The ocean explorer, Jacques Cousteau, is credited with naming Fiji as the “soft coral capital of the world.”
A DIVE TRIP LEADER walks up to the dive center counter and says to the manager, “Well, you’ve guided my group of friends on quite a few great dive trips around the world. We were recently told that a good place to go diving is the island of Fiji. Can you set up a trip to go visit this island?”
The dive center manager pauses and replies, “Well, it is a little more complicated than what you are thinking as Fiji is not just one island, but a collection of 333 islands, on a smaller scale than the Philippines and Indonesia. Let’s start with the largest islands that are visited by thousands of divers every year.”
The ocean explorer, Jacques Cousteau, is credited with naming Fiji as the “soft coral capital of the world.” The island group on the edge of the Coral Triangle features over 1,500 species of fish and over 400 coral varieties. There are approximately 50 dive operators located on the major islands, plus one dedicated dive liveaboard (Nai’a) that travels the Bligh Waters between the two largest islands.
Fiji is located south of the equator along the furthest western edge of French Polynesia and east of Vanuatu and New Caledonia. The majority of the islands are small and spread out throughout the Koro Sea. The island group is protected by two of the largest barrier reefs in the world. The Great Sea Reef protects Fiji’s northwestern coasts and is the third-largest barrier reef stretching 120 miles (200 km). In the south, the Great Astrolabe Reef runs south of Kadavu Island and its nearby islands.
The Main Island – Viti Levu: The first experience divers have of Fiji is landing at the Nadi International Airport on the west coast of Viti Levu which is the largest and most populous (70% of Fijians live here) of the islands.
One of the earliest developed areas for snorkelers and scuba divers on Fiji is along the southeastern coast of Viti Levu in an area dubbed “The Coral Coast.” This area is made up of moderately deep, sloping coral reefs until the topography changes near the Beqa Passage area. From Pacific Harbor on the mainland out to Nanuku Island on the Beqa Barrier Reef area is Fiji’s first protected marine park called Shark Reef Marine Reserve. As the name implies, divers can find many shark species such as whitetip, blacktip, grey reef, nurse, lemon, silvertip, bull, and tiger in this reef area as well as occasional hammerheads and larger pelagic fish like manta rays, groupers, trevally, and Napoleon wrasse.
The northern coast of Viti Levu is called the “Suncoast” and offers access to the Bligh Waters (the waters between the two largest islands) and a myriad of seamounts, pinnacles, and pristine small island reef systems that often form a multitude of “swim-through” channels and mazes. Several areas allow divers to “ride the current” for a drift dive through soft corals, sponges, and a variety of reef fish.
Closer to the international airport, there are many small islands out from the Nadi area called the Mamanuca Islands and Malolo Barrier Reef that can be accessed from the mainland or from various island resorts. This is an area with abundant coral formations and marine life with clear waters.
If your dive travel takes you more than just Viti Levu, then you either head to the domestic terminal at the airport to catch a turboprop aircraft (usually either ATR 72s or ATR 42s) with limited seating and baggage storage (and some without daily service), or a multi-hour ferry service.
Second Largest Island – Vanua Levu: To the north of Viti Levu through the Bligh Waters, named after the famous tale of Captain William Bligh and the 1787 mutiny on the HMS Bounty where he had to navigate through the Fiji Islands to Timor in an open longboat, is Fiji’s second largest island called Vanua Levu.
Most of the dive operations are located around the Savusavu area on the southern coast mid-island. This is the location of Namena Marine Reserve that is a mixture of coral-covered walls, sloping reefs, and plenty of pinnacles rising up to the surface featuring layers of dense marine life. One of the top dive sites is a place called Grand Central Station where divers can descend and settle themselves on a rocky ridge over a deep wall to watch reef sharks and other large pelagic fish patrol back and forth (similar to Palau’s famous Blue Corner site).
Another popular dive site is a pair of pinnacles called The Chimneys where a mild current provides plenty of nutrients for the soft corals, sponges, and gorgonians, and schools of reef fish and macro marine life. Another pinnacle dive site is called Magic Mountain that is larger and hosts many turtles, a variety of eels, large schools of reef fish and occasional manta and eagle rays that sweep in with the current.
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Third Largest – Taveuni Island: Just to the southeast of Vanua Levu is Fiji’s third largest island and one of the most visited by divers. Taveuni, called the Garden Island because of its abundance of farms and plantations, has close access to the famous Rainbow Reef that runs along the Somosomo Strait between the island and Vanua Levu. The reef gets its name from the full spectrum of soft coral colors found along the reef.
One of the “bucket list” dive sites along the reef requires advanced planning using moon phases and tide charts. The Great White Wall is covered by Dendronepthya white corals which only open up fully to feed on plankton and other nutrients during heavy current that comes when there is either a full moon or a new moon that affects the tide. Dive operators have these “prime times” set on their dive calendars so diver visits should correspond to these predetermined schedules.
While Fiji is known for its soft corals there are a few places where hard corals are the main attraction and the Cabbage Patch is one that features large cabbage-shaped hard coral plate formations and home to many macro creatures. These swirling, fan-like cabbage colonies take up large areas and are often rare to find. Fiji has three known cabbage patch formations in Taveuni, Mamanuca Islands, and Kadavu Island.
Southern Diving – Kadavu Island Group: A flight down to the Kadavu Island Group allows divers access to exploring the Great Astrolabe Reef with over 60 dive sites that range from deep waters to lagoon breeding areas for large fish species and rays. There are many passages, swim-throughs, and caverns between the numerous islands and reef structures for drift dives to encounter manta rays, sharks, turtles, marlin, tuna, giant trevally, mahi-mahi, snappers, and other large and small fish amid the corals in this pristine reef area. A bit of everything can be found here, including a large colony of Cabbage plate corals.
Northern Diving – Yasawa Island Group: A flight north of Nadi will take you to the Yasawa Island Group that is part of the Great Sea Reef that is another protective barrier reef that blocks the rest of Fiji from storm surges and giant waves. These islands have a wild western side and calmer eastern shores. This mixture of environments ensures one of the highest concentrations of marine and coral life in the Great Sea Reef, but the logistics of diving here makes it one of the least explored regions of Fiji.
The approximately 300 other smaller islands of Fiji are scattered in the eastern region of the island group and generally are “off the beaten path,” but there is no indication they don’t host just as amazing diving environments as the popular larger islands. Fiji’s dive scene has plenty of room for growth.
History of Fiji: Melanesian tribes migrated east from the Papua New Guinea area until they inhabited the islands of Fiji between 1,500-1,000 BC and continued eastward. The Melanesian people, a mix of migrants from Africa and the Philippines, have a tribal culture that exists today in separate villages.
The discovery of sandalwood in 1804 in Vanua Levu led to a rush of European traders visiting Fiji. The British annexed Fiji in late 1874 and began establishing plantations across the islands. The British had to import thousands of indentured workers from India for these plantations and descendants now make up about a third of Fiji’s current population. Fiji finally separated from Great Britain in 1970 when it became a commonwealth and later a republic in 1987.
Fijian Culture: Visitors to Fijian villages should dress modestly when visiting, covering bare shoulders and legs while not wearing sunglasses or hats. If entering a village building first remove your shoes and don’t take photos of any villagers without first asking permission.
One of the most common traditions for visitors is to participate in a kava ceremony which is usually part of a “sevusevu” welcoming ceremony. Kava is the ground dried root powder from a pepper plant that is added to a straining cloth and mixed with cold water and squeezed out into a coconut shell cup. Visitors sit on a mat and must first clap once to accept the cup and say “Bula” (which is “hello”). The Fijian host usually asks if you want a “high tide” (full cup) or “low tide” (half cup). The visitor must drink the cup all at once and then clap three times and say “Vinaka” (thank you) to show your appreciation.
Fiji Logistics: Many major airlines fly into the international airport in Nadi and the country’s own Fiji Airways has opened many international non-stop flights to attract tourists.
The Fijian Dollar is the main currency on the islands and major credit cards and bank debit cards are accepted in tourist areas and resorts. Tipping is not common as most bills include a service charge. Fiji’s standard voltage is 240 (50 Hz) and the most common plug type is the Type I pattern with three flat pins arranged in a triangular shape.
Water temperatures range from 82F (28C) in the summer to 77F (25C) in the winter. Fiji primarily has only two seasons with winter months (May to November) offering better visibility during the dry season, while the summer months (December to April) offer calmer seas during the rainy season. If a decompression chamber is needed after a dive emergency, then there is one next to the Nadi International Airport.
Fiji is not a ‘one-and-done’ dive trip destination as there are too many islands to explore on just one journey, so be prepared to plan return visits to the “Soft Coral Capital of the World.”
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