Dive Review of
Swiss Fiji Divers/Taveuni Island Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni

Micronesia (Palau, Truk, Yap), Solomons, Tuamotus (Rangiroa, Manihi),
French Polynesia (Moorea, Bora Bora), Indonesia (Komodo), Red Sea,
Seychelles, Aldabra, Australia, Cozumel, US Virgin Islands 

Dive Conditions

No gloves allowed  

You can transfer your digital photos to CD in diveshop's internet cafe  

Overall Rating

Arrived at Nadi airport at 5:15 am and sat around for over five hours as
our Sun Air connection to Taveuni kept getting delayed. Our 6-passenger
plane took us on a smooth scenic ride along the west coast of Viti Levu,
then over the Namena Marine Reserve and across the Somosomo Strait to tiny
Matei Airport on the northern tip of Taveuni Island. A five minute car ride
delivered us to Taveuni Island Resort, and we were in paradise. The resort,
reopened in 2005 after extensive remodeling, is spread over a cliff covered
with lush lawns and gardens with great views of the strait and the island
of Vanua Levu directly across. A gorgeous infinity pool sits at the edge of
the cliff and spectacular sunsets are virtually guaranteed. The Fijian
staff made us feel like family and really coddled us. They installed rows
of white banners Balinese style on the lawn for the wedding of a young
couple and decorated their dinner bure with a profusion of flowers and
fronds. The food is first rate and features many local specialties, and the
bures are spacious and beautifully appointed. Lots of nature oriented
activities besides diving, as Taveuni is the third largest island in Fiji
and remote enough to retain an unspoiled quality that will appeal to any
nature lover. Do not miss the hike to the Tavoro Falls in Bouma National
Park, a good example of the lush vegetation that covers Taveuni. The resort
also offers an interesting boat tour that allowed us to visit the three
islets off the northeast cost of Taveuni: Qamea, Laucala and Matagi. We had
a picnic lunch on a beautiful sheltered beach on Matagi, where we enjoyed
some fine snorkeling. We also had a chance to tour the resorts on Qamea and
Matagi and especially admired the Qamea resort, a cluster of thatched bures
in spectacular gardens along the beach, but we were happy to return to our
resort on Taveuni.
Swiss Fiji Divers is located near the beach right below the resort and can
be reached in a few minutes via a paved trail that zigzags down the
beautifully landscaped slope below the pool. It is a well run operation
with comfortable boats (covered unlike the boats run by other operators in
the area!) and a good selection of rental equipment with built-in
computers. Excellent service in setup, cleaning and storage of your
equipment. A divemaster every three divers, so you receive special
attention and never miss a thing under water. Great dive sites 10 to 30
minutes from shore are chosen every day based on the direction and strength
of the prevailing currents in the strait, so we never had a problem and
could fully enjoy the spectacular variety of soft corals, gorgonians,
anemones, schools of jacks, barracudas and blue and yellow fusiliers, as
well as the occasional white tip shark and leatherback turtle. Lots of
lionfish, blue ribbon eels, and quite a few nudibranchs. The safety stop
always offered an endless parade of colorful fish, and it was difficult to
tear ourselves away from the action. A very pleasant surface interval on a
lovely shaded beach shared by the various dive operators, so we could all
share tales and gossip. The most famous dive in the area is the Great White
Wall on Rainbow Reef: the deeper of two tunnels deposits you at about 85
feet on the face of the wall, which is covered by light lavender soft coral
that gives off a ghostly white glow, a really special spot. Other great
sites are Jack's Place, Rainbow End, and Rainbow City, a riot of soft and
hard coral, sponges, anemones, and a smaller version of the white wall on
the other side of the reef. Taveuni is definitely a top dive destination!  
  





      

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