Dive Review of Dive Niue/Matavai in
Niue

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Dive Niue/Matavai, Mar, 2003, by Ann & Dan Goldsberry, CO, USA . Report 420.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Niue is an island of uplifted coral so there are no beaches, but all rainflows down into the island instead of entering the ocean as runoff. This means exceptionally clear water. Poor visibility in Niue is still well over 100 feet. No beaches also means the inflatable hard bottom dive boats are lowered into the water by winches as most of the island's coast consists of dramatic cliffs. The people are very friendly and helpful and everyone, from the dive operators to the hotel staff, went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and taken care of. Niue is a totally unspoiled island with a minimum 'touristy' development. It makes for a holiday in a quiet and natural setting. The diving consists mostly of close in sites with a wealth of caves, chasms and swim throughs filled with crayfish and schooling fish. One cave, the Bubble Cave, opened up to a cathedral of stalactites above the water. Ledges above the water in the caves frequently had sea snakes taking a break from the water. In fact sea snakes are prevalent on every dive. And on one dive, at Snake Gulley, snakes were so plentiful that their behavior of returning to the surface for air left a curtain of snakes in almost every direction. The night dive at this site was quite exciting as the snakes would constantly move into and out of view. Diving with the snakes at Niue was different than in Thailand or Myanmar in that the Niue snakes are not timid or easily spooked. In fact they are curious and frequently follow along to see what divers are doing. As in much of the South Pacific we found many beautiful hard corals and a fair number of soft corals. Octopus, three species of lion fish, squadrons of squid, an occasional anemone fish, blue ribbon eels, nudibranchs, bump-headed blue parrots, three species of moray eels and the occasional white tip shark made every dive a discovery. And of course, being the South Pacific there were the colorful giant clams, including baby giant clams. Oh, I almost forgot, there were schools of dolphin along side the inflatable several times and in their winter whales are present right off shore. The water was virtually flat, though we were told this was the rough season and the water temperature ranged from 82 to 84 degrees. If you go, Dive Niue is the only operator and they're are great to dive with. Ian and Annie are ex-Mike Ball dive instructor trainers and trip directors that we had dived with previously at the Great Barrier Reef and in the Coral Sea. Dive Niue usually does a two tank dive trip in the morning, getting back just after lunch time. They will do afternoon or night dives on request and will even recommend the best days for it based upon weather and tides. They have a new gear wash and lock up facility so you only lug your gear to and from the shop on the first and last day. They are a pleasure to dive with! There are a handful of places to stay on the island that are quite comfortable. There are no luxury accommodations but one, the Matavai Resort, has air conditioning and very nice rooms. It also has one of the better restaurants on the island. Getting there is pretty much by Polynesian Air via Auckland or Samoa.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Bahamas, Saba, USVI, BVI, The Three Caymans, Cozumel, Belize, Akumal, Panama, Hawaii, Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, PNG, Maldives, Thailand, Myanmar
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy	Seas	calm, surge, noCurrents
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	2
Water Visibility	100-200 Ft/ 30-61 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Be safe and have fun.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
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	Diving is done from hard-bottom inflatables. One can bring a camera and they'll be glad to hand it to you and retreive it upon return. There are rinse facilites available after the few minute trip back to shore.

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Dive Review of Dive Niue/Matavai in Niue

Dive Niue/Matavai, Mar, 2003,

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 Dive Niue/Matavai in
Niue