eng1ne1:
Hey All-
My wife and I are planing on going to Fiji this Dec.
I'm hoping that some of you would be willing to share your experiances and suggest some islands/resorts to stay at that offer great diving trips,(it's exhausting looking into it all). I would also like to know how you were treated by the resort staff and any excursion crews.
If you have any suggestions for MUST see or do, that would also help. Pic's?
Thanks,
Jt (eng1ne1)
You will have to get out into the islands to experience real Fiji clear water, white sandy beaches. We wasted our 3 days booked into the Westin on Denarau Is. Hotel was great, but all beaches on mainland was BAD. Only exception was Natadola beach which was really worth the 45min trip out southwest of Nadi. Snorkelling off the main beach where there is reef, lots of fish to see.
Mananucas group (westbound) is most easily accessible off Nadi International. If you get off Suva International south of Fiji, Beqa Divers run great shark diving. More pelagics off the south or towards the west parts of Fiji Island group.
We stayed 4 days at the Mana Is Resort., out in the Mamanucas Group. The resort staff was very, very professional and friendly. Free cultural shows nightly, it was fun. Local islanders were very helful. Price was F$450 (incl buffet breakfast) for deluxe bure, but negotiated for a free upgrade to oceanfront bure. Any other accom. is not great. Oceanfront bures are configured in horseshoe config, so bures on either ends will be best. Dinner is either by buffet themes daily, or an ala carte menu- pricey tho... The island is large enough for long romantic walks inland, you can walk around the island in 3 hrs easy stroll. snorkel adventures everywhere off beach, because there is protected reef around the island. It was fabulous. Sailing, kayaking all free. We used a dive weight as an anchor attached with some heavy gauge fishing line(we brought our own reel), took off to nearby reef locations by kayak, anchored and snorkelled off the kayak. There was a sand bank patch that we would love to explore, but never got to cause it was quite a distance out.
There is a dive shop onsite at Mana Island. Run by a Japanese owner. Very professional, but prices are comparable to US prices approx F$170 for 2 boat dives with my own equipment!!, so no real savings here. Rental equipment all great quality. Package pricing benefit people who rent and dive. If you BYO, the dive prices aren't great. Do bring your own fins, personal gear, incl a lycra suit. Snorkelling around the island was AMAZING. Lots of fish, aquarium like clarity down to 20ft easy. Warm water. I have never seen so many shades of colors in hard coral: Red, pink, blue, green, yellow, purple, etc etc. I did 4 dives($$$)- deepest dive in the morning, and maybe 2nd dive per day, but snorkelling all day everywhere was good enough for me to see lots of what I wanted to see.
Baby Blacktips, morays, barracuda, sardine vortexes, occasional turtle, trumpet fish, bat fish, angel fish, one sea snake(black/white ring-poisonous!) was normal.
I was told, if you are at Fiji only to dive, go east of the mainland islands. Less crowds.
