Dive Kadava, Matana Resort, July, 1995. "Matana Resort is charming and beautiful - on the rustic side - and has a comfortable familial atmosphere. The food is poor but so is the island, so it's probably as good as circumstances allow. . . . Though we liked the resort, the diving was a disappointing. Corals in poor shape, dive times limited to 50 minutes, and the advertised live-ashore ease of diving more than three times daily not available." Mel McCombie & Harris Friedberg, New Haven, CT

Dive Taveuni, July, 1995. "We often swam into three knot currents, which allowed us only to see the next coral head in front of us. We were told to pull ourselves along on the coral. We tried to avoid doing this at all costs; we didn't even have gloves. I was carrying a camera so that left me with one hand to pull myself along. It would have been easier to do drift dives and have the boat pick us up (there were only 10 of us). Water temp, 78o, visibility 5­75 feet." Roberta Flanders, Woodridge, IL

ECO Divers, Hot Springs Hotel, June, 1995. "Aside from the newly opened Cousteau resort, Eco-Divers has the only dive operation on the south side of Vanua Levu. Visitors stay in one of a few places -­ ours was the Hot Springs Hotel (ECO Divers has several permanent rooms reserved). The hotel is not luxury, but we found it just fine, and cost ­­ and ECO Divers ­­ is reasonable. A great outfit, going out of their way to make sure divers enjoy their stay. Their (local) staff is good. Diving is excellent. They go to the same sites as Cousteau's Resort. Day diving much better than Caribbean, but night diving isn't. No beaches or night life." J. Welch, Eugene, OR

Garden Island Resort, October, 1994. "Great soft corals, great white wall, sea snakes, short boat rides to dive sites. Nice variety of sites. Saw mantas on two dives and spotted on surface after a third. White-tip sharks, napoleon wrasse, nudibranchs, flatworms, lion fish, free-swimming crinoid. More big fish than Beqa. . . . Somo Somo Straits not for beginners. Currents don't often parallel walls. Can't do traditional drift dives. On one dive along great white wall I experienced current from behind, in front, pushing me into wall, down drafts and updrafts. Dive was great but required buoyancy control and stamina. Soft corals are great because currents are strong. . . . Dive shop professional and helpful. Good night dive. . . . Don't miss short excursion to waterfalls. Share a taxi with someone and bring a suit to swim in pool under falls." Rick & Betsy Agar, Cincinatti, OH

Garden Island Resort, Rainbow Reef Divers, March, 1995. "Resort is nice, but in the middle of nowhere. Take the meal plan. Electricity on the general plan. Hope they're working. . . . Dive operation first class, dive semi-guided. Great White Wall and Annie's Bommie great dives. Boats fast and easy to dive from. Never have to touch your gear. Diving limited by tides. Go when moon is not full." Anon.

Laucala, Forbes Island, April, 1995. "What diving is all about. Your own divemaster, boat skipper to take you wherever you want to go, when you want. After this place it will be hard to go anywhere else. The staff is extremely nice, the divemaster Tiko did everything he could to accommodate us and make sure we saw everything we could that was there. We discussed the sites and each dive was chosen to see the best. Large schools of barracudas, tuna, unicorn fish, lion fish, nudibranchs, white tip sharks, turtle. The visibility was what you read about 100 feet in either direction (up or down). . . . The service at the resort was out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Your own bure and bure girl to cook you breakfast and clean for you. Clean beautiful beaches and the friendly Fijians made this trip a perfect 100. Too bad Fiji isn't closer to New York."Dr. Gary & Denise Alevy, NYC

Laucala, Forbes Island, July, 1995. "This place defines paradise. Dynamite diving, great food, and service beyond our dreams. We're selfish. The best vacation we've ever had." Mel McCombie & Harris Friedberg, New Haven, CT

Marlin Bay Resort, October, 1994. "Good stuff: fantastic soft coral pinnacles with clouds of small colorful fish. Nudibranchs everywhere. Lion fish and blue ribbon eels were common. 75 degree water, 50­75 foot visibility. Food and service were fantastic as was the fire walking display. Fijian hospitality is the best. . . . Bad stuff - not much. Some mechanical problems with boats but we never missed a dive. 2.5 hour taxi ride ($50-60 U.S.) from airport to harbor where resort boat picks you up. Travel agency didn't bother to tell us this. We expected to be met at airport. Resort boat can't navigate back to main island in dark. Travel agency scheduled us on an early morning flight out. We couldn't have made it without leaving day before. Fortunately, resort noticed and helped us change flights." Rick and Betty Agar, Cincinnati, OH

Marlin Bay Resort, October, 1994. "Probably the best dive experience of my life. Most diving inside Beqa lagoon around large, coral columns, about 200' around, stretching from a sandy bottom at 60-70 feet to within 15' of the surface. The first 30-40 minutes of dives are guided then you can explore and do your safety stop on top of the bommie, not on an anchor line. The soft corals are gorgeous. We saw many lion fish, ribbon eels and anemone fish. Water 74 degrees." Nat Gildersleeve, Friant, CA

Marlin Bay Resort, March, 1995. "Getting there is difficult, but worth the effort. Only resort on Bega. Resort had optional activities planned when not diving. Staff responsive. Food is outstanding ­­ prepared by Austrian chef. Resort comfortable. Fijians friendly and lacking hostility we have noted from some Caribbean residents. We were there following several stormy days and were unable to dive some of the better sites. Nevertheless, we saw sharks, ribbon eels, etc. on most dives. By weeks end the weather permitted diving at the prized sites ­­ colorful, spectacular arches. Mild to moderate currents were attributed to the storm. Staff loaded gear of/off dive boats. Had a wonderful time. Overall best place I've been to in years." Carolee Kuchirka, Pittsburgh, PA

Marlin Bay Resort, April, 1995. "Each review we read of Marlin Bay only seemed to say it rained when they were there. We noted this occurs 12 months a year. The rainiest place in Fiji. While the other islands were enjoying pleasant sunny weather we were in a rain forest. When going to Fiji if you choose Marlin Bay in Beqa take along gore tex from head to toe. Everybody at the resort couldn't wait to check out and go home early. . . . Also there is only one covered boat so if a dive group is there you will be stuck on an uncovered boat the whole day and offered an umbrella. Since it rains so much the water is green and murky from runoff compared with the other Fiji islands. . . .Small sparse fish, low visibility and having divemasters that are not interested in good sites but pick what is convenient for them. A total waste of a long airline trip - only good for the food. . . . Chef Christian is the best - if you are into food this is the place - for diving forget it. Lots of mosquitoes." Dr. Gary & Denise Alevy, New York, NY

Marlin Bay Resort, July, 1995. "Our second trip to Marlin Bay. The bures are clean, well appointed, and comfortable. The food is better than 80% of the restaurants in SF Bay area. Never had food this good at any dive resort. The residents of Beqa Island are the friendliest, most helpful people I've ever met. The diving is great, tons of fish, soft corals, lionfish, blue ribbon eels, etc. A truly romantic place to vacation and relax." Wayne Joseph, San Mateo, CA

Marlin Bay Resort, August, 1995. "Second year in a row that I've been to Marlin Bay. Only change was a new manager, Sabah. George, the owner, was there also. Excellent bures, service, food and good diving. On shore dives look for juvenile lionfish and small critters. Bring 1/8" full suit during their winter. If you wish to shore night dive by yourself, insist on it." Ronald L. Bailey, Roanoke, VA

Matagi Island, October, 1994. "Interisland airline, Sunflower, really needs work. No policy about baggage weight. They'll take you for what they can get. One engine on plane didn't want to run. Ask your travel agent to get baggage limits (possibly a waiver for divers) in writing. . . . Loved Matagi. Douglas family really has it together. The help is great, food terrific - my wife, a nondiver, loved it. They took us on several side trips (picnic in the bay. Trip to waterfalls in Taveuni at no extra charge. Would go back anytime. I rate it a 10." E.A. Fitzgerald, North Fork, CA

Matagi Island, August, 1995. "Nice reef. we snorkeled in front of property. Dive between full moon; water calmer, weather, better. Great accommodations; bures large, no A/C. Not a problem in July. Comfortable. Sodas, liquor extra, meals inclusive. Great side trips to villages and to Taveuni. Waterfall - they take picnic lunch. Wonderful staff, good food." Evelyn Russell, Greensboro, NC

Musket Cove, April, 1994. "Dive boat went out regardless of number of divers; diving conditions were terrific; meals were quite good; grocery was open for cooking; dive staff knowledgeable and friendly. 18­hour nonstop flight time." John Herlihy, Miami, FL

Pacific Harbor, Tambua Sands, September, 1994. "Stayed on Coral Coast at Tambua Sands. Beach front bungalows on nice beach. Snorkeling approx. 1/4 mile down beach, in a channel. Weather and water (72 degrees) cool in September. We had to use wetsuits after freezing through first dive. Currents were strong around Bega Lagoon. Had trouble trying to take pictures due to current but worth the effort. Some of the best color yet. Plan to go back in warmer weather." Jan & John Renas, Carson City, NV

Taveuni Divers, Garden Island, May, 1995. "Dave Dickinson's is by far the best shore­based operation I have experienced. PADI­certified, three divemasters/boat, two in the water on every dive plus as stress­free and convenient as a live­aboard, no hauling gear: they do it all. Resort not fancy, but quiet, family­oriented, service great. Best reef life I've seen (twice as good as Red Sea). Resort is 10­15 min. by boat from Great White Wall and other famous north Fiji sites. Boats were well­ designed and fast. Divemasters professional, well­organized, and helpful, and knew the sites intimately; showed us many things we would have missed. . . . Strong currents give no freedom to wander from dive plan, make photography difficult and kept my inexperienced roommate from diving at all. I enjoyed it immensely, but if we had realized the difficulty, we would have gone elsewhere." Merilyn George, Salt Lake City, UT

Copyright 1996 by DSDL, Inc., publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.