Thanks to all for your informative posts here at Scubaboard. Below is our trip report for our dive trip to Fiji (Taveuni)...
When
9 days, from June 25 – July 5th 2012.
Flights
Flew from Phoenix, AZ to LAX on US Air. Flew from LAX to Nadi on Air Pacific. Flew from Nadi to Matei, Taveuni on Pacific Sun, an Air Pacific regional carrier.
We had no issues with Air Pacific. Yes, the plane is old, food is average, and the plane was jam-packed. However we had no "surprises"; in fact our 2 checked bags and 2 carry-ons were both slightly over the 50/15 pound limit, but no additional fees were levied. We found the service to be better than expected, although not as good as say, Singapore or others...but that doesn't matter much to me. Just get me where I want to go, reasonably close to the time you said you would and I'm happy.
One lesson learned: Get the US domestic flight to LAX on the same itinerary as the Air Pacific flight. I booked mine independently, directly with the airline. As a result, US Air was very hesitant to honor AP’s 1 free checked bag/person provision. The only way to get the 2 flights on the same itinerary, I was told, was to use a travel agent.
Lodging
We stayed at Nakia Resort, about 15 minutes south of the airport. There are only four bures on the property, which added to its quaint appeal. The resort sits up on a hill/cliff overlooking the Somosomo Straits, which is where the Rainbow Reef is located. We stayed in the Sunset bure for most of our stay, but the views from anywhere are stunning. As there is no power grid in Taveuni, all electricity is generated by a combination of solar, wind, and hydro power.
The staff is extremely friendly and meals are prepared using fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs from the gardens on the property. You have the choice of paying for meals ala carte, or by purchasing the meal plan. We chose to dine under Nakia's meal plan. This turned out to be a good decision as we ate 3 squares a day plus dessert after dinner.
It's that good. Drinks, including non-alcoholic drinks, are not included and will be added to your bill at the end of your stay.
Diving
We dove with Taveuni Ocean Sports (TOS), which is located across the street from the resort - very convenient. It is owned and operated by Julie Kelly, daughter of the owners of the Nakia resort.
My wife and I dove with TOS for eight days and absolutely loved it. Not only was the diving spectacular, Julie and her staff made us feel welcome and comfortable the entire time.
Due to TOS' proximity to the Somosomo Straits and Rainbow Reef, all diving is done there, and that is a good thing. The reef is extremely healthy, wildly colorful, and teeming with fish in many locations. Most of the dive sites are 20-30 minutes by boat, giving ample time to gear up and chat with the dive masters, but certainly not too long of a trip. All dives were preceded by a briefing of the dive, complete with a drawing on the boat's whiteboard. Dive groups were never larger than four divers, and the dive boat never had more than eight divers on any one trip. Very personal, and I never had the "cattle boat" feeling experienced at other dive operations. During the surface interval after the first dive, we were treated to delicious baked snacks like banana bread, brownies and carrot cake. Iced tea, hot tea and water were provided for hydration. Local fruits such as banana and papaya were also on board.
TOS' boats were new and well-equipped. Dives were made via giant stride off of their main boat, and via back roll off of their auxiliary boat. We brought along our own gear; however I visually inspected the rental gear used by fellow divers on the boat and it appeared to be in great condition. I wouldn't hesitate to leave our gear at home in the event of a repeat trip.
Dives were about 35-50 minutes, depending on air consumption. Depending on current at the end of each dive, we either performed a safety stop under the boat, or a drift safety stop with boat pick-up at our surface point. All DMs had safety sausages to mark surfacing location. My personal favorite sites were Fish Factory, Great White Wall, and Barracuda Point, but there were no bad dives.
On 2 occasions I had issues with my gear: First my air-integrated computer died and the staff swapped out the hose and computer with one from the shop. Second, one of my fins lost a small pin in the buckle assembly, and divemaster Thomas expertly found another and fixed the fin after we were done diving for the day.
Photos
http://danloris2012fijitrip.shutterfly.com
When
9 days, from June 25 – July 5th 2012.
Flights
Flew from Phoenix, AZ to LAX on US Air. Flew from LAX to Nadi on Air Pacific. Flew from Nadi to Matei, Taveuni on Pacific Sun, an Air Pacific regional carrier.
We had no issues with Air Pacific. Yes, the plane is old, food is average, and the plane was jam-packed. However we had no "surprises"; in fact our 2 checked bags and 2 carry-ons were both slightly over the 50/15 pound limit, but no additional fees were levied. We found the service to be better than expected, although not as good as say, Singapore or others...but that doesn't matter much to me. Just get me where I want to go, reasonably close to the time you said you would and I'm happy.
One lesson learned: Get the US domestic flight to LAX on the same itinerary as the Air Pacific flight. I booked mine independently, directly with the airline. As a result, US Air was very hesitant to honor AP’s 1 free checked bag/person provision. The only way to get the 2 flights on the same itinerary, I was told, was to use a travel agent.
Lodging
We stayed at Nakia Resort, about 15 minutes south of the airport. There are only four bures on the property, which added to its quaint appeal. The resort sits up on a hill/cliff overlooking the Somosomo Straits, which is where the Rainbow Reef is located. We stayed in the Sunset bure for most of our stay, but the views from anywhere are stunning. As there is no power grid in Taveuni, all electricity is generated by a combination of solar, wind, and hydro power.
The staff is extremely friendly and meals are prepared using fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs from the gardens on the property. You have the choice of paying for meals ala carte, or by purchasing the meal plan. We chose to dine under Nakia's meal plan. This turned out to be a good decision as we ate 3 squares a day plus dessert after dinner.
It's that good. Drinks, including non-alcoholic drinks, are not included and will be added to your bill at the end of your stay.Diving
We dove with Taveuni Ocean Sports (TOS), which is located across the street from the resort - very convenient. It is owned and operated by Julie Kelly, daughter of the owners of the Nakia resort.
My wife and I dove with TOS for eight days and absolutely loved it. Not only was the diving spectacular, Julie and her staff made us feel welcome and comfortable the entire time.
Due to TOS' proximity to the Somosomo Straits and Rainbow Reef, all diving is done there, and that is a good thing. The reef is extremely healthy, wildly colorful, and teeming with fish in many locations. Most of the dive sites are 20-30 minutes by boat, giving ample time to gear up and chat with the dive masters, but certainly not too long of a trip. All dives were preceded by a briefing of the dive, complete with a drawing on the boat's whiteboard. Dive groups were never larger than four divers, and the dive boat never had more than eight divers on any one trip. Very personal, and I never had the "cattle boat" feeling experienced at other dive operations. During the surface interval after the first dive, we were treated to delicious baked snacks like banana bread, brownies and carrot cake. Iced tea, hot tea and water were provided for hydration. Local fruits such as banana and papaya were also on board.
TOS' boats were new and well-equipped. Dives were made via giant stride off of their main boat, and via back roll off of their auxiliary boat. We brought along our own gear; however I visually inspected the rental gear used by fellow divers on the boat and it appeared to be in great condition. I wouldn't hesitate to leave our gear at home in the event of a repeat trip.
Dives were about 35-50 minutes, depending on air consumption. Depending on current at the end of each dive, we either performed a safety stop under the boat, or a drift safety stop with boat pick-up at our surface point. All DMs had safety sausages to mark surfacing location. My personal favorite sites were Fish Factory, Great White Wall, and Barracuda Point, but there were no bad dives.
On 2 occasions I had issues with my gear: First my air-integrated computer died and the staff swapped out the hose and computer with one from the shop. Second, one of my fins lost a small pin in the buckle assembly, and divemaster Thomas expertly found another and fixed the fin after we were done diving for the day.
Photos
http://danloris2012fijitrip.shutterfly.com
