Diving on Fiji's Rainbow Reef

Alison Smith
Jan 28
5 min read

Updated: Aug 6

The phrase 'soft coral capital of the world' gets thrown around. Then you dive Fiji's Rainbow Reef and suddenly those words feel utterly inadequate. Nestled in the Somosomo Strait, the narrow channel separating Vanua Levu and Taveuni (Fiji's Garden Island), Rainbow Reef isn't just a selection of dive sites; its a full-sensory immersion into a technicolour dreamscape, an underwater kaleidoscope brought to life.

Taveuni, affectionately known as the "Garden Island" of Fiji, captivates visitors not just with its lush greenery and rich culture but also with its world-class dive sites on a coral system known as rainbow reef. The best of Taveuni scuba diving being on the world famous Great White Wall.

The Great White Wall

The Great White Wall in Fiji is one of our planet's most legendary scuba dives, renowned for its surreal, dreamlike beauty and unique biological spectacle. The descent begins at 15 metres as you swim down into a cathedral like archway drapped in tangerine soft corals and sea whips with the volcanic tunnel home to vibrant red soldierfish. Take your time exiting on the reef amid schools of magenta lyretails, purple and white soft corals.

Turn left onto a near vertical drop off plunging 60+ metres, blanketed in dendronephthya soft corals. The pure white dominance of the wall glows ivory, lavendar and pale blue. Expect surreal, dreamlike and pure magic! This incredible sheer wall of corals loves the 'blizzard' effect - currents surge and they extend thousands of coral polyps resembling a snowstorm.

Timing the Great White Wall

Dive timing is paramount so you descend onto the site with the polyps fully extended whilst the current is slow - just as the rising and falling tides cease. Peak visibility and coral activity occurs during incoming tides - however, in full flow the curents are too strong with the potential for downcurrents. Always book with a PADI or SSI dive resort which are qualified to carefully time the currents.

Every day is a Great White Wall Dive Day

Larger dive resorts operate a daily two or three dive per day schedule which means that there is an effective calendar for the days when the lunar tidal calendar allows you to dive the Great White Wall. Whilst there are plenty of other stunningly beautiful dive sites with explosions of technicolour soft corals if you want to be certain to dive the Great White Wall we recommend chosing a small resort without a dive schedule.

The dive is an effortless glide along the wall ending or starting at the Purple Corner or Wall dive site or the lava tube downwards swimthrough. The ethereal light makes the white wall best viewed at around 25 - 40 metres. At depth the sunlight filters through, creating glowing backdrop.

Marine Life

The marine life, other than the dominating frosty white corals, includes sporadic bursts of orange, pink and yellow, purple and red seawhips. Anthias, batfish and butterflyfish bustle around the reef whilst reef sharks, eagle rays and barracuda patrol the blue drop off.

Choosing a dive resort in Taveuni or on the Vanua levu side of the Somosomo strait, from where Rainbow Reef can also be dived, can be very confusing. Each resort presents its unique charm and array of offerings, catering to divers at various skill levels.

Resorts located on Taveuni Island can be the best choice for those wishing to do some above water activities - the Bouma Waterfalls and the Lavena Coastal Walk are paradisical nature experiences where as the Vanua Levu island resorts offer seclusion and romantic experiences and are more likely to have a beautiful house reef to snorkel and night dive. Sau Bay Resort has a noteworthy impressive house reef.

exploring the Sau Bay Resort house reef between dives!

Which Rainbow Reef resorts offer the best diving?

Soft corals and current are best friends. For a scuba diver this needs careful timing and nowhere more so than on Fiji's rainbow reef. The somosomo strait is very narrow and deep and this creates a fast current vortex. The dive shops on rainbow reef must actively time the current to enable divers to see the soft corals in full bloom yet prevent them from being washed away! Not only is this critical for the soft corals but divers are much more likely to experience shark encounters, trevally, barracuda and fusillier schools when the current is flowing.

The two images below are of the Great White wall on Rainbow reef - the first image shows the white dendronepththya soft corals in full bloom and the second they are retracted. Timing this dive is everything!

The best resorts on Rainbow Reef

are those that time their diving schedule properly.......

How the white wall should look when properly timed !

Bad timing of the great white wall scuba dive in fiji

1. Nakia Resort

Nakia Resort and dive stands out with its stunning Fijian styled beachfront accommodations and an on-site dive shop, Taveuni Ocean Sports that caters to all diving enthusiasts. This eco resort prides itself on exceptional service in intimate surroundings and a commitment to the rich marine life of the area. They also have organic gardens and a large fresh water swimming pool.

Highly recommended dive resort overlooking Rainbow Reef

2. Sau Bay Resort

Sau Bay Resort beautifully combines luxury with adventure. With breathtaking ocean views and a peaceful atmosphere, this resort serves as a perfect retreat for divers.

This secluded and intimate resort (in a private bay on the opposite side of the somo strait) caters for your personal preferences in which hour of the day you wish to scuba dive on rainbow reef. You will be in very small groups with a high number of dive masters to guests. Timing the currents on rainbow reef is a skill and sau bay resort excels.

Sau Bay Resort’s luxurious tent accommodation

3. Taveuni Resort & Spa

Chic and stylish resort set on a cliff top on the northern peninsular of Taveuni this resort is the perfect spot for seclusion, romance, fine dining and a perfect base to dive and to explore the wild east coast of Taveuni. It is the closest resort to the Lavena Coastal Walk where waterfalls thunder into the ocean, the Civa Pearl farm, the Bouma Waterfalls where 6 waterfalls descend into a swimming hole.