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Dive Review of Dive Kadavu/Matana Beach Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Kadavu

Dive Kadavu/Matana Beach Resort, Apr, 2010,

by Cindy Edgerton, WA, US (Reviewer Reviewer 6 reports). Report 5989.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 2 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity 3 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments We love diving Fiji because of the abundance and variety of fish you can see, beautiful soft and hard corals, generally easy diving conditions, and friendly people. This time our flight into Fiji was delayed a day due to Cyclone Tomas which slowly passed over Fiji. Even though it went over Kadavu, the resort was in good shape and there was no damage visible above or below water - though the weather remained unsettled for the duration of our trip.

The resort is very basic, running on generators and solar hot water. Due to the generator schedule, you can only charge batteries in your room at certain times of the day but they are very accommodating in the office about letting you charge electronic devices there. Also in the office area is a very large lending library and a helpful assortment of fish and marine life identification books.

For most of our stay, it was just us, our friends from New Zealand and a couple from Switzerland.

The bed in our bure was a little soft and when I mentioned it, they swapped it out for a better one the same day. The food was good and plentiful. All meals were eaten at a long communal table with the resort management and dive staff. You pre-order your dinner at breakfast. For the first time in many trips to Fiji, we did get stomach upset and had to change to bottled water. It could have been due to all the rain from the cyclone. Another first for a Fijian dive resort: we were warned to lock our bure and not to leave anything of value on the porch as a lot of people walk by the resort every day and things can get stolen. They had locking cages on the deck to dry our wetsuits, etc.

The diving was great. Probably our favorite site was Yellow Wall where you dive through long swim-throughs covered with beautiful yellow soft corals. On that dive we saw two Titan Triggerfish, three Eagle Rays, a Clown Triggerfish, and lots of smaller tropical fish.

One day my husband, the dive leader and the Swiss divers dove Evil Trench - a crack at 100' that goes down. At 180' there is a cavern which opens to the ocean. They swam through the cavern and ascended. Obviously this dive is only recommended for experience divers.

Another day we took a 3-tank trip to Mt Washington (they called it King Kong Mountain) at the far western end of Kadavu in an attempt to see more sharks and large fish.

All diving in Fiji is wonderful, especially if you get off the main island (Viti Levu) - as the smaller islands give a more traditional Fijian feel and generally have more pristine diving. When traveling to Fiji, we always take plenty of insect repelleant and sunscreen and any medicines we might need (prescription medicines as well as cold remedies, anti-diarheal, topical antibiotics, decongestant, etc.) as they aren't easily accessible even on the main island. We also have a well-stocked save-a-dive kit with spare regulator mouth pieces, fin straps, mask straps, computer batteries, etc. Better safe than sorry. Some resorts we've stayed at in Fiji had well-maintained dive gear but some gear needs repair/replacement(octopuses that don't flow, regs with no teeth tabs remaining) so after our first trip when we got certified, we always bring our own gear. When booking trips to Fiji, we've learned to inquire about diving on Sundays as some resorts don't allow it. Finally, we often bring snacks into Fiji - you can't bring dairy, meat or seeds (but they have allowed us to bring nuts including cashews, peanuts, almonds).

Fiji dive resorts are generally all-inclusive and are a great bargain (and the diving is amazing). After 7 trips to Fiji, we still see new fish each trip.
Websites Dive Kadavu   Matana Beach Resort

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Hawaii (Kona, Maui, Kauai), Bonaire, Florida, elsewhere in Fiji (Beqa, Taveuni, Naigani, Yasawas, Mamanucas)
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy Seas choppy
Water Temp 78-82°F / 26-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Back on the boat with 500 psi
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? no

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Camera bucket on boat
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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