Located in Melanesia in the South Pacific, Fiji comprises a group of about 330 tropical islands and it is positioned almost 1100 miles to the northeast of New Zealand. Viti Levu Nadi is its gateway and capital city. Fiji is a remarkable place with a vibrant native culture, fun and friendly people, spectacular islands and some of the finest diving in the world.
The Fiji Diving Scene, the diving scene in Fiji is known best for its vibrant soft corals that provide a wide and unparalleled spectrum of colors, dramatic topography, remarkable variations of nourishing hard corals, usually clear water and an impressive variety of reef fish. In addition, Fiji is home to some of the best shark dives in the world, particularly in the Beqa Lagoon region where their Shark Reef Marine Reserve is located. It was nicknamed the “Soft Coral Capital of the World” by Jacques Cousteau and the name has stuck, giving the country a great deal of its diving identity.
Fiji Diving Experience, diving is mostly done as drift dives, which enables you to cover great distances and observe walls of soft corals. In Fiji, current is your friend since it accentuates the soft corals while flora and fauna amass on the current side of boomies.
If you plan on taking photographs, you should consider taking a reef hook. You can then find a spot with stunning colors, hook in and snap to your heart’s content. Typically, the tops of bommies and pinnacles host an overabundance of life. Simply hook in and capture images as the current blows you around. Many individuals take a class in underwater photography before traveling to Fiji.
Best Fiji Diving Spots
• Taveuni
This spot offers incredible diving on the legendary Rainbow Reef, located in the Somosomo Strait. It has spectacular soft corals and lots of nurse sharks, gray reef sharks and reef sharks like whitetips. It is not necessarily for beginners as there can be currents. However, it is in the currents that the look of the soft corals is the best.
• Viti Levu
From the main island, it is between a 2-hour and 3-hour drive to the resort. If you stay in the Rakiraki area, you will be able to dive in the Bligh Waters from your hotel, with only a 50-minute boat ride. Bligh Waters contain magnificent soft corals, turtles and sharks and is home to renowned dive sites like Mellow Yellow, which its magnificent yellow soft corals.
• Beqa Lagoon
This site has a remarkable variety of marine life, stunning reefs and it is home to one of the finest shark dives in the world. From Nadi, it is a 2 and a half hour car ride and a 45-minute boat trip.
• Vatu-I-Ra Passage
The Vatu-I-Ra passage is located in the Bligh Waters and is home to some of the most incredible soft coral reefscapes and finest dive sites in Fiji. The passage is situated on Viti Levu on its northeast coast and the reefs exhibit the most remarkable rainbow of colors.