FIJI Post-Cyclone Ami

[Scuba Jim]

2 emails from my chums in Kadavu.

From the first one:

I beleive that Wananavu is in the Yasawa island group which should be fine but Taveuni did get hammered. The cyclone hit it dead centre and caused severe flooding and widespread damage. Nobody was killed but there is still no power on the island. (That should be restored in a bit) If the resort in Taveuni was a brick building type, it is probably OK. If it was a timber / thatch type resort, there is likely to be considerable damage. However having said all that, I expect that by April, all will be repaired.

and from the second:

Have done a bit more investigating of the state that Taveuni is in and it is much worse than I thought. Have now seen some pictures and press reports. 9 people killed so far. Apparently 75% of all vegitation on "the garden island" has been destroyed and the entire island is totally covered in mud. Saw some pictures of fairly well built modern houses and they were all roofless or completely trashed. The Fiji governmennt is flying in emergency food and medical supplies. I would not advise anybody to travel to Taveuni or Vanua Levu for some time.

Hope this assists, Peter

Regards

 

[PIDiver]

Peter: I was at Marlin Bay Resort, Beqa when Cyclone Ami hit the north island of Fiji. We lost one day of diving and that was because the boats were taken to the big island for safe storage. We were suitably compensated with an open bar and a free night day during the week.

There was heavy rain during the night but not major damage to Beqa. In fact, the only damage I personally observed was some coconuts and palm leaves on the ground.

I understand that the the north island was hit directly by the cyclone but we saw very little damage of effect on the south side.

The water was stirred up some with a lot of backscatter in the water but the diving was still above average. The fish ver very evident and the corals were undamaged and appeared to be unaffected.


Hope this helps - Ray

 

[dive_girl]

Hi all - I am relieved to see some info on what happened in Fiji.. my only problem is where do I go now? I was set on the area that got hit. I will be going in Septmember. I have been looking into other areas and am a little boggled. I am looking for nice corals and tons of fish. I was thinking of the Astrolabe Reef (Kadavu), but read some journals of WWF folks who went there last year and said the corals were beautiful but that it had been overfished...

I see PI Diver was at Beqa very recently, but I had read that the diving there was an hour boat ride from the resort, the vis is never that good, and the diving is all bommies without a lot of variety..would love your feedback on that.

I am looking for a place that has nice accomodations (not budget), that has dive spots within 20 minutes of the place by boat, a great dive operator that only takes small groups, and has a beach for swimming/snorkeling/tanning, AND tons of fish (wow am I sounding picky or what?, but it is a long way to go & I want it to be good).

Please advise on the above matters if you have been there recently.

Thanks so much!
Dive_girl :question:

 

[peterjmaerz]

Hello all,

Thanks for continuing the discussion, and thanks to you, PIDiver for your info. You all may want to check out my posting "reef report from Taveuni Fiji" in this category which has what would appear to be a pretty honest appraisal from an Aqua-Trek divemaster of the damage to surf and turf on and around Taveuni.
Beqa was, I've heard, certainly spared the worst of the damage. Taveuni fared much, much worse but, I believe, still warrants a visit, as long as you're not too set on experiencing verdant, virgin rainforest. Check out the posting for more.

I'm set to arrive in late April. I'll be splitting my time between a week at the Garden Isle and a week at Wananavu on the north end of the main island. I'll post a report upon my return.

best,