Dive Review of Mad Fish Dive Center/Matava Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Kadavu

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Mad Fish Dive Center/Matava Resort: "Matava Resort/Astrolabe Reef", Oct, 2023, by Bill Rigby, CA, US ( Reviewer 5 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 12760.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This trip to Matava followed our spectacular whale swim trip in Tonga the week before. We had dived the Somo Somo straight/Rainbow Reef and Beqa Lagoon 30 years ago. We are PADI Divemaster & Rescue diver certified and have since retired from diving. We now only freedive & snorkel. We wanted to see the Astrolabe Reef/lagoon from Matava. After leaving the airport we were taken to a beach and waded out in knee deep water (during low tide)to a panga for the 45 minute ride to Matava. The wading is repeated daily to board the pangas that ferry you to and from the dive boat. Our bure was nice with a great oceanview but on a hillside that required a lot of stairclimbing to get to. You will definitely need a flashlight at night. Even after staff looked at our shower valve it still would not function properly, water was scalding hot or very cold. The only potable water is from one faucet in the lobby. You will need your own water bottles. The meals are tasty but small and very much lacking in protein. Thankfully we brought protein bars to supplement our meals. We were the only snorkelers all week. We sometimes shared the dive boat with divers. As far as I could tell none of the boats had fire extinguishers or oxygen on board. I asked the dive crew about their certification level and they said they were Dive Guides not Divemasters. Nitrox was not available. There were snacks & drinks available on the dive boat between dives & snorkeling but nothing available when just the two of us were snorkeling from the panga. We brought our own water. Three of five divers complained of small/dead corals and no big fish on most of the dives outside the reef. Two divers tried to leave early but their next resort was full. We did 6 days of snorkeling in various parts of the lagoon. We saw lots of small colorful corals but also lots of dead coral rubble covered in algae. Guides said cyclones in 2016 & 2020 caused most of the damage. We saw one small soft coral and gorgonian, no pelagics or any fish larger than about 18 inches. Spearfishermen do work the lagoon. Being the only snorkelers we felt like we were an afterthought. The spa appeared closed and the fishing boat was broken down. There were no meke dances or kava ceremonies. Resort staff were wonderful, but to us the owner Mark seemed a little aloof and in general things seemed off.
Websites	Matava Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Multiple Caribbean, Mexico, California, Galapagos, Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Australia, Truk, Yap, Palau Indonesia
Closest Airport	Vunisea, Kadavu	Getting There	LAX-Nadi-Vunisea
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-150 Ft/ 15-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Stay with dive guide and/or within sight of the boat when diving or snorkeling.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	The dive boats had no work tables or rinse tanks on board. You could rinse your camera at the dive shop.Charging of all batteries & phones is done in the lobby.

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Dive Review of Mad Fish Dive Center/Matava Resort in Fiji and Tuvalu/Kadavu

Mad Fish Dive Center/Matava Resort: "Matava Resort/Astrolabe Reef", Oct, 2023,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Mad Fish Dive Center/Matava Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Kadavu