Fiji: Is Beqa diving as good as Somo Somo Straight...

[underwater5]

have been to Taveuni and thought the colors and soft corals were awesome! Wondering if the diving in Beqa Lagoon is as good or ??? Please give your thoughts.

 

[bbarada]

I dove Beqa lagoon and then did a liveaboard in the Bligh Waters the next week. No comparison! The Bligh Water are much better for both coral and life.

 

[Wiggsy]

I've dived both several times - Beqa does have some brilliant soft coral dives - try Fantasea or Joe's Best - they rank close (very close) to what I saw in the Bligh Water near Nananu I Ra. And Beqa also has arguably the best shark dive in the world....So I'd be very happy with either or both! Certainly Beqa Lagoon has some great dives and world class soft corals - there are also a couple of lovely small wreck/coral pinnacle dives.

 

[underwater5]

Wiggsy, where did you stay and with whom did you dive with to do the Bligh waters?
that is really where we want to go but have had a tough time finding any info on the dive operations there.

 

[Wiggsy]

I stayed at Wananavu (twice - last in 2002) and dived with Ra Divers - most days we didn't go far offshore into the "Bligh Water" but we did on a couple of occassions over out 2 trips. But not to E6 or Mount Mutiny....but the diving even closer into Nananu I Ra is still beautiful with some of the best soft corals ever. Visibility in the area is not often 'crystal' clear (the plankton is needed to suuport the soft corals). Probably 20-25 metres is a good average.

The other great option to is to look into Naigani Islands in the Lomaiviti group. This is in the Koro sea and they can get to amazing sites such as Wakaya Island and Wakaya wall.....They actually list E6 as one of the dives on their website but I wouldn't be too sure they actually dive it as it is a fair way from Naigani...Naigani has IMHO some of the best diving I've ever seen in Fiji (and I've been to Fiji 20 times or so...) at Naigani - even 5 minutes offshore are some of the most pristine sites. And hardly anyone dives there - the resort has a tiny dive operation (bring your own gear) but is is a great location. Again, I haven't been there since around 2004. I had heard the Naigani had 'run down a bit' but other say it has been renovated. It has a lot going for it but is a homely family style resort....I long to get back there but I usually take a large group of 25 plus divers and Naigani's dive operation is too small scale to handle that.

 

[underwater5]

Wiggsy, thanks for the info!! You bring up what my research has told me as well - That the Lomaiviti group is also a great place. I have looked into Naigani and also Ovalau. It looks as though Ovalau has the same kind of diving, but maybe get to a few different sites that Naigini will not go to, probably because they are so small. Although Naigani looks like it might have a beach and all the accommodation on Ovalau looks as though they do not - the beach is kind of important to us. But we will get some beach on Ono where we are going for the second week.

I think we will try the lomaiviti group and maybe try both islands??
Anyone else have any info on either of these islands??

TIA

 

[Wiggsy]

You are correct - vitually no beaches anywhere on Ovalau to the best of my knowledge. To the contrary Naigani has outstanding beaches - particularly round the point on the leeward side of the island at Picnic Beach....stunningly beautiful. The beach at the resort is also very good, with excellent snorkelling wrapping around the small island offshore. Naigani is really a good option and I'd prefer a week there to anywhere on Ovalau, but Ovalau has some interesting culture to experience. Maybe try to get to Lovoni, the only village in Fiji never defeated in battle and even today, a proud and strong people.

If you go to Naigani you would have to either fly to Suva (local flights are reasonably expensive) or save a lot of dollars and bus around the south coast. It really is quite a scenic journey, though a long haul - at least 5 hours from Nadi airport to Natovi landing (departure point for Naigani.... If you end up going to Naigani I would love to hear about it, as I have heard very few reports over the last few years. I had one expereinced dive buddy go there and tell me "Wiggsy! Its the best damned diving in Fiji and nobody goes there!"

Don't know if that is indeed the case but my first dive trip there in 2003 saw 30 metre visibility every dive and masses of fish life and glorious soft corals....Friends saw my images and compared them to the best of The Red Sea. The only thing you won't get is lots of large pelagics. More like a dozen or so Trevally (Jacks) and the odd school of Barracuda. Its all pinnacle diving - you just spiral around huge columns of coral and the tops of the pinnacles are so full of colour and life that its like diving in an aquarium!

 

[OnTheSpot]

Beqa is not as good as the Somosomo Strait in my opinion. In fact, if you ask me, nowhere in Fiji does the land-based diving compare to what you can experience from a liveaboard.

Getting out into the areas of Namena and the Nigali Passage are truly world-class and are what puts Fiji on the diving map. Here is my trip report

Hope that helps.

 

[divergirl50]

Can someone tell me what I should expect water temps to be in FIJI in October???
Going to Beqa Lagoon resort.

 

[underwater5]

it looks as if they will be about 77-79f. I think I will dive a 3mm and the wife a 4/3.
We are going to Ono and might do 1 dive day at Bega....when will you be there?