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Dive Review of Kai Viti Divers & Dive Kadavu/Wananavu Resort & Matana Kadavu in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Viti Levu & Kadavu

Kai Viti Divers & Dive Kadavu/Wananavu Resort & Matana Kadavu, Mar, 2006,

by Carl & Gail Weckel, IL, USA . Report 2939.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Would have changed the order and done Kadavu first and Wananvu last.
Kadavu was very nice, but rustic, with power for only 6 or 7 hours per day and filtered rain water (cloudy) for drinking unless you bought bottled water. Diving was mostly bommie with little current on most dives. The 3 tank trip to Astrolabe Reef was awesome although our group didn't see the mantas. The other half of our group who went the day before swam with 5 mantas. The reef is absolutely pristine with all kinds of hard and flexible corals fighting for space. Lots of tropicals and giant clams as well. I actually did a second 3 tank trip to this reef looking for mantas (got skunked again) and didn't feel it was a waste because I just enjoyed diving this incredible reef.
Most of the diving was done on the Namalata reef, a 15 minute boat ride from shore with surface intervals on a beach where tea and crackers were served. The bommies and mini walls in this area were covered with incredibly colorful soft corals and loaded with small tropicals. We saw lion fish, blue ribbon eels, bright yellow trumpets, ghost pipe fish, bumphead parrots, sweetlips,batfish, sea snakes, reindeer wrasse, nudibranchs, etc. They did a shark feed which drew a dozen or so good sized reef sharks but actually, we saw sharks on most every dive. Comfortable boats and a layed back atmosphere coupled with some excellent diving made this a great destination.

Wananavu was a step up in terms of the resort. Although a two hour drive from the Nadi airport after the flight from LA wasn't exactly welcome, the resort was very comfortable, nicely done, and a great staff. We dove with Kai Viti and did the Bligh Waters most days(dove inside the passage on bommies on the rough days). A bit more current and a lot more drift diving than at Kadavu but again, pristine reefs, lots and lots of colorful soft corals, huge anenomes with clownfish of all different varieties, pipefish, ghost pipefish, lionfish, hawkfish, schools of barracuda, tuna, and fusiliers and again, lots of shark sightings. Nudibranchs of every description and clouds of fish we couldn't name were everywhere. We were constantly going over the books at both resorts to name what we had seen. Large, fast, comfortable boat, experienced Fijiian divemasters, pristine sites, and lots of fish combined to give us some great diving.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Bahamas, All 3 of the Cayman Islands, BVI, Maui
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp 80-83°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-75 Ft/ 9-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Computer divers could pretty much dive own profiles at both places. Asked for 3 to 5 minute safety stop and return with at least 300 psi
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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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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