Fiji???

[hammerhead man]

Hello Wiggsy!!!! We stayed at Beqa Lagoon Resort and had a fantastic time. The diving was superb, the resort was great, the staff was very friendly. I recommend going in Jul since that is their dry season. Less rain means more time outside and the water viz is better. We were at Beqa Lagoon Resort at the same time Wiggsy was and went on a shark dive on the same day but with two different shark diving operators. They chose wisely and saw the tiger shark, we missed it and they never let us forget it the entire time we were there . Click on my "view gallery" to see some of my Fiji pics. Here is a link to my report on Beqa Lagoon Resort Beqa Lagoon Resort (Beqa Island, Fiji) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor.

Regards,

Bill

 

[Wiggsy]

G'day Bill,

Nice to hear from another Beqa fan - obviously its not for absolutelyeverybody...but from my 4 trips there, I can't find fault with the place. On our first trip, some of my group were unimpressed upon arrival that some of the Bures lacked bar fridges (Australians tend to have a b.y.o. mentality and love to mix their own cocktails at sunset!)....It just seemed odd that such a high quality resort lacked bar fridges....As soon as we mentioned it, Mark sent a boat off to Suva to get some fridges for those that requested them....This was the start of him doing everything possible to keep everyone happy. And after a trip to Matana Resort Kadavu (where people were hungry and the management showed litle interest in us..) Mark impressed us with his concern and warm hospitality. We are going to North Sulawesi this year (Siladen Island Resort) just to experience a different type of diving, but I fully expect to return to Beqa in 2009.

"Purcellj" is right to an extent about some of the dive guides - their communication skills are not well developed and they don't tend to go overboard on pointing out critters. But if you dive with "Delana" then you can expect to see everything there is to see - he does a great job and hsi briefs are passionate and detailed. And we were never hurried on dives (far from it...) Everything was totally leisurely - if we wanted to snorkel on the way back then...no worries! I never experienced any hurry to get back to base whatsoever...The dive guides would take my children snorkelling and played cards with them on the way back to shore - idyllic! These are the happiest people in the world. Why wouldn't they be? The live in paradise.

And the shark dive really wraps up the whole package for me - I will never forget that 15 foot Tiger looking me right in the eye. Can't wait to get back there.

 

[hammerhead man]

Hey Alan, if you are going back in 2009 let us know the dates because we are also planning a trip to Beqa Lagoon Resort in 2009. We are planning on returning during Jul since that is their dry season. It would be great to see all of you again. This time I will be bringing more family members (my son, daughter and their spouses as well as my youngest son that traveled with me last time. I am also working hard to get my wife to come this time) and the Goudy's will also be returning as well. I love Fiji diving!!!! This time we are going with you all on the shark dives so we can see the tiger shark .

Regards,

Bill

 

[Wiggsy]

It will be early July - as that coincides with our school holidays over here in Oz. And I suppose we will let you come on the shark dive with us....that is as long as promise not to jinx us....keep in mind if we don't see Tigger it will clearly be entirely your fault! Maybe we could arrange for your group to come on the same dates and be under the cover of our group booking? If you remember from last year, we really do manage to get a great deal out of Mark. I will never forget the full day out off Yanuca with a double dive on the outer reef and game fishing in between....topped off with a lovely lunch at Yanuca for $50 fijian!! ($20 for the snorkellers) We would happily have paid three times that amount! And we got 11 dives for $200 Aud! It really is hard to beat Beqa.... I only hope that Siladen Island Dive resort and spa this year comes, at least, close.

 

[hammerhead man]

WOW, I feel honored that you would allow us to come on the shark dive with you all!!!!! Rather than us jinxing you, we expect your good luck to empower us to see the tiger shark!!!!!! Howeverk, if we don't see the tiger shark (sigh, don't even want to think about that) we will humbly assume responsiblity . Early July will work for us so keep us in mind and let us know what price you are getting so I can compare to what we will get. However, I am not sure that it will work since we will probably be staying for 10 days rather than the usual 7 days. It is a loooooooooooong trip for us and therefore, we want to maximize our time there. I am hoping our group will be 9 strong this trip. I can't wait to get back to BLR, we had such a great time there. BTW, our local dive shop is going to schedule a trip to the Great Barrier Reef in 2010 and will be a liveaboard. I know that there are trips to several different locations on the reef, do you have any thoughts on the best diving on the reef?

Regards,

Bill

Regards,

Bill

 

[bobbieg]

To be brief I've made in excess of 40 dive trips to Fiji encompassing every region. In one word --- Taveuni. It's simply the very best both above & below the water. Magical!!

 

[Travelnsj]

To be brief I've made in excess of 40 dive trips to Fiji encompassing every region. In one word --- Taveuni. It's simply the very best both above & below the water. Magical!!

Have you been to Raki Raki and Beqa? If so which do your prefer? (Please exclude the shark dive as I will not participate).

 

[reubencahn]

In '03 (I think) we went to Fiji staying first at Wananavu diving with Crystal Divers and then on to Taveuni to dive with Swiss Fiji Divers. We cut our stay short in Taveuni to return to the Bligh Waters. The diving there was far superior. I think it compares favorably to PNG, Solomons, etc. I'm thinking about returning next year and combining with a surf trip.

Travelnsj, you have the most amazing travel plans of anyone I've ever met. I'm very jealous.