Dive Review of Kai Viti Divers/Rakiraki Hotel in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Rakiraki / Bligh Water

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Kai Viti Divers/Rakiraki Hotel, Jan, 2008, by Richard Rodriguez, Texas, USA ( Reviewer 4 reports). Report 3836.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The drive from the international airport in Nadi to Rakiraki was about 2.5 hours and very scenic. The Rakiraki Hotel was quite a resort in its heyday, but that was at least forty years ago when Fiji was a British colony. It was clean, rooms were adequate, and staff VERY friendly and accomodating. For basic, affordable accomodations ($40 US/night)admist a beautiful Fiji tropical garden, the Rakiraki hotel is recommended. The dive was to have been three tanks and planned to go into the heart of the Bligh Water, but weather conditions kept it to two tanks in a reef area just north of the Kai Viti shop at the Wananavu Resort. The boat is a 40', aluminum hull jet boat and got us to the dive site in about 20-30 minutes. We had 12 divers and 4 crew on board, with the crew being very helpful and informative. Entry was from the large dive deck on the back and exits were accomplished by the large ladder in the middle of the dive deck. The group ranged in experience from very to not much, with the latter doing things like walking on the bottom, including the coral. The first dive was on a site called the Pinnacle. Our max depth was 105', dive time was 45 minutes. The dive guides allowed us to dive our own profile, to the limits of our air and computer, but we had to stay with the group. Surge, current, and plankton brought in by the warm water limited visibility, but the fish life was prolific. If you've never experienced soft corals, Fiji is the place to go. Bring a flashlight to get a perspective of the color and variety of soft corals here. Huge schools of jacks, surgeon fish, sweetlips, and snappers swam all around the pinnacle, with smaller schools of chromis, anthias, and perchlets at the top. One 4-5' reef shark came in for a look, but quickly swam off, and a small group of pickhandle barracuda were with us at the start of the dive. All the reefs in Fiji had two or three varieties of anemonone fish every where you looked, all vigoroulsy guarding their own patch of anemone. Our next dive was at a site called Dream Maker. The current made this an ideal opportunity for a drift dive, allowing us to see a large part of this reef. Ducking in and out of the reef allowed you to take a look at interesting fish and other marine life, such as the amazing variety of nudibranchs. Dream Maker had several swim throughs filled with soft corals and sea fans, but again you need a light to really enjoy the colors. After two dives here we're headed off to the upscale resort area of Denarau Island and dives in the Mamanuca group of islands.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Cozumel MX, Isla Mujeres MX, Grand Cenote Tulum MX, Pensacola, West Palm Beach, Ginnie Springs, Jackson Blue Spring FL, Bahamas, Flower Gardens Marine Sanctuary, St. Maarten, Saba, Maui HI, Lanai HI, Grand Cayman, Cabo San Lucas MX, lots of Texas lakes
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	80-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-60 Ft/ 15-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	They were not picky at all about diving your own profile, but had to stay with the group.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	A bucket for cameras was provided on the boat, and while there was a camera table built into the rear deck

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Dive Review of Kai Viti Divers/Rakiraki Hotel in Fiji and Tuvalu/Rakiraki / Bligh Water

Kai Viti Divers/Rakiraki Hotel, Jan, 2008,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Kai Viti Divers/Rakiraki Hotel in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Rakiraki / Bligh Water