Diving Fiji in December / January - Request for Info

[nks]

Hello,

I am planning a 8 day, shore-based dive vacation to Fiji in the December-January time frame. Are there places I should avoid because of the rainy season? From what I understand, the northern islands (Savusavu & Tavenui) can get a lot of rain during this time which can reduce visibility.

I would like to dive Tavenui, but am concerned about the weather. Any advice?

I have read many of the Fiji related threads on Scubaboard so have a basic sense of which areas are considered "good" and which are considered sub-par, but are the Yasawas that bad? They get very low marks on this board.

About me:
I have about 70-80 dives, and have been to the Red Sea, Phuket, Philippines, Cabo San Lucas, Monterey.

I am traveling from San Francisco. I don't want to travel all the way to Fiji for just ok diving, but my lovely wifey doesn't want to be at a dive resort so Wananavu and Bega are out.

Any other suggestions? Thank you in advance.

 

[OnTheSpot]

The dive season in Fiji is all year round. April to October is the main season for diving in Fiji in terms of diver numbers, although the visibility tends to peak between the months of July and December when the water is cooler (sometimes as cool as 22°C). November to April are in fact Fiji's summertime and when the seas are at their warmest - around 30°C.

Rainfall is highly variable and depends a lot on where you are. The mountain areas receive two to three times as much rainfall with the islands much less during the November to April rainy season.

We have found the best diving is on Taveuni and Kadavu if you are not on a liveaboard.

 

[ColoDale]

I was on the islands near Taveuni during April which has about the same rainfall totals as December. January is a bit higher than December with March getting the most rain. These totals were measured at the Taveuni airport. They should be less on the islands around Taveuni.
The rainfall was usually brief but could be heavy though not bad. Mostly we had sunny days with passing rain and only a few with overcast/rain.
The visibility was good on just about every dive regardless of the rain. Even closer to Taveuni the visibility was good.
I would not avoid Taveuni or the surrounding islands due to rain - it generally passes. A bad day diving around Taveuni is still better than most places I have been.

From what I understand the Yasawas are drier during the same period but I have not been there so I can't comment on the diving or visibility.