Fiji diving
Fiji is not a big country, but the diving opportunities are numerous. The dive sites vary from shallow lagoons for novices to more challenging sites for the more advanced diver. The dives include walls, canyons, caves, drift dives, shore dives, swim throughs and pinnacles. Liveaboard diving is also offered in Fiji and is an excellent way of exploring the Islands. There's plenty of colourful soft and hard coral and the marine life is greatly varied. Encounters with large animals such as sharks, dolphins and barracuda are common. Also to be seen are rays, turtles, lots of reef fish and nudibranches just to name a few.
Always dive according to your level of training.
Never enter the water without checking with the local dive center for safety, additional information, level required for each dive site and without being accompanied by a professional.
All the information provided is purely informative for our readers and shouldn't be used as is to plan your immersion.
Climate:
- Average air temperature during the year: 29°C (84°F) – 31°C (88°F)
- Average Water surface temperature: 28 – 30°C (83°F – 86°F)
- Visibility: 15 – 45+ metres
- Coldest time: May to October
- Warmest time November to April
- Possible to dive: All year round
- Best time to dive: May to October
There are many Islands to choose from but wherever you may be staying in Fiji you can access many interesting dive spots. There are several diving centers operating on place and offering courses and dive outings. Ask your local diving center to work out a schedule that suits your needs.
Kadavu island has plenty of good dive sites and from here you can dive the famous Great Astorable Reef with it’s vibrant corals and marine life that includes huge rays , turtles and hammerheads. The marine life is abundant and of a large variety.
Viti Levu is the shark paradise. Here you may encounter several kinds of sharks all in one dive. Among the species to be seen here are bull sharks, siclefin lemon sharks, nurse sharks, tiger sharks, black tip sharks, silver tips and grey reef sharks.
The Beqa Lagoon, located south of Viti Levu is a popular dive place that has many interesting sites to pick from and you can even throw in a wreck dive! Lot’s of soft corals and reef fish are to be seen.
The Namena Marine Reserve, considered as one of the best diving places in Fiji and established in 1997, is home to many marine species. It's located in between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. This marine reserve has a large variety of coral, fish and invertebrates. The only known humpback whale calving site in Fiji is found here.
This reserve's beaches also serve as a nesting place for the hawksbill, an endangered species and green sea turtles. It's a migratory path for spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, sperm and humpback whales. Although this site is best done on liveaboard it can be accessed from Ovalau or Viti Levu on day trips.
Taveuni, also called the "Garden Island" has splendid underwater scenery and is considered as the world's soft coral capital. From Taveuni you can easily access the Somosomo Strait and the Rainbow Reef that offer lots of great diving. The waters surrounding Taveuni and going south into the Koro Sea are very rich in nutrients which in turn favours the existence of large marine ecosystems.
The Yasawa's main highlights are the limestone underwater caves. The diving here is good with pinnacles, walls and swim throughs and the coral formation is impressive.
The best way to dive the Fiji's is probably on a liveaboard. Of course this will also depend on how long can stay. The liveaboard's will allow you to fully explore the Koro Sea and Bligh water area. The Bligh Water separates Fiji's 2 main Islands Vanua Levu and Viti Levu.
This channel is very rich in nutrients and attracts a lot of marine life.
However, due to the presence of strong currents many Koro Sea and Bligh Water sites may be unsuitable for beginners. But for experienced divers this can be a very rewarding experience and furthermore it's away from the crowds.
