Dive Review of
Nai'a in
Fiji and Tuvalu

Honolulu/Oahu, HI; Catalina, Point Lobos, CA

Dive Conditions

Open water certification was necessary to dive; EAN 32 was available for
those with EAN certification; on dives there were no significant
restrictions.  

Well designed camera room with compressed air, rinse tanks, and the crew
transported cameras from the Nai'a to the small boats, and then placed
cameras in the rinse tanks after each dive. On the dives the hard and soft
corals, variety of fish, underwater terrain were all far more than I
expected/imagined.  

Overall Rating

From the beginning to the end of trip the service was outstanding, and
provided by a warm and friendly crew. The philosophy on the Nai'a was that
it became a Fijian village at sea. We were welcomed into the
"village" and treated as members of the extended family. Everyone
was very helpful, smiled when approached, and those crew members involved
with the diving were personally familiar with the dive the sites. Sonia
Goggel provided all of the dive site briefings and they were by far the
most comprehensive briefings I have ever received. Ritchie (1st officer),
Eddie (Divemaster) and Sonia (Cruise Director/Divemaster) participated in
the dives, and took time to point out interesting corals, fish, worms and
anything else people indicated they wanted to see. The opportunity to see
sharks was ample, and Nagali Passage was one particularly wonderful site
where 30 or more sharks were actively feeding. We were dropped directly on
to dive sites, generally conducting drift dives, experiencing a great
variety of swim throughs, reef structures, depths, and water conditions,
before we were picked up by the small boats where ever we ended. Hot
showers were available on deck near our dive/gear stations, and each cabin
had its own toilet and shower. Currents varied from none to 2 knots, with
surge more likely to be experienced near the tops of formations and in more
narrow swim throughs. Meals were varied with fresh fruits and vegetables
available throughout the cruise. There was no shortage of snacks and
beverages, and the afternoon snack always included freshly baked goodies.
Visits to 2 island villages gave an interesting opportunity to see the
"real" Fiji, and one night we had a traditional "lovo"
(BBQ) that was prepared on land. Bus transfers, baggage/gear handling by
the crew, a series of naturalist presentations by Sonia, and continual
onboard assistance made this first live aboard experience for me quite
memorable. I highly recommend the Nai'a for those who are advanced open
water divers, or already have comfort in ocean diving. In terms of fish and
corals, I cannot imagine better opportunities with no other divers other
than my shipmates. There were no crowds and this was truly "on
demand" diving.  

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