Fiji trip May 8th need advise please

[makomako]

Hi, we are two experienced divers and need suggestions for diving in Fiji. We will be there May 8-17 and hope to dive May 9-16.

We would like to minimize travel between islands due to lost diving time, but understand the main island is not necessarily the best place to dive. Any advice on where to stay and dive on the main island. Or would it be much better to select another close by island, and if so which one?

If it is better to dive on a different island we would rather fly than take a ferry to save time if possible. If we fly to another island, is there an issue with luggage? We bring all our own gear, so normally two 50 pound checked bags and another fairly heavy carry-on with regulators and computers.

Are there any good beach dives, or do you always have to go on a boat?

We really don’t want to do a liveaboard because we want to see some of the land sites. Are there any short term liveaboards? I only saw 7 or 10 days.

What is kind of weather and water temps will we have in May?

Who are some of the best dive operators and what are some good places to stay?

Also any suggestions of things to see/do other than diving. I normally rent a car to explore any island I visit, should I do that in Fiji?

Please fell free to PM me.
Thanks for your help!

 

[Shasta_man]

Fiji basically has these places to dive in general order of quality: Bligh Waters (upper east coast of Viti Levu), Taveuni off the coast of Vanua Levu, Kadavu which is an island to the south, Beqa Lagoon area in the south of Viti Levu, and the Mamanucca and Yasawa islands to the north of Viti Levu, the Coral Coast area which is around the southern area of Viti Levu.

Bligh Waters have some land based resorts but you can't always get out to the best locations or sometimes at all, so liveaboard could be best way to get there but you don't have a week. Taveuni is good place with some development and easy to get to by flight from Nadi. Kadavu is good diving but tends to be more remote and rustic locations. Beqa Lagoon has the famous shark dive where you could encounter big tiger shark but otherwise diving is OK there. OK diving in the northern islands but not enough to go there specifically for it even though islands can be beautiful and its easy to get to on ferries that run out there. Backpackers tend to go that direction. Flying to Taveuni is on smaller planes and they weigh you plus your gear on return. You may or may not pay a fee. Fiji is very green for good reason as it can get rain, and sometimes LOTS of rain.

Driving around Fiji is possible but the island is actually pretty big and road conditions aren't the greatest in all areas. Someone else would know more.

 

[Sea Shelley]

While we usually book our own trips, for our honeymoon 3 weeks there, we went through Linda, owner of South Seas travel in Colorado. Couldn't have been more impressed and confidence that she would make sure we didn't 'miss' something major. She has personally been to Fiji 40 times, and has done over 1,000 dives there (as of 2 1/2 years ago, probably even more since then). we had a longer trip and she set us up the first 9 days at Paradise Taveuni. (We discovered that this resort has 'flashlight fish', pretty rare, have never seen them anywhere else, kind of cool. Had to tell the divemasters that THAT was "special" as we actually discovered it on our own shore diving). The 2nd week+, we stayed at Lalati, which is just around the corner from the larger resort, Beqa Lagoon Resort. Since Lalati was smaller and quite private, we had real small dive groups. As a matter of fact, besides the shark dive day, there was only one other day that there were 2 more divers besides my husband and I. Otherwise, we had the dive instructors to ourselves, 6 of the 8 days.

there are no cars on Beqa Island (at least not where we were), so you have to take boat to get there. the travel on one day from Taveuni to big island, then on to Beqa was easy. South Seas coordinated all that. flight on puddle jumpers is fine. they weigh you and your luggage and whatever "extra" over the limit you are, they charge you per pound and it was real cheap. I think we paid like $8.40 dollars equivalent or something. I wish American airline companies would follow suit.


travel agent also knew to book us a "day room" on our return flight date. I would have never known that you could pay half price for a room for all day from 10am - 10pm, and have bed, shower, pool hotel etc. use for the day until the late night flight home.

In Fiji (we like the little stuff, especially Nudibranch and flatworms and such) we found 18 different species of flatworms and nudibranch they we have never seen diving anywhere else. the photos came out picture perfect and we were able to ID nearly all of them perfectly with the Pacific book. Shore diving at Lalati was a gold mine and we were the only people diving from shore there the entire 8 days. Have great photos of Trynon's Risbecia, Spotted Hypsoldoris, Flatworm Discodoris, Persian Carpet Worm, and Gloomy Tamja, all within 50-60 feet of the pier, an average of only 30 feet depth. Also saw tons of Hancok's flatworms, Loch's Chromodoris, and Siboga Cuthona on dives from both islands.