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

Swiss Fiji Divers/Taveuni Island Resort, Mar, 2006,

by Renata Gasperi, CA, USA (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 2414.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments 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!





Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Micronesia (Palau, Truk, Yap), Solomons, Tuamotus (Rangiroa, Manihi), French Polynesia (Moorea, Bora Bora), Indonesia (Komodo), Red Sea, Seychelles, Aldabra, Australia, Cozumel, US Virgin Islands
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, currents
Water Temp 82-85°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 1
Water Visibility 80-120 Ft/ 24-37 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions No gloves allowed
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments You can transfer your digital photos to CD in diveshop's internet cafe
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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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