Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Mai Dive in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Ono Island

Mai Dive: "Hard corals, Pristine locations, Great Tunnels", Oct, 2017,

by G. MORRIS, CA, US (Reviewer Reviewer 4 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 9912 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments My dive agent booked this resort for us and I didn't really look at their website, so at first sight from the boat, the accommodations were a little worrisome. However, after 5 days there, we really appreciated the isolated and simple resort and the people who run it. It was great.

The diving is pristine, and different from the other islands we have dived in Fiji. There is very little soft coral. This is all hard coral diving with Alice in Wonderland shapes and an autumnal palette. The nearby sites have some fantastic swim throughs and ledges. I could do two days at the tunnels and Alacrity Rocks. I was surprised at the small number of fish at the locations that are only 15 minutes from the resort, however there were big lobster and eels and some clown fish which was nice. We requested the 3 tank dive to the North and saw at least 9 sharks and large schools of fish up that way. There is also a manta snorkel nearby, the 2 other guests (snorkelers) saw a large one but we didn't find any mantas on the afternoon that we went over there.

In all, great diving and a good dive boat "Alacrity" that is very stable with an excellent ladder, and a great captain, etc. We were the also the only two divers on the boat, so that was nice. We used our own gear which we set up. Bring your Save a Dive kit. No nitrox. Heavy bread snacks and hot drinks between dives and once we did a surface stop at a fabulous sandy beach covered with shells.

Ono Island is chilly. The air and water temp are lower than Tavenuni and we wore 5 mm long suits and long shirts in between dives. On land, we were happy to have long pants and fleeces at night. Bring bug spray (lots) and every single thing you might need, (like a bottle of rum) there is nothing available to buy if you forget something. Also drinks are limited to beers, sodas, and a few bottles of wine. Breakfast was eggs and carbs, the tea was better than the coffee, lunches were fresh salads usually and dinners were amazing every night.

The bures are handmade, small and very simple. Our first one was damp and in the trees, so we were able to move to a larger, sunnier one that was perfect for us. They have water heaters and we always had hot water in the outdoor showers. The food was always excellent and the Lovo that they did (for just the 4 of us) was the real deal in terms of us watching the pit digging under the trees, and the kava and the music afterwards.

If we went back there, I might reverse the trip and do Mai Dive first (despite the long layover at Nadi) and then go back to Taveuni in order to end with the soft corals.

Ono Island and Mai Dive feel like "old Fiji" and it is a very special place to dive.
Websites Mai Dive   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Palau, Belize, Hawaii, Fiji, Little Cayman, Puerto Rico
Closest Airport Kadavu Airport Getting There Long layover from Nadi Airport to Kadavu

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 22-25°C / 72-77°F Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions We were the only divers so we dove as long as we had air and adjusted the surface stop. We just followed the dive master.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? no

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments There was a dive bucket when I asked for it. No tables, etc.
Was this report helpful to you?
Report currently has 1 Helpful vote
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 476 dive reviews of Fiji and Tuvalu and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest
is an agency for travelers that scuba dive. Experience Astrolabe Reef, soft coral, friendly people, kava ceremonies, tropical islands. Let us plan your adventure to Fiji.

Want to assemble your own collection of Fiji and Tuvalu reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.08 seconds