Basics - Rough Guide to Fiji - page 51

around F$200. Advanced Courses (F$650) and Rescue Diver (F$850) are also widely avail-
able. The only place to dive using Nitrox is in the Mamanucas with Subsurface or on one of
the live-aboard cruises .
For scuba divers, the soft corals for which Fiji is renowned are most prolific along the Great
Astrolabe Reef, which twists its way around Kadavu, and the northern islands of Vanua Levu
and Taveuni, where many fabulous reefs are found including the Rainbow Reef between
Taveuni and Vanua Levu, Noel's Wall off Matagi Island, Namena Marine Reserve, E-6 and
Hi-8 in the Koro Sea and the Great Sea Reef off north Vanua Levu. For many divers these
are dream sites, with outstanding coral formations and drop-offs, although currents can be
too strong for the inexperienced. The Mamanucas offer fun and easy dives for beginners
as well as more challenging dives for the enthusiast including wrecks, caves and reef shark
dives. The Beqa Lagoon off Pacific Harbour is renowned for its pelagics, particularly sharks ,
including two of the three most dangerous sharks in the world, bulls and tigers, while pilot
whales and minke whales can be seen off Ovalau. For exploratory diving, live-aboards ply
the remote reefs around the Koro Sea to the north of Ovalau.
FIJI'S TOP DIVE SITES
Jacques Cousteau put Fiji on the diving map when he declared it “the soft coral capital of
the world”. Divers will also find big shark encounters, exciting drift dives and plenty of
wrecks to explore. The following are some of the islands' top-rated dive sites:
Beqa Lagoon, Pacific Harbour The best open-water shark dive on earth.
Rainbow Reef, Taveuni Gorgeous soft corals and fast drift dives.
E-6, Bligh Water The photographer's favourite, accessed by live-aboard boat.
Naiqoro Passage, Kadavu Beautiful drift dive on the Astrolabe Reef.
The Salamander, Mamanucas A 36m wreck now home to puffer fish.
DIVING CONTACTS
Dive Worldwide UK 0845 130 6980, diveworldwide.com . Specialist dive holidays
from the UK, with an extensive selection of Fiji itineraries.
Fiji Recompression Chamber 885 0630 or 330 5154. Fiji's only recompression centre
is on the corner of Amy St and Brewster St in the Suva suburb of Toorak, with administra-
tion and enquiries handled from Savusavu on Vanua Levu.
PADI Australia 02 9454 2888, padi.com . The Professional Association of Diving In-
structors provides basic information on diving, courses and certification, as well as list of all
PADI-registered companies in Fiji.