Where to Dive in Fiji

This is the first in a series of three blogs by Scott Kukral, founder of Seafiji.com on the best places to dive in Fiji.

I am often asked where the best diving in Fiji is located.

Tough question!

You can fall into the water almost anywhere and have a good dive, and every area has some sites that show signs of damage by weather, climate, runoff, human activity or other factors. One note about the currents in Fiji – most of them are the result of tidal changes, and as such come up and go down twice a day.

If you want to minimize your exposure to current diving, they are at their strongest around a full or new moon. However, the currents bring in plentiful nutrients that account in great part for the prolific marine life and vast number of species for which Fiji is known. Some dives require current to be present in order for the soft coral polyps to be out feeding, and for the bigger pelagics to be actively hunting.

The dive operators try to dive particular sites during optimal currents so that divers can experience each dive to its fullest, but there can be a fine line between underdeveloped, optimal and overdeveloped currents. I have been on dives that were incredible when the current was just right, and either downright scary or boring when we missed the window. Here is some general information that might help you decide which area is best for you.

I’ll divide the most popular dive areas into 4 regions.

These are the Mamanuca and Yasawa groups, the Northern Group (centered around Taveuni and the Somosomo Strait, but extending from the eastern and southern coasts of Vanua Levu to the northern and eastern coasts of Viti Levu, and the entire water between), Beqa Lagoon, and Kadavu (including Ono and the Astrolabe Reef). Of these, the Northern Group is by far the largest and most diverse, and includes many dives that are world renown.

For discussion purposes, I have included the Lomaiviti Group (to the east of Viti Levu) in the Northern Group, but it is also sometimes referred to as the Central Group. The others are self-explanatory. It should be noted that there are some excellent dives that fall outside these four areas, like the Lau Group, the Great Sea Reef and Vatulele, but these are less accessible due to limited or non-existent dive operations providing access. Here is what you can generally expect in each of the regions.

Scott has over 12 years experience as a Scuba Dive Instructor and a command officer with a dive rescue team, accruing thousands of hours of underwater experience and over 3500 dives (over 700 in Fiji alone) If you have any questions contact him at kukral@seafiji.com, 1 (800) 854-3454 or visit his website www.seafiji.com.