Dive Review of Nai'a in
Fiji and Tuvalu

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Nai'a, Nov, 2007, by Barry Cole, NJ, USA ( 1 report). Report 3723.
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	From the beginning to the end of trip the service was outstanding, and provided by a warm and friendly crew. The philosophy on the Nai'a was that it became a Fijian village at sea. We were welcomed into the "village" and treated as members of the extended family. Everyone was very helpful, smiled when approached, and those crew members involved with the diving were personally familiar with the dive the sites. Sonia Goggel provided all of the dive site briefings and they were by far the most comprehensive briefings I have ever received. Ritchie (1st officer), Eddie (Divemaster) and Sonia (Cruise Director/Divemaster) participated in the dives, and took time to point out interesting corals, fish, worms and anything else people indicated they wanted to see. The opportunity to see sharks was ample, and Nagali Passage was one particularly wonderful site where 30 or more sharks were actively feeding. We were dropped directly on to dive sites, generally conducting drift dives, experiencing a great variety of swim throughs, reef structures, depths, and water conditions, before we were picked up by the small boats where ever we ended. Hot showers were available on deck near our dive/gear stations, and each cabin had its own toilet and shower. Currents varied from none to 2 knots, with surge more likely to be experienced near the tops of formations and in more narrow swim throughs. Meals were varied with fresh fruits and vegetables available throughout the cruise. There was no shortage of snacks and beverages, and the afternoon snack always included freshly baked goodies. Visits to 2 island villages gave an interesting opportunity to see the "real" Fiji, and one night we had a traditional "lovo" (BBQ) that was prepared on land. Bus transfers, baggage/gear handling by the crew, a series of naturalist presentations by Sonia, and continual onboard assistance made this first live aboard experience for me quite memorable. I highly recommend the Nai'a for those who are advanced open water divers, or already have comfort in ocean diving. In terms of fish and corals, I cannot imagine better opportunities with no other divers other than my shipmates. There were no crowds and this was truly "on demand" diving.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Honolulu/Oahu, HI; Catalina, Point Lobos, CA
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy, surge, currents, noCurrents
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	4
Water Visibility	25-100 Ft/ 8-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Open water certification was necessary to dive; EAN 32 was available for those with EAN certification; on dives there were no significant restrictions.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	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	Well designed camera room with compressed air, rinse tanks, and the crew transported cameras from the Nai'a to the small boats, and then placed cameras in the rinse tanks after each dive. On the dives the hard and soft corals, variety of fish, underwater terrain were all far more than I expected/imagined.

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Dive Review of Nai'a in Fiji and Tuvalu

Nai'a, Nov, 2007,

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 Nai'a in
Fiji and Tuvalu