Beqa Lagoon Resort Questions

[minnesota01r6]

I have some questions about staying and diving with BLR June 27 - July 9th. If anyone could answer some or all of my questions I would greatly appreciate it.

What is the vis like this time of year?

Are the dives guided or on your own?

How much do you tip per day of diving?

What type of diving do you do? (drift, square, etc.)

What can I expect for bottom time? (air consumption limited or time limited?)

How deep are the typical dives?

On regular dives, do you encounter sharks (the wife may not like this).

How far away is the surfing? Do I rent a board?

What do you do for SI? stay on the boat, go back to BLR, or go to a nearby island?

How rough is the ride to the dive sites?

Anything else I am forgetting to ask?

Thanks for your time! I'll be sure to check back in and let you all know how it went.

 

[divepix]

Been to BLR (used to be MBR) 6 times.

-- Vis is typically good yearround depending on dive site - water temp should be high 70's F
-- Guide is in water but you can stay with them or not. Whatever youwant.
-- You do not tip dive guides. You leave a gratuity for the entire resort staff if you like at the end of the trip by contributing to the employee Christmas fund. Do not tip individuals - it is not proper.
-- Diving is mostly on reefs and bommies that vary from about 80-100' at bottom to 10' at the top. Mostly mild currents or no current. Currents are good to make soft corals really come out and reefs more colorful. When current strong, you can get out of it on different parts of reef.
-- Bottom time will be about 60 minutes, mostly controlled by courtesy to divers waiting on boat for you.
-- Most likely will not see sharks - maybe a few or on night dives. Shark dive offered is a real kick though.
-- BLR doesn't really cater much to surfers, but pipeline can be really good I understand. I am not a surfer. You will want to confirm surfing opportunities with resort before arriving.
-- Morning dives are 2 tank with SI on boat moving location or on boat in sheltered bays.
-- Boat rides are typically fairly calm. Of course, weather is weather, and wind is wind.
--

 

[Bill Fisher]

Hello...

I just stayed at BLR the 1st week of May. I believe you saw my post.

First things first...GO !!!!!!!!

As you see in the above post DIVEPIX has been there 6 times !!!!!!
6 times, now that is an endorsement if I've ever seen one.
Take your wife, the 2 of you won't regret it.

I went exclusively for shark diving, but as divepix stated...you more than likely will NOT see sharks on the regular dives. Maybe some small Whitetip reef sharks, but that might be it.

Dive pix pretty much nailed it.

I will add about the surfing, the resort seemed quite willing to cater to surfers.
I was out by the surfing grounds when we went fishing out there.
It's a haul ( 1.5 to 2 hours on the fishing boat)
But check with them, I'm sure they'd take you out there no problem!

As far as surface intervals, there's quite a bit to do.
Hiking to the waterfall, Firewalking ceremony,
visit Rukua village, fish, surf, kayaking, relaxing, drinking, Kava ceremony, making friends with the fantastic people of Beqa...

I brought a book to read and NEVER opened it,although I was with a group of 16. All the other people were couples or honeymooners.

Of the 16 people I went with, all of them had stated that this was the best trip they have ever been on. Alot of that had to do with the AMAZING shark diving we had, but alot was also do do with the magic of Beqa, and the fantastic people there.

Do yourself a favor and go...
Bill

 

[Bratface]

I agree with Bill. Just got back one week ago. The place is marvelous, the food outstanding and the people beautiful. We painted dive flags on the dive crews toenails. They loved it. If you want to see them smile, take their pictures and show it to them. We even left our rubber chicken behind for them (he goes diving). They are the greatest group of guys.

Take some things for the school children. Pencils, pens, erasers, paper, construction paper and so on. It's a primary school grades 1-8. Be sure to visit the school. You won't believe how old the desks are. Wise will be your guide. Tell him Sharon says hello.

 

[CARHILL]

? where is BLR? What Country or what island is it on????? I live in this part of the world and never heard of it.

 

[Mike Veitch]

? where is BLR? What Country or what island is it on????? I live in this part of the world and never heard of it.

Fiji... home of the big bull shark feed...

 

[Bratface]

Beqa (pronounced Benga) is a small island in Fiji. It is located to the south of the main island. It's about a 30 or 40 minute boat ride from Pacific Harbor. There are about 300 islands in Fiji.

 

[moeronn]

minnesota01r6 - I hope you don't mind me piggybacking off your thread. Since my questions are tied into Beqa, it seemed appropriate. If not, please let me know and I'll start another thread.

I'll be in Fiji with my soon-to-be-wife in August. We are staying on the Coral Coast (please finish reading before chastizing me for this decision ) for 4 nights, before heading out to Matamanoa. While staying on the Coral Coast, we're hoping to do some diving in Beqa Lagoon. Now, to the point - my questions are:

1. For those who have been diving there, which dive company did you use? It seems as if there are two different Aqua Treks there.

2. Does it matter too much which operator you use? Can you get to pretty much the same dive sights, or at least similar underwater scenery?

3. Would it me a waste to only have one day of diving there? We're also planning on doing some island exploring and want to balance things out.

Thanks in advance.

 

[saf_25]

I'm leaving Thursday for my first trip to Beqa myself. For those of you who have been, anything to keep in mind in terms of what to bring? I know, usual dive gear, but what about clothing this time of year? IT's winter there, but will it be cold enough to need/want a pair of pants or a jacket? Do they havea decent dive shop there, or should I make sure to bring a complete save-a-dive kit along in case a strap breaks or something?

Also am unsure how much $ to bring with me - is there a lot of souveniers or extras I'll need cash for? Food and diving is included, so other than the $ to contribute to the tip fund, will I need anything else?

Thanks!

 

[chuck e]

I'm leaving Thursday for my first trip to Beqa myself. For those of you who have been, anything to keep in mind in terms of what to bring? I know, usual dive gear, but what about clothing this time of year? IT's winter there, but will it be cold enough to need/want a pair of pants or a jacket? Do they havea decent dive shop there, or should I make sure to bring a complete save-a-dive kit along in case a strap breaks or something?

Also am unsure how much $ to bring with me - is there a lot of souveniers or extras I'll need cash for? Food and diving is included, so other than the $ to contribute to the tip fund, will I need anything else?

Thanks!

Are you staying at Beqa Lagoon Resort? We were there in July, 2004. Even though winter, expect temps to range from low 70's to mid 80'+ during the day. We bussed from the airport to the boat launch (~2.5hrs) with a pee break at a souvenir store. They take US$ and plastic. You will definitly be interacting with the local villagers. They comprise the staff and entertainment. Tour their village, and if you want to make a hit, bring some school supplies. Their dive shop is good. They have rentals if something breaks, but a save-a-dive kit is always a good idea. Have a great time. This is a fabulous resort!