Dive Review of Taveuni Ocean Sports/Nakia Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni, Fiji

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Taveuni Ocean Sports/Nakia Resort, Jun, 2010, by Julie Kelly, Waiyevo Taveuni, FJ ( 1 report with 1 Helpful vote). Report 6145 has 1 Helpful vote.
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food	N/A
Service and Attitude	N/A	Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation	N/A	Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This post is in response to Norman Ross' report regarding Taveuni Ocean Sports. As the owner and operator of our family-owned dive operation, Taveuni Ocean Sports, safety is always our #1 priority. Unfortunately, this diver has left out most of the key safety-related facts in his review. Taveuni diving is considered intermediate to advanced with some of the strongest currents in the South Pacific and has no recompression chamber--the closest is in Suva. This diver was in his mid 70’s with a chronic injury to one of his legs. During my dive briefing on the morning of our first dive, I discovered that this diver had been bent within the last year. He had not mentioned decompression sickness prior to our briefing. Not only had he been bent but treatment in Belize had been delayed before he was put in the chamber--an additional and significant risk factor. When asked whether he had any type of written medical clearance or advice from a hyperbaric doctor to continue diving activities, he replied “no”. When asked what type of decompression sickness he had suffered from—Type I, II, or III—all of which can have substantially different repercussions, he claimed not to know. Taveuni Ocean Sports follows PADI standards as well as standards and guidelines set forth by DAN, the leading world-wide authority on decompression sickness. I informed the diver that, for his own safety, we would need to call DAN and speak with a hyperbaric doctor to find out the recommendations for this situation. The doctor I spoke with at DAN was very surprised that this diver was planning to resume diving without getting a clearance or any recommendations. Based upon the diver’s age and the strength of the currents on Taveuni (considered strenuous diving which can contribute to decompression sickness), the hyperbaric doctor recommended that he dive no deeper than 60 feet for 20 minutes with adequate hydration and thermal protection. Just to clarify, the restrictions imposed on this diver came from DAN, not Taveuni Ocean Sports. After receiving the advice from the hyperbaric doctor, the diver became extremely upset and said he wanted to leave immediately. I gave him a full refund for diving and, after spending 3 hours on the phone changing flights for him and his wife, we got them on the next available flight back to the US. We gave the diver very clear choices: he could dive to 60 feet for 20 minutes, per DAN recommendations, or he could get a clearance letter from a hyperbaric doctor and resume unrestricted diving. He chose to do neither, but instead to leave. Nakia Resort & Dive informs prospective guests of our cancellation and refund policy in our first e-mail response. Like all resorts on Taveuni, we don’t offer cash refunds for on-the-spot cancellations. Instead, we will re-schedule the booking at no additional cost to the guest for one year. Despite this policy, we wanted to be more than fair in this instance, so we refunded all diving and meal costs. In my 13 years as a dive instructor, I have never been treated in such a rude and dismissive way by a diver or a guest. Unfortunately, I couldn’t please this diver and I assumed he would write a bad review. But I would not change my response to this situation. Reviews are trivial compared to someone’s life and safety. Thanks for reading my response to this regrettable situation. On a sidenote, much to Norman's dismay, we are a very reputable dive resort who has an 8 page article in Scuba Diver magazine this month. Julie Kelly, Taveuni Ocean Sports
Websites	Taveuni Ocean Sports Nakia Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Taveuni, Fiji Islands
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather		Seas
Water Temp	-°F / -°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	- Ft/ - M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish	N/A
Small Critters	N/A	Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Taveuni Ocean Sports/Nakia Resort in Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni, Fiji

Taveuni Ocean Sports/Nakia Resort, Jun, 2010,

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 Taveuni Ocean Sports/Nakia Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni, Fiji