How's diving in Fiji compared to Caribbeans?

[bbarada]

Read my SCUBA DIVING magazine last night. It rates the top 100 diving spots. In the Caribbean, it rates Bonaire "Best Destination Overall" and The Cayman Islands 2nd. I disagree. After more than 50 years of diving all around the globe, I would say Cozumel and the Cayman Islands would be first, T & C 2nd, and Bonaire a distant 7th or 8th.

For the Pacific and Indian Ocean, it rates Hawaii as the "Best Destination Overall." No way! I would rate the diving in Hawaii almost last among the Pacific dive spots. The magazine rates Indonesia as second, a tie between the Philippines and Thailand as 3rd and 4th. It doesn't even mention Palau and Fiji. I would put Indonesia 1st and Palau 2nd and Fiji 3rd. But I haven't been everywhere -- yet.

 

[edpdiver]

Read my SCUBA DIVING magazine last night. It rates the top 100 diving spots. In the Caribbean, it rates Bonaire "Best Destination Overall" and The Cayman Islands 2nd. I disagree. After more than 50 years of diving all around the globe, I would say Cozumel and the Cayman Islands would be first, T & C 2nd, and Bonaire a distant 7th or 8th.

For the Pacific and Indian Ocean, it rates Hawaii as the "Best Destination Overall." No way! I would rate the diving in Hawaii almost last among the Pacific dive spots. The magazine rates Indonesia as second, a tie between the Philippines and Thailand as 3rd and 4th. It doesn't even mention Palau and Fiji. I would put Indonesia 1st and Palau 2nd and Fiji 3rd. But I haven't been everywhere -- yet.

bbarada, I agree with you completely. Those relative rankings are absurd. I have become jaded about dive magazines in my old age. According to their articles, there is no place with bad or mediocre diving. One with a suspicious mind would think that the magazine's content was influenced by advertising dollars. Just sayin'

-Erwin

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

In my opinion generally speaking Pacific diving > Caribbean diving. I go to the caribbean a 2 or 3 times a yr. Due to expense and time of travel I get to the pacific much less often but they are not really comparable. Really the time is the biggest factor. Comming back from Palau last yr took around 40 hours. Getting there involved overnight in Hawaii and stops in Guam and Yap before getting to Palau where I had another overnight before getting on the Aggressor. Time, whew. I was exhausted when I got home. Best diving I have ever experienced (this is a totally subjective opinion) but what a pain getting there! I did stay 2 1/2 weeks to make up for it and this yr I'm just going back to Fiji (in March) because it is so much more convenient but then I go to Roatan (in June) and in about 7 hours I'm in the water. Sweet!

That's the thing, the looooong travel, especially when coming back, which by the time you return home, you need another vacation from that ordeal.

You are still much closer to the pacific islands than I am, and much farther away than the closer Caribbean islands (or FL) than me.

Also, with the big timezone shift, I presume the first couple of days, it is kind of shot...tired in the daytime, can't sleep at night.

Read my SCUBA DIVING magazine last night. It rates the top 100 diving spots. In the Caribbean, it rates Bonaire "Best Destination Overall" and The Cayman Islands 2nd. I disagree. After more than 50 years of diving all around the globe, I would say Cozumel and the Cayman Islands would be first, T & C 2nd, and Bonaire a distant 7th or 8th.

For the Pacific and Indian Ocean, it rates Hawaii as the "Best Destination Overall." No way! I would rate the diving in Hawaii almost last among the Pacific dive spots. The magazine rates Indonesia as second, a tie between the Philippines and Thailand as 3rd and 4th. It doesn't even mention Palau and Fiji. I would put Indonesia 1st and Palau 2nd and Fiji 3rd. But I haven't been everywhere -- yet.

According the ragazine's best ratings, the best of Caribbean rates in the 90's, and so are the best of the pacific/SE asia. So the ratings are relative? The pacific divers never go to the Caribbean and vice versa?

 

[1davey]

I agree with several of these posters. That the diving in Fiji as way better the carribian. It does get a little spendy than carribean. But you can catch deals like pay for one and get 50% off the second ticket. Just have to be looking for it. I stayed at Bequa lagoon for one week and Matava Eco resort for the second week. Matava required a second flight to Kadavu, it was a 40 min. flight from Nadi. I used Deep Blue adventures and they did a fantastic job. I seen everything from the big critters Bequa Lagoon: Tiger sharks, Oceanic white tip, White and Black tip reefers, bulls to macro stuff: Nudis of all colors. Matava: Mantas, Humpback whales, Sea crates to small critters: Leaf scorpian fish. On one dive in one video clip I took there were 4 different types of butterfly fish in the same frame. Schools and schools of fish on most dives. Fields of hard corals everywhere, that would put the carribean to shame, unbeleaveable! Soft corals of all colors. Need anymore info let me know.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

yeah, went back to see old IMAX film shot in Fiji, its like a flower garden full of soft corals, but then again, the whole expedition was 10 months in the making, maybe they only showed shots where there is an insane amount of soft corals.

Flight is insanely long, maybe if I go, I get a few day layover in LA so the return trip doesn't seem like an all nighter.

 

[mathauck0814]

Flight is insanely long, maybe if I go, I get a few day layover in LA so the return trip doesn't seem like an all nighter.

It's really not. It's a long day, but then you land and you have a cocktail and you get in the water and you're off to the races...

Then again, I've done Boston to Sydney for a four hour meeting, so maybe my scope of what's "insane" is skewed... either way, I'd rather dive the south Pacific than any other warm water destination... no matter the cost or time commitment...

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

It's really not. It's a long day, but then you land and you have a cocktail and you get in the water and you're off to the races...

Then again, I've done Boston to Sydney for a four hour meeting, so maybe my scope of what's "insane" is skewed... either way, I'd rather dive the south Pacific than any other warm water destination... no matter the cost or time commitment...

coming back is the killer, cuz after that marathon flight, you feel like you never had that vacation.

As for work related torture, such as crazy hours, all nighters, nightmare length flights, it is kind of expected.

 

[mathauck0814]

coming back is the killer, cuz after that marathon flight, you feel like you never had that vacation.

As for work related torture, such as crazy hours, all nighters, nightmare length flights, it is kind of expected.

Coming back is great. You land before you took off in the morning and have the whole day to unpack and get re-settled. To each his own I suppose.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

looks like Paific Air has some great deals, along with other good deals on that island, this cost of the trip would not be out of this world (at least for a 7 night stay, but still is compared to Caribbean trips). But I think I might do Galapagos liveaboard instead...strangely Galapagos is much more expensive that Fiji, but maybe it was the pricing of Fiji at retail unpackaged rates that broke down the price limit barrier.

 

[paschen]

You could always do a points upgrade - I do that for any flight I can't afford J class for over 5 hours. Makes the travel slightly more doable. I don't see the problem in doing a huge trip for a week's diving. Heck - I did 36 hours once for a week's diving.
Fiji is totally worth it. Then again, in Australia we have to travel a fair wack to do or see anything out of our region.