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Your Guide to Diving Fiji and Tuvalu
Including Beqa Lagoon/Pacific Harbor, Kadavu, Laucala, Nananu-I Ra, Taveuni and Matangi

All of Undercurrent's information on diving Fiji and Tuvalu, including articles, reader reports, Chapbook sections, ...

Diving Fiji and Tuvalu Overview

For west coasters, it takes about the same amount of time to get to Fiji as it does to the Caribbean: 10 hours nonstop from LAX to Nadi, and the diving in the Fijian archipelago is arguably considerably superior to most in the Caribbean.

Prices are comparable, and air packages can include New Zealand/Australia extensions at little extra cost. Fijians are polite, friendly, modest, and religious, so watch your language, and wear nonrevealing clothes to town. They are crazy about the sport of rugby football, and Fijian warriors have traditionally made valiant soldiers in the British army.

Wetsuits are staples year-round; strong currents around Rainbow Reef (Taveuni) for example, the soft corals capital of the world, add coolness and in some places they're vigorous, so carry surface signaling devices when diving Fiji or Tuvalu.

The weather can be stormy June through September; short, heavy showers are possible any afternoon year-round, especially around Beqa Island. The coast near Suva, at Beqa Lagoon, is home to some dramatic shark diving where eight or more different species of shark will attend a staged feed. The year-round average temperature is 80°F (27°C) or above; nights average 69°F (20°C) in winter. Cyclone Winston did a lot of damage to the island of Viti Levu in 2016 from which the island finally recovered.

Fiji and Tuvalu Seasonal Dive Planner

Fiji's weather presents a real mixed bag. The usual choice is between good visibility and cool water or warm water and calmer seas with reduced visibility. June through October is the dry season when the water is the clearest, but it's also at its coldest, and the winds kick up. Water temperatures can sink to 73°F (23°C) this time of the year, making it necessary to drag out the full wetsuits. November brings a transition period. The water warms up, the winds die down, and the plankton blooms, lowering the visibility. By January and February, the water has warmed back up to 83°F (28°C). The rains pick up and the hurricane season is on (December through March). Counting Tonga and Samoa, the area gets about five cyclones a year. It's a risky time to try to catch good diving weather. Because the winds kick up so much in February and March, some resorts pick these months to close down for repairs. During April and May, the wind and therefore the seas become calmer and the water remains warm, but the plankton bloom cuts down on the underwater visibility. Of course, this offers the best odds of seeing large plankton eaters. The best time to go depends on your preferences: warm, calmer, cloudy seas, or clear but cold water.

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Diving Fiji and Tuvalu Reader Reports and Feature Articles

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Latest Reader Reports from Fiji and Tuvalu

from the serious divers who read Undercurrent

All Reader Reports from Fiji and Tuvalu

All 10,000+
Reports
Taveuni Dive Resort Report in Fiji and Tuvalu
"Very nice land-based operation minutes from the Rainbow Reef"
filed Feb 27, 2024 by Lisa Jabusch and Steve Nieters (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 23 reports, Sr. Contributor )
5 stars

We finally did the White Wall which was the highlight of the trip (visibility was great here). They offered that dive on back to back ... ... Read more Photos available


Ra Divers/Volivoli Beach Resort Report in Fiji and Tuvalu/Bligh Waters, Fiji
"Great Resort But Poorly Managed Dive Operation"
filed Jan 8, 2024 by tim nugent (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 2 reports)
1 stars

We chose the Volivoli Beach Resort based on past Undercurrent reviews, and Volivoli truly lived up to the term “Resort”. This place is ... ... Read more


Nai'a Fiji Report in Fiji and Tuvalu LiveAboard
"Nai'a : a league of it's own"
filed Dec 27, 2023 by Max Weinmann (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 9 reports, Sr. Reviewer )
5 stars

After the 10 hour trip from San Francisco I was still rather weary. Upon reaching the Nai'a that sensation rapidly evaporated into exci... ... Read more


Sau Bay Resort Report in Fiji and Tuvalu/Rainbow Reef
"Remote Fijian Dive Resort with easy access to Ranbow Reef"
filed Nov 30, 2023 by Robert Davidson (Experience: 101-250 dives, 3 reports, Reviewer )
5 stars

After diving the Bligh Waters from the Volivoli Dive Resort and the Namenba Marine Reserve from the Jean-Michel Resort, wer traveled fr... ... Read more Photos available


Jean Michel Costeau Resort Report in Fiji and Tuvalu/Savusavu
"Diving and staying at a luxury resort in Fiji"
filed Nov 30, 2023 by Robert Davidson (Experience: 101-250 dives, 3 reports, Reviewer )
5 stars

Although the reosort has the Costeau legacy (Jean-Michel, son of Jacques) and we had heard from other non-diving prior guests that the ... ... Read more Photos available


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Complete Articles Available to Undercurrent Online Members; Some Publicly Available as Indicated

Diving Fiji and Tuvalu Articles - Liveaboards

Fiji, Indonesia, French Polynesia, Molokai, we’re diving the world once again, 7/22

Available to the Public
Island Scuba Destinations That Will be Gone in Less than a Century, 9/19
Misfortune Follows the Siren Fleet, is there something inherently wrong?, 1/18
Roatan, the Brac, Sulawesi, Fiji …, and a lot of bad diving behavior, 11/17
Undercurrent Aids Subscriber with Travel Problems, 8/17
Fiji, Iceland, Maldives, Raja Ampat, trouble in Cozumel, a bad critter-handling policy in Kauai, 5/15
Nai’a, Tonga and Fiji, two trips for seeking whales and diving Fiji’s reefs, 2/15
Snafu in the Solomons, 9/14
Baja California, Fiji, Montserrat, pesky politics and squirrely harbormasters, 4/14
Cape Eleuthera, Fiji, Maui, Mexico, two more Baja boats, a new dive shop, and a great night dive, 3/12
Bonaire, Fiji, Galapagos, Roatan, great examples of customer service - - and one resort to avoid, 9/11
Nai’a, Fiji, bright diving, weather permitting, good service all the time, 7/08
Nai'a Crew Rescues All Hands After Grounding, 10/06
Return to Fiji Aboard the Nai’a, Sipping Kava and Flying Fiji Style, 6/99

Diving Fiji and Tuvalu Articles - Land Based

Bonaire, Belize, Rangiroa, Fiji, Indonesia, dying coral, schools of sharks, super photography course, 3/24
Paradise Taveuni Resort, Fiji, lovely reefs, lovely people, 1/24
Humpbacks Whales, Shark Rodeos, Monk Seals, Giant Octopuses, what our readers have to say, 11/23
Rangiroa, BVI, Guanaja, Bermuda, Maui and More, great diving, unsafe liveaboard, 7/23

Available to the Public
Keeping the Shark Myth Going, 4/20
Fiji, Molokai, Little Corn Island, St. Eustatius, following the guide leads to skin bends, 11/19
Want Your Own Fiji Shark?, 2/19
Bonaire, Cozumel, Cuba, Fiji, Palau . . ., spear tossers, baggage restrictions and thieving crews, 9/18
Fiji and Belize Protect their Reefs, 2/18
Dominica, Fiji, Belize, Costa Rica, Florida, big animals, no head counts, free flowing regulators, 7/17
Paradise Taveuni, Taveuni Island, Fiji, coral and cultural paradise, 6/17
Dengue Fever in Fiji: Should Divers Worry?, 4/14
Sau Bay Fiji Retreat, Fiji, 3/14
Eritrea, Kiribati, Sipadan . . ., why to consider Wananavu, when not to consider the Odyssey, 9/13
Fiji Airways: A Major Link in the Shark Fin Trade, 6/13
Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Fiji, Truk. . ., plus unexpected cold water, and a liveaboard to avoid, 8/12
Lalati Resort and Matangi Resort, Fiji, dive luxury living: a tale of two islands, 7/12
Fiji Airlines’ Abysmal Service, 7/12
Cocos, Fiji, Roatan, Yucatan, and why you shouldn’t rely solely on travel agents, 5/11
Legal Complications of Being Injured Abroad, why a Californian had to go to Hawaii to sue a Fiji resort, 3/11
Night Time Raid on Fiji’s Lagoon Resort, Beqa Divers, 6/10
Oman, Fiji, Hawaii, Bahamas…, need a change of pace? check out these dive sites and operators, 4/10
Papoo Divers, Nananu-i-ra, Fiji, “boutique diving” away from the crowds, 1/10
Off the Beaten Path, dive destinations worthy of your consideration, 10/09
Wananavu Beach Resort, Fiji, great diving, although Kai Viti Divers closes its doors, 6/09
Fiji Divers Caught in Pricing Battle at Garden Island Resort, 10/08
Moody’s Namena, Fiji, South Pacific, a romantic hideaway with fine diving, 4/02
Thumbs Down — Divers Get Taboo Treatment from Fiji's Taveuni Island Resort, 4/00
Diving with the Cousteau Team, Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Island Resort, 6/97
Another Fiji Destination, 6/97
Matana Resort, Fiji, 7/96
Fiji: Loma Loma Resort, 4/96
Marlin Bay Resort, Fiji, 2/96
Diving in Fiji, 5/94
The Pasific Nomad, Fiji, South Pacific, Three If By Land, Five If By Sea, 9/89
Fiji. It's Not That Far Away, 9/89
Booking Fiji, 9/89
Na Koro Resort, Vanua Levu, Fiji, 9/89
Fijian Resort Hotel; Taveuni Castaway, Fiji, Great Hotel, Average Diving; Average Hotel, Great Diving, 11/84
Moody Rebuilds In Fiji With A Plan For Investors, 11/84
The Sta Reta, Fiji, South Pacific, Three's A Crowd, 10/83

Fiji and Tuvalu Sections from Our Travelin' Diver's Chapbooks

Reader Reports filed for that year
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Fiji and Tuvalu Liveaboards

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Land Based Dive Resorts in Fiji and Tuvalu

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2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005
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Editor's Book Picks for Scuba Diving Fiji and Tuvalu
Including Beqa Lagoon/Pacific Harbor, Kadavu, Laucala, Nananu-I Ra, Taveuni and Matangi

The books below are my favorites about diving in this part of the world All books are available at a significant discount from Amazon.com; just follow the links. -- BD

Reef Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific Reef Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific
by Paul Humann and Ned Deloach

Paul Humann and Ned Deloach have done it again, releasing a definitive identification guide to 1600 extraordinary reef creatures of the Tropical Pacific. with this 500+ page softbound guide, you get upwards of 2000 exceptional photos of shrimp and crabs and stars and worms and lobsters and nudibranchs and slugs and squid and bivalves . . . well, all those invertebrates that move along the reefs of this region without fining, so it seems. There are several photos of some creatures to help you identify them during different life stages, and about ten percent of the book is descriptive copy so you can tie down your identification. Even if you have no plans to go to the tropical Pacific, just to thumb through the pages, gawk at the complexity and uniqueness of these animals, and read a thumbnail sketch will give any serious diver vicarious thrills for endless hours.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.



Reef Fish ID Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific
by Gerald Allen, Rodger Steene, Paul Humann, & Ned Deloach

At last, here's a comprehensive fish ID guide covering the reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The generous 500-page text, displaying 2,500 underwater photographs of 2,000 species, identifies the myriad fishes that inhabit the warm tropical seas between Thailand and Tahiti. The concise text accompanying each species portrait includes the fish's common, scientific and family names, size, description, visually distinctive features, preferred habitat, typical behavior, depth range, and geographical distribution. This is an essential book for every diver traveling westward. 6x9 inches.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.



Dive Sites of the Great Barrier Reef Dive Sites of the Great Barrier Reef
by Neville Coleman.

With 2900 reefs in 220,000 square miles, the enormous Great Barrier Reef has incredible dives -- and some very ordinary ones. If you're contemplating a trip, Neville Coleman's Dive Sites of the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea will help you ensure you pick the best. This 176 page book, with good maps and scores of colorful photos, describes the significant sites, the topography and the critters, then rates and ranks them so you can pick the best. Don't even consider a trip to Australia without consulting this. $24.95



Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide
by Gerald R. Allen, Roger Steene.

I was trying to pack light for a change. Surely the Solomon Sea would have good identification books aboard. Not so; the only book on the boat belonged to a fellow passenger. It was one that I had not seen before, the Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide, by two of the best fish guys around, Gerry Allen and Roger Steene. The problem was this fellow passenger kept it in a plastic baggie most of the trip and I had to beg to see it. Great book, good traveling size, and it covers everything from fish, shells, marine plants, mammals, corals, and invertebrates to sea birds and more. Now I've got my own, and it won't do you any good to beg me to borrow it. This is one of two books that I will not travel to the Pacific without. Good for travel to the Red Sea, East Africa, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Andaman Sea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Hawaii, it has 1,800 color illustrations in a 6x8 1/2 paperback format with 378 pages. $39.95.



Diving Southeast Asia There's a Cockroach in My Regulator
by Undercurrent

The Best of Undercurrent: Bizarre and Brilliant True Diving Tales from Thirty Years of Undercurrent.

Shipping now is our brand new, 240-page book filled with the best of the unusual, the entertaining, and the jaw dropping stories Undercurrent has published. They’re true, often unbelievable, and always fascinating. We’re offering it to you now for the special price of just $14.95.

Click here to order.



You might find some other books of interest in our Editor's Book Picks section.

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