Beqa Island diving

Beqa lies 7.5 km south of Navua separated by a 853 feet (260 meters) deep marine passage. Beqa boasts a good variety of dive sites; from shallow diving to drift and from shark to wreck diving. The dive sites generally have a maximum depth of around 65 feet (20 meters) with some deeper dives in the passages. Sea fans, soft corals and crinoids decorate the reefs around this area with plenty of colours including bright yellow, orange and shades of pink and purple. The sites here are great for underwater photography and suit all levels of experiences.

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.

Average Water surface temperature: From 23°C to 29°C (72° F to 84 °F).
Visibility often averaging: Visibility is between 15 and 40 feet (49 to 12 meters). Best visibility is during winter months from July to September
Best time to visit: The season for Beqa Island diving runs all the year round; but from November to January may have the stronger winds and surface conditions
Possible to dive all year round.

Beqa is reputed as being one of the best shark diving spots in the world. More than eight species of sharks and over 300 species of fish can be seen in its waters. Blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, silvertip sharks as well as tawny nurse sharks, sicklefin lemon sharks, bull sharks and the occasional tiger shark can be seen on dives. Giant groupers, maori wrasse, rainbow runners, giant trevally and java morays are also present. 

On the edge of Beqa passage there lies a patch reef named Shark reef; it became a marine reserve in April 2004. It is a protected area where you can enjoy interacting with a wide variety of fish and 8 different species of sharks as mentioned before.

There is a reef around the island and the barrier reef around the lagoon of Beqa, both made up of colourful coral developed over hundreds of years. Hundreds of marine species have made this reef their home.

Caesar's Rocks is one of the favourite dive sites here. Its beautiful topography attracts divers and underwater photographers; the colours here are vibrant and you can expect to see a collection of bommies dotted in soft corals. These bommies reveal a series of channels, caverns and windows. There are also giant gorgonians which are home to longnose hawkfish and trumpetfish and many others. This site is at a depth of 32 to 82 feet (10 to 25 meters) deep.

The Carpet Cove has two distinct features; it all depends where you are going to start your dive from. You may choose to dive the Japanese fishing boat which was sunk in Beqa in 1994; the wreck sits upright and intact in about 65 to 98 feet (20 to 30 meters) deep. The wreck is covered with encrusting sponges and soft corals and home to big lionfish. Not far from the wreck there is a wall that is part of the reef. It is covered with hard corals, soft corals and fans. Blue ribbon eel are likely to be seen around. You may also see brilliant purple queens, red-and-black anemonefish, and black-spot pygmy wrasses. This dive site is in about 19 to 98 feet (6 to 30 meters) deep with a visibility ranging from 32 to 98 feet (10 to 30 meters).

TASU II is another wreck dive site. This  decommissioned longline fishing boat was deliberately sank in the late 1990's. It lies in about 91 feet (28 meters) deep. There is a good growth of soft and hard corals, sea fans covering the wreck. You can expect to see a school of barracuda near the vessel and groupers hiding inside it.  This site is well protected from current and wind. The wreck is upright and intact and great for underwater photography.