Fiji Trip Report

[DocVikingo]

Ditto on Dan Grenier being part of the experience. He has lived a varied and interesting life, with long experience in Fiji, starting out in the remote Lau group of islands. An old Chicago boy, my larger neighborhood for a long while & a fellow Viet Nam vet (roughly the same time, he Marines, me Army), we get on quite well. His lovely Fijiian wife, Alisi, and two very cool sons, Cody & ?, are a delight. They may invite you out their place on the island for made from scratch "Chicago style" pizza. Yes, he does have some very wealthy patrons, but he treats everyone well.

Dan knows these waters well, and can deliver. I also highly recommend his op.

BTW, g2, superb report--it's gotten me all nostalgic & yearning.

Best regards,

DocVikingo

 

[g2]

Originally posted by DocVikingo
BTW, g2, superb report--it's gotten me all nostalgic & yearning.

Thanks, my pleasure. I'm ready to go back too!

Like I said above, it's clear that a lot of people have enjoyed diving with Dan and Crystal Divers, and, despite any difficulties I may have had, I would still very much like to get back there and dive with them.

Cheers!

 

[scubajan415]

My last diving trip was to Wakatobi, Sulawesi and the underwater environment was wonderful. Also saw lots of sunfish and large rays near Bali. So, I'm wanting an equally fabulous experience in Fiji. What's the diving like there? Do any of you have recommendations for places to stay and dive? I usually enjoy the folks I meet in less expensive settings -- I would prefer not to spend more than I have to but I do care about beautiful beaches, comfort and can pay more if it's truly worth it.

I am going to New Zealand from 11/8/05 - 11/30. Would Fiji be better to dive a couple of weeks before or after?

Are there any active, outgoing women who also enjoy reading and time alone who would like to travel at the same time? Someone over 40 would be nice as I'm in my 50's.

Regards,

Scubajan from San Francisco

 

[donacheson]

Hi All!

...

Crystal Divers, an expensive (for Fiji) and somewhat vaunted dive operation, was closed the week I was there, so I dove with economical Ra Divers instead, based at Wananavu. As it turns out, that was probably for the best: Crystal divers has a large fast boat, and they use it to get to some remote dive sites, taking up to an hour to get there. That doesn't necessarily mean the sites are any better than the ones close in! The sites around Nananu-i Ra, 15-20 minutes away, seemed to have a pleasant mix of everything: hard and soft corals, lots of colors and little critters, sharks, barracudas, and swim-throughs, arches and caves everywhere. If I was an underwater photographer coming to Fiji, this is where I would want to go. Ra Divers did a fine job; divemasters Knox and Steve were good natured and relaxed.
g2

I'm sorry to say you did miss some damned fine diving by staying close to Wananavu. The hour's ride is well worth it. Did you consider going out with Kai Viti Divers?

Don

 

[lauradiver]

Hello,
I am on going to Fiji in early March. I have been reviewing a lot of message boards trying to find out as much as I can about diving there. I am also looking for the right place that I want to stop for a few months and complete my divemaster course and eventually instructor courses.

There is a lot of information on Crystal Divers in Fiji and I have emailed them in the past as well with no response. However, today I came across this article from September. Does anyone know if they found Dan and his student? I apologize for a morbid issue on my first post, but I have been searching the internet for an hour now trying to find out what happened other than they did find a BCD other gear about 2 weeks later.

Thank you,
Laura

Article below...
Five boats search for missing PADI dive center owner, scuba student missing off Viti Levu in Fiji
Powered by CDNN - CYBER DIVER News Network
by LUTHER MONROE
VITI LEVU, Fiji (4 Sep 2004) -- Fiji police and volunteers continue to search for a PADI dive center owner and his student diver four days after they disappeared.

Five boats are searching Vatu-I-Ra Passage off Rakiraki where Crystal Divers owner Dan Granier, 54, and Danielle Gibbons, 26, went missing on Tuesday during a training dive.

Officials in Fiji told CDNN Gibbons had been in Fiji for two months training with Granier to become certified as a PADI scuba diving instructor.

Details of the accident are still unclear but according to initial reports, a dive boat dropped Granier and Gibbons in strong currents at one end of a reef in Vatu-I-Ra Passage and waited downcurrent at the other end of the reef for the divers to resurface at a predetermined time.

When the divers failed to resurface as planned, the dive boat crew started a search but after failing to find Granier and Gibbons, the boat captain informed Fiji police of a missing diver emergency.

http://www.cdnn.info/safety/s040903a/s040903a.html

 

[jakubson]

Hello,
I am on going to Fiji in early March. I have been reviewing a lot of message boards trying to find out as much as I can about diving there. I am also looking for the right place that I want to stop for a few months and complete my divemaster course and eventually instructor courses.

There is a lot of information on Crystal Divers in Fiji and I have emailed them in the past as well with no response. However, today I came across this article from September. Does anyone know if they found Dan and his student? I apologize for a morbid issue on my first post, but I have been searching the internet for an hour now trying to find out what happened other than they did find a BCD other gear about 2 weeks later.

Thank you,
Laura

Article below...
Five boats search for missing PADI dive center owner, scuba student missing off Viti Levu in Fiji
Powered by CDNN - CYBER DIVER News Network
by LUTHER MONROE
VITI LEVU, Fiji (4 Sep 2004) -- Fiji police and volunteers continue to search for a PADI dive center owner and his student diver four days after they disappeared.

Five boats are searching Vatu-I-Ra Passage off Rakiraki where Crystal Divers owner Dan Granier, 54, and Danielle Gibbons, 26, went missing on Tuesday during a training dive.

Officials in Fiji told CDNN Gibbons had been in Fiji for two months training with Granier to become certified as a PADI scuba diving instructor.

Details of the accident are still unclear but according to initial reports, a dive boat dropped Granier and Gibbons in strong currents at one end of a reef in Vatu-I-Ra Passage and waited downcurrent at the other end of the reef for the divers to resurface at a predetermined time.

When the divers failed to resurface as planned, the dive boat crew started a search but after failing to find Granier and Gibbons, the boat captain informed Fiji police of a missing diver emergency.

http://www.cdnn.info/safety/s040903a/s040903a.html

No they have not. Please see this thread.

http://www.scubaboard.com/t75035-.html

 

[pmforster]

I once stayed on Nananu-i-ra and tried to book some dives with Crystal Divers. The guy told me it wasn't possible because a group of "Lebanese" had booked the boat and didn't want any men on board. I kept looking around the island for signs of these Lebanese but didn't see anyone who looked middle eastern. I thought it must be some sort of Muslim prohibition until I spoke to the resort manager. She told me that it was actually a group of American lesbians, who didn't want to have men around...

In the end I only had one dive with them, after the 'Lebanese' had left.

Best wishes

Peter Forster