Fiji: Savu Savu , Vanua Levu + where else

[geoff w]

My wife and I are going to join my sister-in-law (my wife's sister) and husband in Savu Savu for 10 days (7 days of diving) in late June to early July on a land-based dive trip at the Koro Sun resort. Since we're going all the way there and can take the time off, does anyone have recommendations for another Fijian location to complement Savu Savu on the same trip? I heard mixed reviews about the shark diving at Beqa, and frankly, my wife and I have seen lots of sharks on dives we've done in various locations. We're going to be in a group of 12, so our group should be able to hit all the diving high points accessible from Savu Savu, so some place else in Fiji with different things to see would be good.

Also, any suggestions on whether it would be better to start earlier in June (we start June 28 at the Koro Sun) or in July (we finish July 10 at the Koro Sun)? I know the weather starts getting iffy later in July, so we're thinking do our own thing before the group trip.

 

[fiji_diver]

Hi
Well Colin at Koro Sun Dive will show you some of Fiji's great sites including the Namena Marine reserve, The White Wall and Rainbow Reef.
The Beqa area is good for soft coral dives and general scenic stuff as well as the Shark Dive, which is a bit of a zoo, but good fun if that's your thing. 4m Tigers at arms length is not something you get every day.

Here's my suggestion to get some great dives and see a bit of Fiji too.
Go to Pacific Harbour (Beqa Lagoon) for maybe 4 days. Do the shark dive if you want with Aquatrek then a couple of days soft coral diving with the same outfit and / or Beqa Adventure Divers. Very similar set up but BAD do more frequent Soft Coral dives than Aquatrek. I prefer the latter for the Shark Dive though.

Continue along the coast to Suva and either fly or take the bus / ferry to Levuka, the old Colonial capital of Fiji on Ovalau island. This is a 15 min flight or 5 1/2 hour bus / ferry / bus trip. The ferry route is fun as you travel local style and see quite a bit of the scenery etc. Easy to organise - I can help sort this for you if you wanted.
In Levuka, stay at the Royal Hotel - the oldest in Fiji and also very cheap. Dive with Andrea and Nobby at Ovalau Water Sports . Their best sites are on Wakaya where Hammerheads are common as are Mantas and several other shark species. Whale Sharks also occasionally visit.
Levuka is not a resort town and there is no beach, but plenty of colonial charm and some historic sites too.
From here you can transit by plane to Savusavu - via Suva (Nausori)

If budget is not a real problem then think about a liveaboard trip with Naia or the Dancer (Peter Hughes). Both these boats visit the Wakaya Passage but you may well duplicate a couple of Namena Marine Reserve sites you will dive with Koro Sun.

A third option would be a resort base on Kadavu where you can dive the Astrolabe Reef. Several good resorts there but have a look at Matava.

Well I hope that gives you some food for thought.
Please drop me a line if you would like any more info or help with local logistics.

Happy New Year.
Cheers
Greg

 

[kkfok]

I also recommend Levuka. This small old town has its own charm and the diving around Ovalau is also superb.