Dive Review of
Kai Viti/Wananavu Beach Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Viti Levu

Australia, Bahamas, Caribbean, Indonesia, Tahiti, Sipadan, Palau, Truk,
Bikini, Majuro, etc.

Dive Conditions

500 pounds air. Recommended depth limit, but not enforced.  

[None]  

Overall Rating

Fiji is a 10 hour flight from LAX. Wananavu Beach Resort is about a
two-hour drive from the Nadi airport, so we arrived in time for a late
breakfast. Wananavu means “beautiful” in Fijian and it is just that. About
ten years old, the resort looks much newer, as it is kept up very well.
There are 31 garden-view and ocean-view cottages and villas, several right
on the beach, the others set on a hillside with winding concrete paths. The
garden-view rooms are dark inside, but fine otherwise—the ocean view is a
minute walk away. Upgrade if you crave light and ocean views. All rooms
have AC and secure screens with louvered windows. The rest of the resort is
also multi-level, from the reception/dining areas down to the pool, then
down to the beach and jetty areas. The pool is warm and lovely with large
rocks for sitting and shady areas to escape the sun. It is surrounded by
foliage and a manmade wall with a cascading waterfall. As for mosquitoes, I
used light-duty repellant during the day (like Skin-So-Soft) and heavy-duty
repellant with DEET in the evening and only got a few bites. The key is
consistency.

Meals were very good to excellent, served in the outdoor dining area by
friendly staff. Breakfast consisted of a buffet of fruit, freshly made
rolls and muffins, juice, toast and cereal. We could also order eggs and
pancakes off the menu. When large groups are present, the buffet includes
cold and hot food. Lunch was ordered from the menu and included lighter
dishes such as Thai chicken salad and a regular menu that included soup,
hamburgers, sandwiches, a variety of fish choices, and a daily “special”. 

Happy hour was observed each day with specially priced cocktails and
half-price beer, followed by dinner, a bit more formal with linens on the
tables and a local band playing. Guests were invited to partake of the kava
bowl at this time. Along with the daily dinner “special” were a variety of
fish, vegetarian, and meat choices.

Many guest activities are available, some at no charge, such as snorkeling
off the beach, kayaking, village tour, horseback riding, cooking
demonstrations, bush medicine, river boating, and beach picnic. There is
also a weekly meke, consisting of a buffet of local foods, and singing and
dancing performed by the resort’s staff. We did a new tour that included
horse-back riding, waterfall slide, and an intimate meke at the village
where the mother of one of the staff was raised. While we rode the horses,
several villagers walked along to make sure we were well taken care of, or
maybe we were just the entertainment for the day! We highly recommend this
particular tour. Some of our group sampled the services of the new spa on
site, and were very satisfied.
 
But we came for the diving with Kai Viti Divers. Our group was on the
smaller of two sturdy aluminum boats that are set up nicely for divers.
There were two buckets of fresh water for the three cameras in our group.
We had plenty of room for five to seven divers plus the friendly staff of
three. The water was 84 degrees at the end of January, wonderfully warm,
but that also meant less visibility. Our first day of diving had 50-75 foot
visibility, but we had 75-100 foot visibility after that, as we were able
to get out to the better dive sites. The hour long rides were smooth and
the between dive snacks were the best we’ve ever had from a land-based
operation, consisting of hot Milo (similar to hot cocoa), deliciously fresh
pineapple, and freshly made cakes (banana was our favorite). One day we did
three dives and the hotel provided a delicious lunch that we selected the
day before. 

Under water, we saw a few sharks, beautiful soft corals, and tons of fish.
We also hunted for and found pipe fish, various types of nudibranchs, and
other critters, enough to stay entertained for hours. We encountered a
couple dives with strong current, but we did mostly drift diving or hid on
the lee side of pinnacles, so the current wasn’t a problem. 

We liked pretty much everything about Wananavu Beach Resort—the rooms, the
dining, the pool, the diving, the people, and the ambience. There’s plenty
for divers and non-divers to do, and it’s a nice place to just kick back
and relax. 
 

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