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up of moderately deep, sloping coral reefs until the topography changes near the Beqa Passage area. From Pacific Harbor on the mainland out to Nanuku Island on the Beqa Barrier Reef area is Fiji’s first protected marine park called Shark Reef Marine Reserve. As the name implies, divers can find many shark species such as whitetip, blacktip, grey reef, nurse, lemon, silvertip, bull, and tiger in this reef area as well as oc- casional hammerheads and larger pelagic fish like manta rays, groupers, trevally, and Napoleon wrasse. The northern coast of Viti Levu is called the “Suncoast” and offers access to the Bligh Waters (the waters between the two largest islands) and a myriad of seamounts, pinnacles, and pristine small island reef systems that often form a multitude of “swim-through” channels and mazes. Several areas allow divers to “ride the current” for a drift dive through soft corals, sponges, and a variety of reef fish. Closer to the international airport, there are many small islands out from the Nadi area called the Mamanuca Islands and Malolo Barrier Reef that can be accessed from the mainland or from various island resorts. This is an area with abundant coral formations and marine life with clear waters. If your dive travel takes you more than just Viti Levu, then you either head to the domestic terminal at the airport to catch a turboprop aircraft (usually either ATR 72s or ATR 42s) with limited seating and baggage storage (and some without daily service), or a multi-hour ferry service. Second Largest Island – Vanua Levu: To the north of Viti Levu through the Bligh Waters, named after the famous tale of Captain William Bligh and the 1787 mutiny on the HMS Bounty where he had to navigate through the Fiji Islands to Timor in an open longboat, is Fiji’s second largest island called Vanua Levu. Most of the dive operations are located around the Savusavu area on the southern coast mid-island. This is the location of Namena Marine Reserve that is a mixture of coral-covered walls, sloping reefs, and plenty of pinnacles rising up to the surface featuring layers of dense marine life. One of the top dive sites is a place called Grand Central Station where divers can descend and settle themselves on a rocky ridge
over a deep wall to watch reef sharks and other large pelagic fish patrol back and forth (similar to Palau’s famous Blue Corner site). Another popular dive site is a pair of pinnacles called The Chimneys where a mild current provides plenty of nutrients for the soft corals, sponges, and gorgonians, and schools of reef fish and macro marine life. Another pinnacle dive site is called Magic Mountain that is larger and hosts many turtles, a variety of eels, large schools of reef fish and occasional manta and eagle rays that sweep in with the current. Third Largest – Taveuni Island: Just to the southeast of Vanua Levu is Fiji’s third largest island and one of the most visited by divers. Taveuni, called the Garden Island because of its abundance of farms and plantations, has close access to the famous Rainbow Reef that runs along the Somosomo Strait between the island and Vanua Levu. The reef gets its name from the full spectrum of soft coral colors found along the reef. One of the “bucket list” dive sites along the reef requires advanced planning using moon phases and tide charts. The Great White Wall is covered by Dendronepthya white corals which only open up fully to feed on plankton and other nu- trients during heavy current that comes when there is either a full moon or a new moon that affects the tide. Dive operators have these “prime times” set on their dive calendars so diver visits should correspond to these predetermined schedules. While Fiji is known for its soft corals there are a few places where hard corals are the main attraction and the Cabbage Patch is one that features large cabbage-shaped hard coral plate formations and home to many macro creatures. These swirling, fan-like cabbage colonies take up large areas and are often rare to find. Fiji has three known cabbage patch formations in Taveuni, Mamanuca Islands, and Kadavu Is- land. Southern Diving - Kadavu Island Group: A flight down to the Kadavu Island Group allows divers access to exploring the Great Astrolabe Reef with over 60 dive sites that range from deep waters to lagoon breeding areas for large fish
FORTY-TWO | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY
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