Savusavu vs. Taveuni

[lpshanet]

Does anyone have any opinion on the relative merits of diving in Savusavu (including Namena Reserve, etc.) versus diving off Taveuni (Great White Wall, etc.)? Is one much better than the other? Does one have more of a particular thing? (e.g. pelagics, macro, drift dives, etc.) Thanks!

 

[Fiji Dive Guy]

In general, I think that the diving close-in to Taveuni is better and more diverse than the close-in diving to Savusavu. Namena is the exception, of course, but it is a long boat ride from Savusavu and is not a regularly scheduled trip for any of the 3 Savusavu operators that do go there. There is one resort on Namena Island (Moody’s Namena) and they dive exclusively in the marine reserve, if you want to have maximum exposure to the area.

That’s not to say that Savusavu doesn’t have some great dives, but Taveuni offers a fuller spectrum of dive types that are less of a boat ride away. Of course, which resort you stay at will also have a bearing on the length of your boat ride to a given site. I think one indicator of the relative desirability of the two areas is that while the closer Savusavu operators make an effort to go to Somosomo, no one on Taveuni goes to Savusavu. I think that the Taveuni operators might, however, consider going to Namena if it were not so far away. I believe that the best drift dives (and probably the best access to pelagics as well) are Taveuni and Namena, but there is good macro at all 3.

So to summarize. In my opinion the biggest reason (but not the only one) to stay in Savusavu would be to dive Namena, while getting similar quality (to Namena) at Taveuni’s sites is more likely. Weather, currents, and other factors can be an issue at either area that might limit your access to the best sites. I would rate Somosomo and Namena roughly the same, and Savusavu slightly lower in desirability.

 

[lpshanet]

In general, I think that the diving close-in to Taveuni is better and more diverse than the close-in diving to Savusavu. Namena is the exception, of course, but it is a long boat ride from Savusavu and is not a regularly scheduled trip for any of the 3 Savusavu operators that do go there. There is one resort on Namena Island (Moody’s Namena) and they dive exclusively in the marine reserve, if you want to have maximum exposure to the area.

That’s not to say that Savusavu doesn’t have some great dives, but Taveuni offers a fuller spectrum of dive types that are less of a boat ride away. Of course, which resort you stay at will also have a bearing on the length of your boat ride to a given site. I think one indicator of the relative desirability of the two areas is that while the closer Savusavu operators make an effort to go to Somosomo, no one on Taveuni goes to Savusavu. I think that the Taveuni operators might, however, consider going to Namena if it were not so far away. I believe that the best drift dives (and probably the best access to pelagics as well) are Taveuni and Namena, but there is good macro at all 3.

So to summarize. In my opinion the biggest reason (but not the only one) to stay in Savusavu would be to dive Namena, while getting similar quality (to Namena) at Taveuni’s sites is more likely. Weather, currents, and other factors can be an issue at either area that might limit your access to the best sites. I would rate Somosomo and Namena roughly the same, and Savusavu slightly lower in desirability.

Great summary. Just went to Qamea, and I think you're exactly right, based on what I saw of local diving, Somosomo, etc.

 

[tyguypb]

i really liked savusavu diving, i won't lie, there is a dive operation near Savusavu that dives both Namena and the Somosomo straight although it takes longer to get to the rainbow reef from Savusavu.

Namena was in my opinion the most amazing diving i did in Fiji by a factor of 5, granted i never dove the white wall or some of the top sites in the Somosomo straight but what i saw on the rainbow reef was not spectacular. Namena was unreal, i could have dove some of those sights 5 times and still only seen a fraction of what was down there. if you have the money, i would say stay at moody's namena, its expensive but for diving purposes i would rate it the top spot, from what i saw, in Fiji.

However, for the true Fijian Experience, its hard to beat taveuni, gorgeous hiking, Spectacular water falls, beautiful beaches and it is all relatively easily access able, spent a week and taveuni and i loved it.

I would say depending on weather/conditions, your gonna have a great time at either location, based on my experience

 

[farsidefan1]

We stayed at the Garden Island resort on Taveuni, right off the rainbow reef in the
Somosomo strait. Currents were wild but diving was great.

 

[lamarpaulski]

Namena was the bomb. Try not to miss it. Imho