Dive Review of Oneta Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu

Other Fiji and Tuvalu reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

Oneta Resort: "Diving the Astrolabe Reef from a Luxury Eco-Resort", Apr, 2024, by Lisa Jabusch and Steve Nieters, TN, US ( Sr. Contributor 29 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 12951.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Turtles many dives, sharks on most dives (White tips and Zebra sharks). Nice variety and number of Pacific reef fish—some of which were different even than those we saw 2 months earlier in Taveuni. Visibility varied by site, but we were at the end of the rainy season. Water was warm. As usual, one of us was in shorts and t-shirt and the other in 3 ml. Oneta has an outstanding and helpful dive operation, led by a 30-something European couple who are in the process of training many of the Fijian staff at various levels of PADI certification. They appear to have sufficient Scuba Pro rental gear to outfit all diving guests, although we had our own. They keep to conservative profiles, with 5 minute safety stop (in our case, always on a shallow reef), which makes sense given no enhanced air mixtures, and the long trip to a chamber. O2 is available on site and on the boat. The dive sites were a longer boat ride than the Rainbow Reef at Taveuni, but were equally good. The highlights were snorkeling with a Manta several days (this is almost a given at a cleaning station 3 minutes from the resort) [youtu.be link], and the Solo Reef, which is atop and on the sides of a barely submerged volcano some 30 to 40 minutes from the resort (not doable except on calm days due to having to cross an open channel). I experienced equipment issues (flooded pressure gauge), and was provided (gratis) a replacement gauge with regulator/octopus, and depth gauge for the rest of the week. This is a small, multi-activity resort, which we and the owners somehow had to ourselves for our stay. We will be going back at some point, as we believe the stay would be nearly as good even with 20 other guests (our guess as to absolute maximum capacity). The resort, in addition to diving and snorkeling, offers outrigger canoes, stand-up paddle boards, massages, island nature tours, deep sea fishing, etc. The furnishings are quite nice, and it is apparent that the couple who own it (Southern Californians) are dedicated to providing a low-footprint, luxurious escape that benefits both guests and the local population/employees. (The TripAdvisor review levels on the resort as a whole are unmatched in our experience.) Even for Fiji, the staff stood out for their friendly competence, which is saying a lot. Oh, and the Kava was the best that we've had on our several trips to Fiji!
Websites	Oneta Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Fiji, French Polynesia, Cozumel, Hawaii, Cayman Islands, other Caribbean locations, Great Barrier Reef, Solomon Islands, PNG, Honduras, Komodo and Raja Ampat
Closest Airport	Kadavu	Getting There	International flights land in Nadi; puddle jumper to Kadavu, then 1-2 hour boat ride
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	81-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-60 Ft/ 9-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	More or less follow the guide with fairly conservative profile and 5 minute safety stop on the reef. No Deco dives. One hour dive time, or if you were to get short on air earlier.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	We were the only guest divers. The boat had a fresh-water filled plastic tub/box with a tight lid. This worked great for us with our small profile photography gear--and they apparently have similar, bigger tubs for those with big underwater housings. We didn't see any dedicate work areas at the resort for working on complex photo gear; then again, we didn't need them and didn't ask. It would be worthwhile to inquire in advance, as they likely would be able and willing to set something up for you.

Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here

Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 523 dive reviews of Fiji and Tuvalu and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

All Fiji and Tuvalu Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Fiji and Tuvalu
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

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

Page computed and displayed in 0.25 seconds

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

Dive Review of Oneta Resort in Fiji and Tuvalu

Oneta Resort: "Diving the Astrolabe Reef from a Luxury Eco-Resort", Apr, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 Oneta Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu