Dive Review of Waidroka Bay in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Waidroka Bay/Beqa Lagoon

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Waidroka Bay: "Waidroka Bay Shore Resort and Dive Oct 2017", Oct, 2017, by Lee Little Haponski , TX, US ( Reviewer 5 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 9948 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	My first trip to Fiji. I was always a little put off by reports of cold water. But, I bought some neoprene and went with the [DivingDivas.com link] Oct 2017 trip. And I'm glad I did. First couple days were perfect - sunny and warm but not blazing hot. Second half (3rd week of Oct) rains started so non-diving time was spent in rooms or lounge (where WiFi works, for an additional daily or weekly charge) instead of at the pool/beach. So, I should have packed that waterproof jacket I left at home! The boat rides were fairly long - 45 minutes or more so it was 2 sites in the morning (drinks and snacks provided), a cold lunch on board (but plenty of hot coffee/tea) and the 3rd tank before the return trip. Divers doing just 2 tanks were ferried back by a 2nd boat that also swapped empty tanks for fulls. I rented BCD and regs and they were reasonably new and worked perfectly during all 11 dives. Tanks were fully filled (air only). The entry was a bit odd - duck walk with fins from seat to rear platform for giant stride. Metal ladder for exit requires fin removal in water and correct timing with surge. Line was always extended but to the side so some exits were tricky and I unknowingly nailed one of the dive guides with my tank on one (sorry!). Gear was locked away in the scuba hut overnight, you rinse and hang your own suits, keep personal gear in a plastic bin. Tanks with BCDs and regs are loaded onto the boat for you, suit up on land and grab mask, fins before getting onboard. The Fijian shark feeding dives are by far the best I've ever been on. The natives hand feed tuna heads to the big guys and all the little reef dwellers clean up the scraps. And they do get some of the biggest - bulls and tigers particularly - to come in shallow where divers can get an up close and personal look at fish that wouldn't normally be in our range. Didn't go to the Manta or Frigate sites so I don't know if the pelagics are often seen at the non-feeding spots. The corals - soft and hard - are amazingly healthy, tropical fish-life abundant, shells on almost every dive. About the only "promise" that didn't get met was the nudi/worm population. Never found a Blue Dragon and compared to other tropical Pacific areas, those in residence were small and sparse. Waidroka is definitely a surf and dive resort, nice but with some typical remote LDC issues like power outages and brownish running water (filtered for water bottle refills available in the lobby/restaurant), limited raw greens. Biggest disappointment was a chef who didn't know how to cook fish! It was mostly overcooked and seasonless. The staff, local and european, were friendly and helpful. The grounds are well kept, the pool clean and the bug population minimal. NO ROOSTERS waking you at daybreak - you might need an alarm for early breakfast before the dive boat departs! Bring Aussie electric plugs. I never exchanged more than a few USD (we pre-paid room/meals/dives) - they take it in the shops and return FD change which I then used for small purchases and tips. They do charge 2-3% to use credit cards but then you get the bank exchange rate and I get a 1% rebate so it's a wash. Bottomline: wish I had visited Fiji years ago, and hope to return, with family members, soon!
Websites	Waidroka Bay
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Pacific: Philippines, Palau, Indonesia, GBR, Costa Rica, Fiji, Caribbean: Roatan, Belize, BVI, Keys,
Closest Airport	NAN (Nadi)	Getting There	Fiji Air from LAX/HNL/SYD/MEL resort van pickup at NAN (Nadi) 2.5-3 hr drive
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	78-82°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	2
Water Visibility	40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Went with a group, dove with guides, max depth ~80' No deco, computers required. Probably could dive own profile (except on shark feedings) with a buddy but I was happy tagging along with the group. Vertical viz is good but horizontal was limited, mostly coral diving so not much reason to go deep.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	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	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Didn't take my camera, no serious photographers in group. Boat and shore had separate rinse buckets, cameras went to rooms with owners.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Waidroka Bay in Fiji and Tuvalu/Waidroka Bay/Beqa Lagoon

Waidroka Bay: "Waidroka Bay Shore Resort and Dive Oct 2017", Oct, 2017,

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 Waidroka Bay in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Waidroka Bay/Beqa Lagoon