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Dive Review of Reef Safari/Wananavu Beach Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Wananavu

Reef Safari/Wananavu Beach Resort, Nov, 2011,

by John Bayless, CA, US ( 1 report). Report 6381.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling 4 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments We recently returned from a week of diving in early November at the Wananavu Beach Resort on the north coast of Viti Levu in Fiji. We chose Wananavu in November based on recommendations by Mike Arellano at Scuba Travel Ventures who has an uncanny ability to lead us to just what we want at the best time of year for diving.

The resort is an interesting two and a half hour ride by resort van from Nadi airport and is located far from any significant towns. It consists of 34 very nice bures built on the side of a hill looking out on the surrounding islands. The grounds are lush with many palm trees and there is a nice tidal beach. The staff of the resort is very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable.

The Reef Safari dive operation is expertly managed by Jeremy and Kristen David. A couple we were traveling with completed their open water certification at the resort with Kristen as the instructor; I have never seen a more thorough and attentive instructor. In general, the dive staff was quite friendly and capable, and the DMs were very good at pointing out many of the critters that we might have otherwise missed. Also, they take care of everyone’s gear from the time you arrive until you leave.

The diving is some of the best we’ve encountered in Fiji with wonderful densely packed soft/hard coral reefs that are in excellent condition. The access to the Vuta-I-Ra Passage is what attracted our interest. Some of the most interesting reefs in this area are about an hour boat ride east from the resort. Although we were limited to 2 days in this area because of rough seas what we saw was outstanding. We understand that the liveaboard Nai’a spends two days of a one week trip in the area that is accessible from the resort. Although we saw few large fish or sharks, others at the resort had swum with whales and dolphins on each of two days just before we arrived. On the first day of diving, or when sea state prevents access to the Vuta-I-Ra Passage, the dive boats go to the Sailstone Reef about 30 minutes NW of the resort. This is wonderful, with very impressive reef formations, many swim throughs, and lots of interesting life forms including Spanish dancers, califlower soft coral, leaf scorpion fish, and blue dragon nudibranchs.

The dive boats leave at 8:30 am and return at about 2 pm after two dives. The restaurant is always ready for returning divers. The boats also go out in the afternoon and at night as needed. The resort is well set up for beach snorkeling and scuba diving which can be very nice although the visibility is not as good as on the outlying reefs.

The restaurant has a wonderful view and serves many fine dishes to the accompaniment of local musicians. There are some interesting things to do when not diving such as a village tour, a hike to a mountain water slide, and kayaking. With everything considered, we would definitely go back to Wananavu.
Websites Reef Safari   Wananavu Beach Resort

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Palau, Pohnpei, GBR, Bali, Rangiroa, Fiji, Caribbean, Bahamas, California
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 79-81°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 80-120 Ft/ 24-37 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Start up at 500 psi.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? no

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 5 stars
UW Photo Comments The boat facilities include an area to store equipment and a large tub of fresh water. The operators are good about handing camera gear to you once you are in the water. The shore facilities a good with a large, well-lighted bench to work on and some tools. Reef Safari took delivery of their new boat on the day that we left. From what we heard this will provide better facilities for UWP.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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