Fiji - Flights and Diving

[raina79]

Hi All!

I am planning a trip to Fiji in Spring or early summer of 2006. I have a few questions, some dive related, some not.

Firstly, how is the diving in Fiji affected by the rainy season? Is visibility affected much? I am thinking of going in March or April, but would be open to waiting a few months if it is worthwhile for better visibility, conditions, etc. BUT, would also like to take advantage of lower prices due to off-peak travel. Are prices for diving and accommodation lower during the rainy season? Any input you have would be great...

Secondly, I'll be there for a month and would like to hit a few different spots around Fiji. I would like to start out with some easier dives (little current, shallow dives) as I will have gone 2 yrs without diving, and then move onto more challenging dives (like the Somosomo strait). Yasawas and Tavueni are for sures, but I am struggling to decide whether the Mamanucas are worth it. If anyone can give me some feedback as to where would be a good place to do some less challenging dives in the beginning of my trip, that would be great. Also, any opinions on diving the Mamanucas or particular dive sites/shops in Taveuni and Yasawa's would be appreciated!!

Thanks!

 

[AlanWald]

[
>Firstly, how is the diving in Fiji affected by the rainy season?
The cyclone season is primarily from Jan-March, though the weather starts to get worse sometime in November.

Here is an excellent web site for air temps and rainfall in Fiji
http://www.naia.com.fj/fiji/weather.html

and also for water temperature
http://www.naia.com.fj/research/water.html

> Is visibility affected much?
In July-August (their winter) the visibility is generally very good (100 feet or more ) and the water is colder, but not cold.

>I am thinking of going in March or April, but would be open to waiting a few months if >it is worthwhile for better visibility, conditions, etc.
It would be a good idea to go later like June-Sept. for more stable weather.
I find this time period the best.
On Taveuni you can get rain at any time.


>the Somosomo strait). Yasawas and Tavueni are for sures, but I am struggling to >decide whether the Mamanucas are worth it.
Taveuni is far superior to the Yasawas and Mamanucas. It seem like you have the time to go further away from Nadi area.

You might also consider diving the Vatu-i-ra channel with Kai Viti divers. http://kaivitidivers.com/ in the Raki Raki area (northern part of the main island of Viti levu). Most of their dive sites do NOT involve current, but let any dive operator know what your experience is so you do not end up in a situation that you feel uncomfortable with.

Often you will see resorts offering cheaper diving and accomodation and even flights from the West Coast of the US in January to March, but remember that is cyclone season. You could get lucky and have decent weather but you never know.

 

[scuba_mike]

Well I hope you have a terrific time. The sites that Alan mentions are some of the sites that I checked out before I visited Fiji in January 2005 on a six-day stop-over on the way home from Down Under. Another reference site is the Fiji Visitors Bureau (http://www.fijifvb.gov.fj/index.html).

I stayed in the Mamanuca Islands, specifically on Malolo Island. While I can't comment on any other areas, I thoroughly enjoyed diving around the Mamanucas. There were fish everywhere, including a variety of reef sharks, and the corals were fantastic. I dove with the folks at Subsurface Fiji (http://www.fijidiving.com/) and they were terrific - very professional and very friendly. The dive boat from Malolo Island usually had no more than five to seven divers and there were always two dive leaders diving with the group (everyone in buddy pairs).

I wouldn't say any of the dives we made were too advanced, so they might be a suitable fit for your request to "do some less challenging dives in the beginning of my trip". There was some slight current and this meant for greater distance covered during the dive. Some of the first dives of the day were in the 70' - 90' range (when everyone on the boat had Advanced Open Water certification). The second and third dives of the day were in the 25' - 50' range.

The Subsurface Fiji site has a list of their dive sites (http://www.fijidiving.com/en/dive-sites.html), so I encourage you to check it out and compare them to the sites in other areas.

Wherever you choose, I expect the diving will be terrific! Enjoy.

Mike

 

[donacheson]

Hi All!

I am planning a trip to Fiji in Spring or early summer of 2006. I have a few questions, some dive related, some not.

...

Secondly, I'll be there for a month and would like to hit a few different spots around Fiji. I would like to start out with some easier dives (little current, shallow dives) as I will have gone 2 yrs without diving, and then move onto more challenging dives (like the Somosomo strait). Yasawas and Tavueni are for sures, but I am struggling to decide whether the Mamanucas are worth it. If anyone can give me some feedback as to where would be a good place to do some less challenging dives in the beginning of my trip, that would be great. Also, any opinions on diving the Mamanucas or particular dive sites/shops in Taveuni and Yasawa's would be appreciated!!

Thanks!

I'll strongly second Alan on Kai Viti Divers going to Vatu-I-Ra, the channel between thje two big islands.

 

[Mantasscareme]

Uh, sorry to hijack your thread, but I have several questions that I think will enchance this conversation a little. I've always been interested in Fiji as a country so I find this all fascinating. I'd like to start off by saying that I've never been to Fiji, so everyone should feel free to correct me if I say something stupid. First of all, is there any worthwhile diving in the Beqa area (the island itself, not Pacific Harbour)? Is the diving ok for beginners, how's the weather there? Also, I was surprised to hear from AlanWald that Kai Viti is a current free, beginner friendly operation. I read that the Vatu-i-ra Channel was more of a current rich area, again I'm probably wrong, somebody please clarify. There's one issue I see with going later in the year, rather than earlier. I read that the Fijian general elections are to take place no later than September 1st of 2006 (probably a lot earlier). If my history serves me right, their last free elections didn't go so smoothly. I hear it's a very safe country, but regardless, does anybody here think that traveling closer to or further away from the Fijian election deadline would have any bearing on anything? Sorry I didn't have any helpful answers of my own. Real sorry if I messed up the thread. Anyway, thanks everybody for listening, and good luck to raina79.
-Mantasscareme

Please, please, please keep in mind that I'm not asking essential questions here. I'm just posting for fun. If this post causes any incovenience, just ignore it and stick to the original questions.

 

[AlanWald]

> Also, I was surprised to hear from AlanWald that Kai Viti is a current free, beginner >friendly operation. I read that the Vatu-i-ra Channel was more of a current rich area,

Let me clarify. I never meant to imply there is no current there. Any area with good soft coral has to have currents.

A good dive operator knows the tides and currents and will put in you in an appropriate dive site at the appropriate time.

Some sites you want to go to when there is current such as Steve's Wide Angle where the objective is get down on the bottom and look for sharks. Or in the Somosomo Straits, the Great White Wall is a current or drift dive. When we went to the Great White Wall we waitied until slackwater tide when the current was at a minimum.

Many of the dive sites such as Garden of Eden/Cracks or Black Magic Mountain are done when there is little current and one swims along the bottom working one's way around the bommies in a spiral fashion to the surface.

Other dives sites are known for their tricky currents and must be respected. For example, Mary's Maytag which can have strong down currents.

It is important to let the dive operator know in advance what your skill level and experience is and what you like to do.

It is important to have safety and signalling equipment appropriate for your dive location.

 

[Mantasscareme]

Thanks for your help

 

[Bacchus]

Just booked the first week of November on the Fiji Aggressor and then a week on land. I know that some have said that it is the start of the rainy season, but it can't be all bad? Anybody been there during that time of year?

 

[Outdoor]

I am planning a trip to Fiji in Spring or early summer of 2006. I have a few questions, some dive related, some not.

I've just had a mixed experience on a dive trip to Fiji. The dive operator was really good and the diving was great, but the mob who put the trip together, Coral Seas Travel, dropped the ball.

I paid a little under $6000.00 for an 'everything included' week of diving in a four and a half star resort in Fiji and found that nothing was as I expected.

On arrival in Fiji, I was stranded in Nadi with no connecting flights and no accommodation. I was left to my own resources to contact the hotel, convince them that I had booked and paid in Australia, and to convince the airline that I should have a seat on the next flight.

When I arrived at the resort I found my four and a half star resort was a single-room hut on a hilside with no phone, no TV, and no radio. When I pointed out my concerns to the manager , she was quite surprised by what I had paid because a week in her bure (huts) cost only $2000 (including the internal flight) and that they do not have a four star rating.

My next surprise was that my diving wasn't included - that was another $1000 so I had to cut my diving days down to what I could afford.

In all fairness to the hotel and the dive operator, they were as surprised as I was by what I had paid and did their best to make Coral Seas Travel do the right thing by me.

Since my return, I have made numerous attempts to negotiate some form of settlement with Coral Seas Travel who, in their one email to me, simply state they contractually obligated to have no communication with me and that I must deal with the travel agent who sold their package to me.

In all fairness, the travel agent has put in an effort to help but, as they've pointed out, they've already given my money to Coral Seas Travel so their is really nothing they can do.

Fiji is a great diving destination and dive operator that I went with was really good. However, I strongly suggest dealing directly with the hotel and dive operator - you'll save a bundle.

Check you travel agent isn't buying your trip from Coral Seas Travel.

 

[Bacchus]

A lesson learned, I guess. I can't imagine spending $6000 for a trip and not checking out the resort online and having all my flight info, diving receipts etc. in hand before I left. Kind of like buying a used car without ever seeing or driving it. That's more money than I care to spend without some research! At least it sounds like you made the best of what you had and got in some good dives.

I still believe in travel agents, just use the right one! I've used Scuba Jim at Scuba Safaris ever since I met him on this board and have had nothing but great trips. I guess my advice is to use someone who specializes in diving and still check them out before you hand over that kind of money.