Niue ?

[Jordan23]

We dove with buccaneer adventures/Niue Dive (B.A.N.D) in February 2018, and we were very impressed with their operation and the dives. Sadly, due to cyclone season, ( Jan/feb I believe) we had some weather issues, but we’re eventually able to get in the water coosecto the end of our stay. We’d head about the legendary clarity/visibility, but until you see it, it’s hard to imagine. Normal Divers of cayman and Cozumel, so we’re used to good visibility, but this was a different level.
Every Dive was met with Niuean sea kraits (endemic to the island) and the hard coral formations are maturing quickly after the cyclone in 2004 caused a lot of damage.
Lots of swim thrus, caves, and sea life. Schools of barracuda, some good nudibranchs.
Humpback season is supposedly pretty reliable, and they have good pelagic life normally. The day after I left, they saw an oceanic white tip ( always the luck).
The owners are great, and can help you with accommodation , vehicle info if emailed.
We didn’t stay at Laus getaway, but met the owner and saw his place. Amazing looking! Well definetly book Laus getaway on return trips.

Happy to tell you more aboutthis hidden little gem of the South Pacific if requested.

hi
thanks

yes i would love to hear your onion about the south pacific.. just made some research about fakarava (fp), solomon island. my holidays are during july august,, so i search for the warm water with the great marin life.. clarity water and not much current for picturing hhh and i saw how expensive are liveabord .. but i want to dive 4-5 dives a day hhh so i gess its too much to ask for ha?

 

[Dr Simon Mitchell]

Hello,

I think Niue is a wonderful place. I have been there 3 times. If you are hard-core-everything-is-about-the-diving it may not live up to expectations. While the viz is amazing, the coral is not spectacular. But the little swim throughs and caves that are common, combined with the incredible visibility do make for nice diving. The thing about Niue is that it is a cool little island to explore (about 60 km around IIRC). You do need a car for this. There are lots of amazing geographical features (coastal chasms, caves, beautiful (like fairytale) reef pools). Some places we used to go like Vaikona Chasm are wondrous to dive in, but I'm told not many people go there any more because it is perceived as dangerous (its in the jungle and you have to climb down ropes to get in there). There is a beautiful crystal clear pool in the bottom of it with a swim-under cave at one end, and when the sun goes over at midday it is an amazing laser light show in the water. If you can go, go late morning on a cloudless day and wait for the sun to go over. Its worth it. The photo below is a very old film shot taken from inside the cave
looking out into the pool. Its a crap photo but you get the idea.

DEFINITELY go in whale season (August to October). There were so many of them when we were there that the blowing at the bottom of the cliffs kept us awake at night. We were jumping off the reef and swimming with them (the reef drops away precipitously more or less all around the island so the whales swim right next to shore). There may be more rules now, but people are unlikely to stop you doing that. I would say that Tonga almost certainly has more rules.

There is one tiny beach but you probably would not even call it that. There are no nightclubs. It is quiet pacifica, and casual. If you like to be pampered as in 5 star hotel pampered forget it. But the people are lovely.

Simon M

 

[Jordan23]

thanks a lot

its beautiful pic. i dived in the senotes in mexico so it reminds me. because im from so far away i wonder if to come only for the whales,, i see that you are from new zeland.. and july august is our holiday and its cols in new zeland .. did u dived also in solomon island?

 

[tcle80]

Best time for whales is August and September - they are very strict with photographing whales though you can't get underwater anywhere near them so it's hard to get great shots. beautiful place and very charming so nice mix when out of the water.