If you’re heading to Fiji and you’re interested in fully experiencing all the islands have to offer, you have to make sure you’re taking time to dive. Fiji islands have beautiful beaches and lush forests on the land, but the oceans around Fiji are filled with things you may not ever have the chance to see again.
Diving in Fiji is simply something you cannot skip. From Taveuni Island to the Coral Coast your diving adventures are guaranteed to be unforgettable. Here are the top five reasons you need to go diving in Fiji.
1. Resorts And Liveaboards Are Plentiful
Diving in Fiji gives you some very appealing options. Fiji has over 300 islands and the third largest island, Taveuni, is host to one of the best resort diving options out there. Tides Reach Resort is right by the Somosomo Strait which boasts some of the most beautiful dive scenery in the world.
The Somosomo Strait is where you’ll find The Rainbow Reef, resting between Taveuni Island and Vanua Levu. Here you’ll find tunnels to swim through, and you can see the highly popular Great White Wall. Beautiful colors, octopuses, and even moray eels are all things you can see while diving off of Taveuni Island and in the Somosomo Strait.
Once you’ve gotten your fill of resort diving in Fiji, you can also check out liveaboards. With liveaboards, you have the chance to stay right on the ocean and dive more often and more easily than a resort diving experience can offer.
Diving safaris can take you out to locations like the Koro Sea where you can see the soft corals that are famous in Fiji. You can also take liveaboard excursions to places like Tonga where you’ll have a great chance of seeing humpback whales. Liveaboards can last anywhere from 3-14 days depending on the boat and the location, so you’re sure to find an option that’s right for you.
2. The Coral
It’s impossible to go diving in Fiji without thinking about the amazing coral you’re going to see. Fiji is known as “The Soft Coral Capital Of The World” and for good reason. Fiji plays home to over 390 coral species, giving you an array of options other locations may not have.
The Namena Marine Reserve is a world-renowned global dive site that heavily features beautiful coral Fiji has to offer. While soft coral is Fiji’s claim to fame, you can see hard coral around many dive sites as well. Between Fiji’s two main islands you can find the Vatu-I-Ra Passage which has plentiful amounts of both soft and hard corals for you to see.
3. Conservation Efforts in Action
Many divers love the chance to keep the wildlife they’re passionate about seeing safe from pollution and other environmentally harmful issues that threaten their lives and home. Fiji has several dive sites that put you in direct opportunities to see conservation efforts in action.
The Shark Reef Marine Reserve offers an educational dive where you will be able to see up to eight different species of shark. Its main purpose is to be a protected sanctuary for the sharks, but the reserve also focuses a lot of effort on the ecosystem in the area.
They have put large amounts of effort into researching and documenting fish species in and near the reserve, and how their conservation efforts are affecting other sea life in addition to the sharks they focus on. They pay special attention to focus on what best benefits the sharks overall, and how they can use that information to increase the survival of their species.
The Namena Marine Reserve you read about earlier is also a conservation effort you can see at work. In the reserve, you’ll be able to dive and see a protected area that has corals, invertebrates, and sometimes even pigmy seahorses.
Working closely with local Fiji community members and businesses they’ve developed a system to prevent overfishing in the area. Namena even has a voluntary donation fund for divers to donate to if they would like to help the reserve in their conservation efforts.
4. The Coral Coast
The Coral Coast is around 50 miles of beaches and bays near Sigatoka. As the name suggests you’ll definitely be able to see an abundant amount of both soft and hard corals but there’s much more to see there as well.
Common things to spot while diving in the Coral Coast area includes various types of sharks, dolphins, eels, tiger fish, and manta rays. It’s also commonplace divers can have encounters with sea turtles which can really be amazing to see up close.
5. The Almost Exclusively Unique Sea Life
This may be the biggest reason you need to go diving in Fiji. It’s possibly even the reason that prompted you to go on your trip in the first place. Fiji is often referred to as the crossroads of the Pacific. The currents found in the area make Fiji more attractive a larger amount of sea life than other dive locations around the world.
Fiji is a common place for the bumphead parrotfish to come to spawn. It also has seven types of turtles and 12 different types of whales. If you’re a diver that wants to see humpback or blue whales, you’re in luck. Both of these species migrate to Fiji waters yearly.
Even the reefs you’ll find in the Fiji islands host some harder to find marine life to see. The vivid colors alone are something Fiji boasts about but you can also see blue-ribbon eels, leaf scorpion fish, Maori wrasse, and lionfish.
Diving and living in luxury accommodation Fiji is sure to be exciting and beautiful. There are so many dive locations, and so many various fish, coral, sharks, and other marine life to see that you’ll probably never want to leave the water. If you weren’t sure about why to go diving in Fiji before you started reading, you have plenty of great reasons to go now.
The variety of species, the sites unique to Fiji, and the beautifully clear waters are sure to thrill and excite you for your entire trip. Take note of the reasons to go and make sure you truly enjoy every minute you spend seeing these amazing sites.
