.
Greg

 

[jake11]

I know this post has absolutely nothing to do with Fiji diving but I must say that I laughed out loud when I saw the name "Orange roughy." How clever!!!!

 

[BeeCee]

Thanks Greg, mighty nice of you
cheers

BC

 

[divingkiwi]

Thanks for the clarification/ comparison of the two different shark feed companies fiji_diver. I'm thinking of coming to Fiji this June for a bit of a holiday and some dives, haven't completely decided where yet. I've only got around 7-8 nights max and wouldn't miss the shark feed for the world- any suggestions for the rest of the trip?
I've been looking into the Yasawas for a bit of relaxation, plus the Manta swimming sounds nice (only seen one once fleetingly on a 2min current check, not counting the ones I saw in that crazy Kaiyukan aquarium in Japan!). I know you can't dive with the Manta's, and the diving that's on offer around Yasawas prob isn't as great as the Taveuni area, etc, but time/ budget is a factor. I do work as a flight attendant though, so anywhere offering cheap industry deals is good for me
Would 4-5 days Yasawas + 2-3 days Pacific Harbour (just for the shark feed) be a good itinerary, or is The Great White Wall, coral gardens etc worth the extra $/ hassle??