Fiji Bligh Waters Ra Divers to service Volivoli Beach Resort Exclusively

[bbarada]

Do report your experience. We are fans of Wananavu too.

 

[jake11]

Thank you underwater_explorer! Looking forward to your report!!

 

[snorkymn]

Thinking of heading to Wananavu next year and was about to make a decision.. Might hold of on that until I find out how Reef diving is there, and how hard it is to get enough people to head out to the Blight waters area. I'd really want to head out there nearly every day if I could, I hear it's great diving. (Never been to Fiji before)

 

[dive travel goddess]

If you want to be assured that you will be diving Viti-Ra-Passage as many dive days as possible when in the Bligh Waters area, you must reserve your stay with Volivoli Beach Resort/Ra Divers. Ra Divers has been diving those waters for 25 years and know the best dive sites like the back of their hand. They've also instituted a new policy that will be in effect during this new period in their development where they are exclusively servicing their own resort guests. If you are not part of a group, you do not have to ask around the resort to come up with minimum of 6 divers who all want to go out to dive the Passage. You can pay an extra $65USD for a 3rd-tank dive day. Ra Divers will take you out for an all day Passage dive day provided others on the boat want to do the same long dive day. You'll have to pay additional for a box lunch on the 3-tank dive day. Divers traveling from the US book full packages including land transfers, accommodation, meals, diving and taxes. If you've packaged your trip including the meal plan, the resort sends along a box lunch at no additional charge.

If there are over 6 divers in residence during your stay, no problem getting Ra Divers to take the boat out to the Passage with just your standard daily 2-tank boat dive package.

Point is, Ra Divers is hell bent to get you out to do Passage diving no matter whether you are an individual traveler or a group. Your first day of diving with Ra Divers is always on a local reef so they can evaluate your dive skills. Safety first. If they determine your skills are up to handling Passage dive conditions and the weather permits, you will be taken to dive the Passage as many days as possible. With the new high powered duel engine boat, Ra can get to that Passage where other boat operators do not have the power to get out there.

Watch video produced at Volivoli Beach Resort/Ra Divers just this past February.

[video=youtube;D5Lp8tp2rUA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Lp8tp2rUA&feature=player_embedded[/video]
Information about all inclusive dive packages and bookings with Volivoli Beach Resort/Ra Divers: email dive@volivoliresort.com .

You'll love the diving at Bligh Waters whether you are diving the local reefs or out at Viti-Ra-Passage. Happy diving!

 

[dive travel goddess]

Clarification regarding "VBR packs you a bag lunch to take with you on the boat when you do that long dive day". If you are not booked into VBR under a meal plan, the box lunch cost is in addition to the 3rd-tank purchase.

Clarification regarding "... cost of an additional (tank) $55 USD per diver". For travel to VBR in 2011, 3rd tank is $55 USD.
3rd tank change for travel to VBR/Ra Divers in 2012 will cost you $65 USD.

 

[bbarada]

We dove with the boat depicted in the post by "dive travel goddess." The ladder is a accident waiting to happen. Especially if the sea is a little bumpy. Really poor design.

 

[Shasta_man]

We don't need no ads.

 

[DocVikingo]

If you want to be assured that you will be diving Viti-Ra-Passage as many dive days as possible when in the Bligh Waters area, you must reserve your stay with Volivoli Beach Resort/Ra Divers. They've also instituted a new policy that will be in effect during this new period in their development where they are exclusively servicing their own resort guests. If you are not part of a group, you do not have to ask around the resort to come up with minimum of 6 divers who all want to go out to dive the Passage. Ra Divers will take you out for an all day Passage dive day provided others on the boat want to do the same long dive day. If there are over 6 divers in residence during your stay, no problem getting Ra Divers to take the boat out to the Passage with just your standard daily 2-tank boat dive package. Point is, Ra Divers is hell bent to get you out to do Passage diving no matter whether you are an individual traveler or a group.

I have to seriously wonder about yous assertions. Apparently they had some probelms doing it at Wannavu just a month or so back.

Here's a report I recently received from an acquaintance:

"Although this relates to Ra Divers when they were at Wannanavu, almost immediately after I departed they moved next door to Volivoli. During the 4 dive days I was there we made it to Bligh Waters exactly zero times (despite myriad assurances that of course there would be trips when I phoned several times before my reservation).

While I was there all of the following conditions had to be met for a trip to be considered:

- no new arrivals to the resort on board the boat
- at least 6 divers on the boat
- all divers interested in the Bligh Waters
- amenable weather conditions

It's not easy getting all of these conditions to happen at the same time if you are not bringing a ready-made group, so in the time I was there, despite repeated requests, no Bligh trips were made. If any one of these doesn't happen, even if the other 3 conditions are met, you may not end up diving where you hoped. The most frustrating day we had 6 on board and the only 3 new arrivals were professional marine biologists on break from FT jobs in remote Vanua Levu (northern Fiji). Despite pleas the boat would still not go to the Bligh Waters. Another day there were glass calm seas and all divers interested - but we were 5 not 6.”

What, specifically, has changed?

Thanks,

DocVikingo
- Feature Writer, Undercurrent
- Past Columnist, Rodale's Scuba Diving
- Administrator, DocVikingo's Scuba Clinic
- Board Administrator, Scuba Diving's Diver to Diver Message Board
- Medical - Moderator, TheCyberDiver.com
- Past Medical Moderator, Scubaboard.com

 

[Blighbaby]

seems every post is a commercial? can anyone else comment on the op without clearly having a vested interst?

 

[dive travel goddess]

Sorry about the commercial sounding emails. Of course I have a vested interest. Most important interest is getting the word out about a new resouce to choose from to dive and stay at Bligh Waters. Family owned dedicated dive resorts in Fiji are dying off. I want this place to stay in business so we can continue to go there. No one knows that Ra Divers has built their own resort so other reports on this place will be a time in coming. It is important to understand that Ra Divers was never Wananvu's "in-house" dive operator. Ra agreed to take Wananvu individually requested dive reservations as a courtesy when Wananavu was left in the lurch by Kei Viti Divers going belly up - each reservation accepted by Ra Divers provided Ra Divers had boat availability at time of request. Ra's new policy that makes it easy now for individual divers to be taken to the Passage only went in to effect June 1st when Ra ceased servicing Wananavu to be able to put all their efforts into serving their own guests. The new policy was never offered to Wananavu guests. Ra Divers was never "at" Wananvu. They did not "move" from Wananvu to "next door". About 6 years ago the Darling family bought Ra Divers - based at the Ra Divers Dive Hut on Volivoli Beach. That is where they've been based, on their own property. The family also bought 20 acres surrounding the Dive Hut and began construction on their own resort. Reef Safari supposedly is getting Wananavu dive operation bookings now. I'd like to see reviews about the new dive operator at Wananavu also. Wananvu is a favorite of many. There is plenty of room for two dive resorts to exist at Bligh Waters. Volivoli/Ra Divers has decided though to have a different approach to what they want to emphasize and offer - namely dedicated dive resort that caters to the US dive traveler. No weddings, please! The family is spending time talking to their guests to find out how they can improve all aspects of their new operation. I hope this answers "what has specifically changed" from a month ago. Major change is occuring just this month. There were some problems Ra experienced while transitioning out of WBR completely. Now VBR/Ra Divers is full blown, direct competition to WBR and no doubt will suffer some growing pains although we've not seen any problems when staying at VBR on the two occasions we've been there over the past couple of years. It has been so much fun getting in on the ground floor, watching VBR become "its own person" so to speak. Go to VBR and write a review! Feedback is so welcome right now so any problems discovered can be fixed. I agree the ladder needs attention. No more "ads" from me. You've got the info now.