Unique Dive Experiences in Fiji

Conservation Dives

Preserving Fiji's Underwater Heritage

Healthy oceans make for a fantastic dive experience. To maintain pristine reefs and thriving marine life, Fiji does its bit for the ocean through protecting marine areas and species like whales, sharks, turtles, manta rays and a few others.

Quite a few Fijian resorts champion the conservation cause through their own marine protected areas and dabbling in reef protection programs. One of the best you’ll find here for hands-on lessons are the Barefoot Kuata and Manta resorts in the Yasawa Islands. On their conservation dives, you’ll learn all about the important roles that mantas and sharks play in the ocean. There’s also planting and tending a coral garden, cleaning clam nurseries and removing the coral-killing Crown of Thorns starfish from the reef.  

The dedicated shark dives in the Beqa Lagoon and the Yasawa islands play an important role in protecting sharks. If you ‘adopt a shark’ with Beqa Adventure Divers, the funds go towards shark conservation. The region’s dive operators and marine biologists also collect valuable details about the sharks to track their migration and protect this important species.

Even if you’re just here for a good time, it’s worth checking out these unique dives simply for their novelty.
 

Diving with Manta Rays

Graceful Encounters in Fiji's Waters

The mantas’ graceful underwater dance is a sight to behold and one that you’ll remember long after you’ve left the water. Chance encounters with these gentle, filter feeding giants happen all over Fiji but your best shot at seeing them is at Manta Reef (Kadavu), Drawaqa Island (Yasawa Islands), and in the Somosomo Strait (Taveuni). Some sites prefer that you only snorkel with mantas while others let you dive. Sightings can also be seasonal and it’s best to check with your dive operator about optimum times for an encounter.

Mantas are listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. To help protect these magnificent creatures, resorts in Kadavu and the Yasawa Islands share detailed data from their manta tours with the Manta Trust. The data helps inform better management strategies that benefit both tourism and manta conservation. There are only a handful of places on the planet where you can observe mantas in the wild. So, if you’re here diving, seek out one of these special sites to add to your Fiji dive bucketlist. 

 

Wreck Diving in Fiji

Exploring Sunken Treasures

There’s no denying the surreal beauty of an underwater wreck as it peers at you from the ocean’s dark depths. Ghostly and strange, it appeals to our curious nature, drawing us to explore deeper. Though some wrecks are accidents, others are deliberately sunk for the surprising benefits they bring to the marine environment. At least that’s how it is in the tropics where almost all wrecks become false reefs over time. They attract pioneering coral and bevies of fish and critters to their numerous nooks and crannies. Given enough time, the wreck’s familiar lines morph into a beautiful collection of curious characters that make for a delightful and interesting dive.

Wreck diving in Fiji is enjoyable because of our large, sheltered lagoons and excellent water visibility. You’ll find wrecks scattered across the seafloor throughout Fiji and many professional PADI or SSI accredited dive operators to help you explore them. One of Fiji’s most popular wreck dives is the Tasu 2, a longline fishing vessel at the Beqa Lagoon’s ‘Seven Sisters’ dive site. Other accessible wrecks include the WWII bomber plane wreck off Beachcomber Island and another more recent one near Tivua Island in the Mamanuca islands. 

If you choose a wreck dive, remember that some wrecks require special skills to navigate. It’s best not to enter them unless you’re an experienced diver. But swimming alongside, peeking into gaping holes and locating peculiar critters and fish can be just as enjoyable.
 

Getting here

• Conservation Dives: Yasawa Islands: Barefoot Kuata & Manta Resorts
• Shark Dives: Pacific Harbour / Beqa Lagoon:  Aquatrek, Beqa Adventure Divers, Beqa Lagoon Resort, Yasawa Islands: Barefoot Kuata 
• Wreck Dives: Beqa Lagoon, Kadavu, Mamanuca Islands, Yasawas
• Manta Dive / Swims: Kadavu: Kokomo Island Resort, Oneta Island Resort, Mai Dive.  Mantas are seen here year round.
• Yasawa Islands: Yasawa resorts. Mantas are seen near Drawaqa Island between May – October. Somosomo Strait

Hot Tips

• Practice conscious diving – don’t stand on the reefs.
• Be properly prepared, follow your dive instructors lead and stay a respectful distance from large marine animals.