Koro Sea diving
The Koro Sea is located in the Pacific Ocean and lies between Lau Islands to the east and Viti Levu to the west. This sea is surrounded by the Fijian archipelago Islands. Koro Sea is named after Koro Island. The diving here is mainly done on liveaboards as they have the flexibility to move between the numerous islands depending on the experience and wishes of the divers on board. The diving is mainly wall and drift diving.
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: 23°C – 30°C (73°F – 86°F)
Visibility often averaging: 15 – over 45 metres ( 49 – over 148 feet)
Possible to dive all year round.
Koro Island has currents from the Koro Sea which bring nutrients to the reefs. The marine life is varied and you will encounter plenty of fish both big and small.
On Koro Island there's a place that is popularly called shark point. The name says it all. If you are looking for sharks then you will probably want to do a drift dive here. This is best when the tide is running on the north eastern side of the island. On this dive expect to see lots of eagle rays schools of barracuda grey reef and white tip sharks. If you're lucky you may even spot whale sharks although these are seen on rare occasions.
Colourful soft and hard corals are abundant here. Enconters with reef fish like butterfly fish, angelfish and parrot fish are common. Shrimps, lobsters, moray eels and crustaceans are also to be seen.
The Wakaya Island reef is a sloping coral wall with a depth of about 30 metres (98 feet) with excellent visibility reaching 40 metres (131 feet) The currents here are gentle which makes the reef suitable for beginners to intermediate divers. The surface conditions could get rough but it's mainly calm.
The reef starts at a depth of 10 metres (33 feet) and gradually gets deeper. The reef is rich in marine life and the upper parts of the wall and plateau boast a wide array of very colourful soft and hard corals. Expect to see ribbon eels, dartfish and fire gobies. Also on this reef you may encounter bigger marine life like barracuda, hammerheads and white tip reef sharks.
The Namena Marine Reserve is a popular dive place for liveaboards operating in the Koro Sea. This reserve is located between the 2 main islands of Fiji , Vanua Levu and Viti Levu. The reef here is exceptionally healthy and offers a large diversity of marine life.
The Namena reserve area has over 1'000 species of invertebrates, more than 400 documented corals and over 400 marine plants.
Marine life you may encounter while diving here includes barracuda red snappers, grey reef sharks and various types of sea snakes. Not to forget the abundant and colourful soft and hard corals.
The Nigali Passage is a popular drift dive but with this dive timing is extremely important. There are only a few hours when the conditions allow any diving. The conditions can be very choppy and the currents moderate to strong. When diving the Nigali passage you may encounter barracuda ,trevally, red sea bass and grey reef sharks among others. You may also see manta rays, eagle rays and hammerheads. Level of expertise for this dive is intermediate to advanced and the depth is between 15 – approximately 40 metres (49- approximately 131 feet).
These are just a few of the dive places you will visit while on a Fiji liveaboard in the Koro Sea. The sea is vast and the diving areas to explore numerous. Of course your dive schedule will vary according to the number of days you spend on board and the level of expertise and interest. Your operator will work out a program that best suits your needs.
