Trip Report Volivoli Resort, Fiji-April 2-11, 2024

[living4experiences]

Hi, All

A Little Background. With Caribbean reefs in rapid decline, I’m switching up my dive travel destinations. Living on the West Coast of the USA in Portland, Oregon, it takes less travel time to get to Fiji than it does to get to the Caribbean islands, including Mexico. This year, I’m exploring my boundaries to the South Pacific, and this is the second segment of my adventures, at Volivoli Resort (VV) on the main island of Viti Levu in Fiji from April 2 to April 11, 2024. This is the second portion of a 50-day trip that included Fiji, an 18-night ocean cruise from Sydney to Honolulu, then diving on The Big Island, Hawaii. The first portion of this trip started on the island of Taveuni, Fiji. I stayed at Paradise Taveuni (PT), and I wrote a trip report on that experience. I’ll do some comparisons between the two resorts so you can get a feel for the differences. A lot of logistical details are in that report, so I won’t repeat it here. Here’s a link to that trip report. Trip Report - Paradise Taveuni-March/April 2024

I’m a single diver/traveler. My dive buddy can only take one trip a year, so I’m on my own for my trips. I like the comforts of modern life, so my absolute must have criteria for a dive trip accommodation is A/C, 24-hour power, and hot water. And based on my stay at PT, it now includes a clean bed, too.

Getting There. I flew from Taveuni airport to Nadi (pronounced Nahn-dee), roughly 1 ½ hours of flight time in a prop plane. Since this vacation had a cruise ship component, there was cruise ship attire that needed to be in my packed bags. I had the same amount of baggage from the start of the trip in Taveuni, and I still had that 33-pound limit with Fiji Link, so I had to redistribute everything, and paid for one extra bag at $35. Even after redistributing the dive gear, I still had too much, so I stuffed the pockets of my BCD with smaller and heavier items (bolt snaps, flashlight, spare parts, etc.) and used the protective cover that came with it, which has a handle, and took it as an "overcoat". They didn’t give it a second look once I said it was an overcoat. Fiji Airways/Fiji Link allows for a number of items that don’t count towards carryon weight. I also brought a garment bag and stuffed that with clothing. Here’s a partial list of allowable items that don’t count towards the carryon weight from their website:

"Subject to space availability, following items may be allowed in addition to carry on bag without charge:
*One small personal item such as a laptop/bag or purse or a handbag
*A pocket book or purse, which is appropriate to normal travel dress and is not being used as a container for the transportation of articles which would otherwise be regarded as baggage
*An overcoat, wrap or blanket
*An umbrella or walking stick (subject to security approval as these can be considered dangerous article in some member states)
*A small camera and/or a pair of binoculars
*A reasonable amount of reading matter for the flight
*114x60x11(185cm) Garment Bag
*A Duty Free Bag purchased at the airport prior to boarding"

As part of the dive and stay package, I had a private transfer from Nadi airport to Volivoli. With stops for groceries, water, snacks, it took about three hours. The driver was friendly and spoke English. It was a very enjoyable ride, albeit long.

Weather. It was just as hot and humid at VV as it was at PT. You’ll need the insect repellent, especially if you’re a mosquito magnet like me. It did not rain at all during my stay. At PT, it rained intermittently every day. The staff commented about having all the rain in the previous couple of months had really brought the island back to life with lots of green color to the landscape and that it hadn’t been this green for several years. The water temps were 82-84ⷪ F, with a couple of dives at 86ⷪ and 89ⷪ F.

Volivoli. The landscape at VV are beautiful and well manicured. There’s a mangrove forest down the hill as you walk to the dive shop. As opposed to PT that is all on flat ground, VV is on a multi-tiered hill, which provides for stunning views. The hills are quite steep, so if you’ve got issues with your knees or back, this is something to consider. The least expensive rooms are at the top of the hill. If you’ve been to Roatan when the restaurant was at the top of the hill, that’s the degree of angle of the steps.

There’s a brand new golf cart which had just arrived the week prior to my arrival, and you can get a ride anytime you want. I have a bad knee, so I took advantage of the golf cart quite often, and they were delighted to help me. I was not the only one who took advantage of the ride, especially at the end of your trip when your body is just plain tired. I think next time I’ll bring my collapsible trekking pole.

The attached picture was probably the best sunset I’ve ever seen. It has not been edited or enhanced and was taken with my cell phone.

All of the staff was welcoming and friendly. The Fijian hospitality is something I’ll always remember. The target demographic for VV is serious and well-traveled divers and dive clubs/groups, although, there were some less experienced divers on the boat with about 20 lifetime dives. The only two kids I saw were with non-diving parents, and they were at the resort for a vacation. PT is more targeted to snorkelers, families with kids, and less experienced divers.

Wi-Fi. High-speed wi-fi is available throughout the property even inside your room, as opposed to PT where it is 1 mbps only available in the restaurant. My package at VV came with free wi-fi for two devices, so I don’t know what the fee is if you purchase it on site. My T-Mobile service worked without wi-fi and it connected to the FJ Vodafone network.

Food. Coffee, tea, and water are free all day long. All other beverages, including sodas and alcohol are extra. As with PT, sodas and cocktails are expensive, although VV had very generous happy hours. The food at VV was so much better than PT. It was consistent in good quality and taste, and they have the best desserts I’ve had at a dive resort. The portions were quite sizeable too. As with PT, the service for breakfast could be a bit slower when all the divers are eating at once. When I was there, there were a couple of big dive groups, 8-10 people per table, so I quickly figured out it was best to get breakfast before they arrived.

At breakfast, complimentary juice and cut fruit is available, along with other continental style breakfast items, and you can order a hot breakfast off the menu if you wish. Lunch and dinner are ordered off the menu. On Meke night, there was a BBQ buffet on the beach. I was on the full-board plan, which was too much food. So, next time, I’ll do half board or breakfast only.

Snacks and Extras. It’s a good idea to bring your own comfort food, snacks, alcohol, sodas, water, etc. It can add up quickly during your stay if you buy these things from the resort and there's a limited selection.

Safe Water. As with PT, I wasn’t clear on the source of the drinking water, so I brought a LifeStraw water bottle. It’s safe to refill only at the restaurant. I was told by the staff that the water from the tap stations around the resort is not safe to drink. VV does not provide bottled water. Note that you cannot drink the tap water anywhere on the grounds except from the restaurant and bar. You can shower and brush your teeth safely with the tap water.

Meke Performance. This is a traditional Fijian dance performed by locals. At PT, there was one hula dancer dancing to recorded hip-hop music, not traditional Fijian music. At VV, it was a full production with lots of adults and children singing, playing drums, and dancing. It was such a stark difference from the PT experience. VV’s performers did a great job and they really seemed to enjoy it. Here's a short video.
Kava. I forgot to mention this in my PT report, but I did take part in the Kava ceremony at PT where they spoke about the history of the Fijian cannibalism in the past and other aspects of their history. We all sat in a circle and everyone got a cup of Kava. It tasted like dirt. It was pretty bad. I skipped the night of the Kava ceremony at VV since I had already done it.

To be continued...

 

[living4experiences]

Continued Report...

Accommodation. As mentioned in the PT report, I made this booking one year in advance with the help of Bluewater Dive Travel. Given my knee issues, I needed to have as few stairs as possible, and the premium ocean view room is at the mid-level point of the hill, the same level as the check-in desk and gift shop. From those rooms, you go downhill to the dive shop, restaurant, and ocean front rooms and uphill for the other category of rooms. I was in the premium ocean view room. The check-in process and the condition of the room was perfect. The clean bed was very comfortable, unlike at PT, and spacious accommodation with an L-shaped sofa in the open floor plan living room. It felt like an apartment. The full kitchen had everything but a stovetop; full-size refrigerator, microwave, sink, utensils and dishes. It also had a stackable washer and dryer, and you can buy the laundry soap for $2 FJD from the front desk.

The double sink bathroom was also very spacious with adequate storage and countertop and a good size walk-in shower. Water pressure in the shower was very good and no shortage of hot water.

You’ll need Australian adapters. There were plenty of plugs in the unit. PT had very few plugs. The A/C was more than adequate, and the room had two ceiling fans. PT had A/C that couldn’t keep up with the heat and runs off generator power 24 hours a day, and there were several times that the power went out. VV is hooked up to the main power grid of the island, so steady power was not an issue. I was very impressed with the size and comfort of the room overall.

The Dive Boat Fleet. I think I remember seeing five boats total here. Two of the boats didn’t move and stayed anchored out in the water. They used the three other boats to take the divers out. The boats have shade, and there’s an orange jug to refill your water on board. PT has two boats, and as I referenced in my PT report, with a resort full of divers, they sent both boats, one at a time, for service, leaving too many divers for one boat and had to split everyone into a.m. and p.m. diving groups.

VV uses their biggest and newest boat with two rear ladders for the dive groups. During the majority of my stay, one club/group was on that boat. I did join them for the night dive, so it was my only time on that boat. It’s very roomy.

The Diving. The onsite shop is Ra Divers. Here, as well as at PT, you can dive your computer. All my dives averaged an hour or more, with the longest being 73 minutes. The groups were well organized by experience level, for which I was grateful. Since I’m a single diver, I’m usually the add-on to a group of four or five divers. PT has no organization to their groups and they’re spread all over the boat. VV has everyone seated together by group, so you all launch at the same time, front to back of the boat.

A couple of additions to the resort are a brand new camera room and Nitrox blending machine. The camera room at PT was not even in the same league as VV. VV’s is quite impressive with the individual stations and compressor hoses and it’s really big compared to what I’ve seen at other dive resorts. The Nitrox fills were consistent at 31%-32% and 3000 to 3100 pounds. At PT, my fills were short at 2900 pounds. The dive guides at VV were a step below those at PT. The guides at VV seemed to be more of a leader, taking you on a tour and not really looking hard to point things out. To be fair, though, when we were in the soft coral gardens, I wasn’t looking for the small stuff. I was in awe of the beautiful colors.

At PT, the dive groups swelled to 7 or 8 divers per guide. VV was consistently putting the groups out at no more than six divers per guide, and more often than not, it was 4-5 divers per guide. VV’s claim to fame is their unique access to the Bligh waters, where the marine park is located. It’s a 45-minute to 1-hour boat ride depending on surface conditions. At times, there was strong current in the park, but it was manageable for me. It was not as easy as the Cozumel currents and not as hard as the Raja Ampat currents. I brought my reef hook but didn’t need it.

I was a bit disappointed that I only got to the Bligh waters three days, but I was told that the conditions were not good to go out on those other days. One of the days in the Bligh had really poor visibility. It’s all up to Mother Nature. You’re in open ocean with no nearby mountains for protection. The only dive boats are those from VV.

On the third day of Bligh waters diving and my second-to-last day of the trip, it took an hour and 15 minutes to get there and 90 minutes to get back. The surface swells were a real challenge both for the captain and the divers. There were some divers that were getting a little green around the gills from the wave action. At the end of the second dive of this particular day, I was with two other divers and we were the last three to get back on the boat. The ladder was thrashing up and down and timing it was very difficult. Everyone who wasn’t wearing a full wetsuit had bloodied shins from the ladder. After I made it up, that left the last two divers. As soon as I took my last step onto the boat, the ladder broke off the boat and fell into the water. This is a heavy-duty steel ladder and the weld points just broke loose. I’ve attached a picture and here's a brief video.

After retrieving the ladder, the other two divers had to be dragged into the boat in ripping swells and did a seal-like belly flop onto the deck. Everyone was fine. Now that boat was out of service. I mentioned it was my second-to-last day of the trip, so it didn’t really matter to me how that would affect putting more divers on fewer boats in the coming days. These things do happen on occasion, but everyone lost their third dive of the day. Since I was leaving soon, I asked and was given a night dive to make up for the lost dive.

The Critters. What makes this area so awesome is the soft coral in all the colors of the rainbow. Giant walls of sea fans, soft corals blanketing the ocean floor, and beautiful topography blew my mind! The soft corals are the stars of the show here and you’ll not find the bigger animals, like sharks and rays; at least, I didn’t see any. There were clown fish swimming among the anemones, turtles, bump head parrotfish, lots of nudis, a white ghost pipefish, flatworms, hermit crabs, tiny lobsters, scorpion fish, huge porcupine fish, trumpet fish, needle fish, schools of Moorish idols, odd-looking cucumbers unlike those found in the Caribbean, moray eels, parrotfish with their mouths open getting cleaned, fish mating, and innumerable colorful fish swimming around the reef.

I use an Olympus TG6, so I only shoot short videos to save the battery. Here's a couple of video clips.

The House Reef. VV’s house reef is not worth diving. It’s just a sand spit and there’s nothing to see. I knew this before I came, so I didn’t expect to dive the house reef. PT has the best house reef I’ve ever seen.

Final Thoughts. VV is an all-around wonderful dive resort. From the accommodation, the staff, the food, the diving, the healthy reefs, and the overall vibe, I will definitely return to VV. The marine life and reefs in the South Pacific are refreshingly new, healthy, and different from the bland and boring Caribbean. The next report will be about the diving in Sydney.