Where is Fiji’s best diving?
Seeking the world’s best soft coral diving? Your search ends here. Fiji's best diving is focused on the spectacular soft coral covered sea mounts, walls and bommies.
Fiji’s warm, clear waters cradle unparalleled underwater magic - vast, swirling ecosystems draped in technicolour soft corals. From thrilling channels to serene reefs, discover why Fiji's the ’Soft Coral Capital of the world’ .
However, these soft coral underwater forests are not found all over Fiji. You need to dive in the right place!
At Waterlust Fiji our mission is to provide unparalleled Fiji scuba diving experiences on Fiji’s most vibrant and spectacular coral reefs. We guide divers, from all over the world, to the very best of Fiji diving.
DISCOVER THE BEST DIVING IN FIJI :
top spots to dive
The most impressive of Fiji's scuba diving can be found in 5 areas of the country, where nutrient rich current flows through deep ocean cuts. All have soft coral forests other than the Yasawa Islands to the West of Fiji. Fiji also has manta rays in season (between May to October) and a concentration of shark feeds, attracting up to 8 species of shark, in the Beqa Lagoon area of Viti Levu - Fiji's main island.
The Yasawa Islands offer shark feeds and hard coral walls as well as a selection of swim throughs and tunnels. This area provides calmer water and as it only typically has light currents can be a good choice for beginner divers. However, it is not the area to seek the world famous soft coral forests that make Fiji world renowned for some of the best diving in the world.
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Fiji scuba diving - map
 Bligh Water |
|---|
 Namena Reserve & Savusavu |
 Rainbow Reef |
 Beqa Lagoon |
 The Great Astrolabe Reef |
 Yasawa Islands |
Fiji's diving regions at a glance
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Bligh Water and the Vatu-i-Ra Marine Park
Soft coral heaven! Probably the best diving in Fiji - located on the northern peninsular of Fiji's main island , Viti Levu. - current rich area with large walls , arches and swimthroughs densely packed with soft corals, sea whips, fish schools and pelagics. Hotspots are E6 and the Cat's Meow
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Rainbow Reef and the Great White Wall
White crinoline soft corals adorn a sheer wall dropping down to 100 metres on Fiji's Great White Wall. Technicolour dendronethphya covered sea mounts and swimthroughs are found all over the Rainbow Reef - which is dived from either Fiji's Taveuni island or Vanua Levu (short flights from Nadi International) . Manta ray sightings are common between the months of May to October. Current timing is essential.
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Beqa Lagoon and the Shark Reserve
Beqa Lagoon reef , to the southern tip of the main island of Viti Levu , is world renowned for the amazing spectacle of diving with lots of bull sharks, individual tiger sharks, lemons, silvertips and nurse sharks. Whilst these shark dives take place in the Shark conservation reserve there are also beautiful soft and hard covered reefs to explore.
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Savusavu Reefs and Namena Marine Reserve
Namena Marine Reserve in the Koro Sea, dived from Savusavu, is known as Fiji's Galapagos. Large schools of sharks, barracuda, trevally, moorish idols and parrotfish patrol the legendary Grand Central dive site. Marble rays, moray eels, walls of clownfish and anemones and every coloured soft coral you can imagine delight divers.
Whilst Namena is weather dependent the house reefs in Savusavu of dreamhouse - hammer head school and soft corals and turtle alley are recommended dive sites.
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The Great Astrolabe Reef and Vuro Manta Rays
Off the beaten path, Kadavu Island , is the push off point to dive the beautiful and unexplored Great Astrolabe Reef . A flight from Nadi International gets you this pristine area of some of the finest beaches in Fiji and the home of the pelagics - humpbacks are commonly sighted between July to October . Dolphins, manta rays, pilot whales and large fish schools dominate the thrills.
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Yasawa Islands - Western Fiji archipelago
Whilst soft corals are rare in this part of the Fiji reef system there are hot spots at Barefoot Manta Resort and sister resort Barefoot Kuata which offer wonderful marine experiences. Manta Rays are common in the pass between two islands and a shallow bull shark dive at the Barefoot Kuara resort is a huge draw. Hard coral walls, fish schools and reef sharks can be seen. A popular area to learn to scuba dive as currents are generally light.
The Best Diving in Fiji - by reef area
BLIGH WATER DIVING
The Vatu-I-Ra marine park is located in Bligh Water, at the top of the north eastern point of Viti Levu - Fiji’s main island. Diving in the marine reserve is second to none! The densely packed soft corals and the water clarity delights divers from all over the world.
The stretch of water between the two main islands of Fiji has been unevenly carved out by volcanic activity. The upwellings and currents sustain the technicolour soft coral pinnacles, walls and sea mounts. All of the above makes for some of the best diving in Fiji.
Bligh Water dive resorts are based in Rakiraki - a convenient 3 hour picturesque drive from Nadi International Airport.
Scuba diving on Rainbow Reef offers an unparalleled experience blending soft corals, hard corals, fish schools and macro life. With over 20 dive sites, including the world famous Great White Wall just a short distance from resorts the reef system is characterised by thriving soft coral reefs and current. The island of Taveuni is noteworthy for its lush and tropical rainforests, volcano lakes, waterfalls and slow paced Fijian culture.
BEQA LAGOON DIVING
Beqa Lagoon is an area of reef to the south side of Viti Levu. These dive sites, including the shark reef reserve, can be dived from Pacific Harbour or from Beqa Island - a tropical paradise located half an our from shore. This is the shark lover’s Mecca. The shark feeds in the marine reserve entice 8 species of shark including tigers and bulls.
It is possible to dive in Beqa Lagoon from Waidroka Bay Resort or with Beqa Lagoon Resort.
Beqa Lagoon Resort has the best tiger shark dive in the world known as the ‘Cathedral’. There are also soft coral swim throughs, small wrecks and mommies to explore.
Check out the high quality dive sites : Carpet Cove, ET and Caesar’s Rock.
SAVUSAVU REEFS
Namena Reserve, a fringing atoll around an hour’s boat journey from Savusavu, is the jewel in the crown of the South Pacific. Only reachable from Savusavu, the main town on Vanua Levu, this reef system contains dives worth of being described as Fiji’s ‘Galapagos’. Think hammerheads, dolphins, trevally schools, tuna, grey reefs in abundance and barracuda.
Namena Island is a protected bird colony - home to frigates, boobies and tropic birds.
Namena is accessible on calm days only. Savusavu local reefs are also very high quality in particularly, Dream House, which is home to batfish, leaf scorpionfish as well as school of scalloped hammerhead sharks.
GREAT ASTROLABE REEF DIVING
The Great Astrolabe is one of the largest barrier reefs in the world with much of it totally unexplored. There are hard coral walls, ‘Vuro’ manta ray cleaning station, caves and swim throughs as well as frequent encounters with humpbacks in season (July to November) and resident dolphin schools.
Desolate and pristine, Kadavu, the island at the centre of the Great Astrolabe Reef in Fiji. is very much the road less travelled!
The ‘Naiqoro’ passage is a thoroughfare for large fish entering into the lagoon and a breeding ground for sharks, tuna and mahi mahi (dolphin fish)
YASAWA ISLANDS
The Yasawa Islands are accessible by fast ferry from Port Denarau - an hour’s drive from Nadi International airport.
These islands form a 100 km archipelago enswathing the western side of Fiji. This is the driest area of Fiji and boasts picture perfect beaches. The currents are generally mild. The reefs are characterised by hard corals and some shark feeds. Manta rays visit the Yasawa Islands between May to November.
Many of the passages around the Yasawa Islands offer great swim throughs and walls. The Yasawa Islands are the perfect place for learner divers and snorkelers
DON'T MISS FIJI'S TOP TEN DIVE SITES
We have selected the TOP 10 ‘Must Dive’ sites of Fiji. Explore our absolute favourite Fiji sites that you will want to dive over and over again.
GRAND CENTRAL STATION
Descend into the blue to discover schools of barracuda and trevally on THIS SPECTACULAR FIJI DIVE SPOT. Grey reef sharks circle. Swim towards the reef entrance and marvel at fish covered soft coral pinnacles.
An absolute MUST for photographers who will want to dive this over and over again
Fiji Diving FAQs
We have answered the commonly asked questions on Fiji Diving in a handy check list. Wanting to ask - when is the best time of year to dive in Fiji? Which wetsuit to bring? What experience level do I need to dive in Fiji? How can I get to the best diving areas?
If we haven't covered your Fiji diving query drop us a line!
