Diveplanit Travel’s Deborah DicksonSmith normally plans a dive trip to Fiji every year, and now that borders are set to open, it will be the first international dive holiday on Deb’s agenda Photographs by Markus Roth, Thomas Vignaud, Brett Monroe Garner, Jon Piepkorn, Beqa Lagoon Resort and Barefoot Resorts
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ere’s a comprehensive guide to diving Fiji, from north to south, east to west. Admiring Fiji’s rugged green volcanic landscape, it’s not hard to imagine what stunning diversity of terrain and variety of marine life its aquamarine waters might reveal. The country’s 333 islands support over 300 species of hard corals, more than 1,500 species of fish and many species of soft corals, anemones, sea fans and nudibranchs. Circled by three of the world’s largest barrier reefs, Fiji presents the ultimate adventure playground for scuba divers. Acknowledged as the ‘soft coral capital of the world’, spectacular diving awaits in places like Vatu-I-Ra, where colourful coral-clad pinnacles rise from 40m to just below the surface, teeming with colourful anthias, swarms of fusiliers and schooling jacks and barracuda. The Great Sea Reef and the Great Astrolabe Reef offer exhilarating drift dives along their magnificently coloured walls in the company of pelagics like giant trevally, sharks and manta rays, while for thrill-seekers, Fiji’s shark-diving sites present the opportunity to get up close and personal with several species of sharks, from little blacktip reef sharks to magnificent tigers and bulls.
on the main island of Viti Levu. The reef here is a maze of barely submerged coral pinnacles, all festooned with brightly coloured soft corals in yellows, pinks and deep purples. The soft corals attract crowds of bright yellow damsels, purple and orange anthias, while swarms of fusiliers ply up and down the pinnacles and schools of eyebar surgeons hang silently in the blue. The nooks and crannies hide morays and sweetlips and whitetip reef sharks rest in the bottom of sandy gullies. The dive sites here are all named quite metaphorically Wheatfield is topped with long, wavy soft yellow corals that look for all the world like a field of wheat swaying in the breeze; Purple Haze is a wall draped in purple soft corals; and Vatu Express is a drift dive – no finning required – just relax and enjoy the reefs and cleaning stations as you glide by. Vatu-I-Ra is a favourite hangout of Fiji liveaboard, the Nai’a, and also accessible from the resorts near Rakiraki, including Volivoli Beach Resort.
The Mamanucas
The Mamanuca chain of islands is the closest to Fiji’s international hub of Nadi, a short ferry ride from the main island. As you cruise past the islands that dot this archipelago, you’ll see plenty of palm-fringed white sandy beaches and the stunning resorts. But the Mamanucas hold plenty of treasures beneath the water too. The Malolo Sea Reef produces perfect calm conditions within the lagoon for snorkelling the colourful coral gardens, with easy diving for beginners on sheltered bommies and pinnacles. It’s the perfect place to try diving for the first time, or even learn
Suncoast - Rakiraki
If Fiji is known as the ‘soft coral capital of the world’, then Vatu-I-Ra in Bligh Water is the ‘soft coral capital of the Fiji Islands’. The main island jump-off point for Bligh Water is located about two and a half hours’ drive north of Nadi
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