All activities / Scuba Diving / Taveuni
Scuba Diving in Taveuni
Fiji's Garden Island in the north, a lush volcanic island separated from Vanua Levu by the Somosomo Strait, whose tide-fed currents feed the vivid soft corals of the Rainbow Reef, the soft coral capital of the world.
Why here
Taveuni is the soft coral capital of the world, and the reason is the Somosomo Strait that runs between it and Vanua Levu. Tides force nutrient rich water through the narrow channel, feeding a thirty two kilometre stretch called the Rainbow Reef where the current switches on the soft corals like a light. The signature dive is the Great White Wall, a sloped face that drops away under a blanket of pale lilac soft coral, listed among the top ten dive sites in the world. It is drift diving tied to the tide table, so trips run on slack and building current, and the same waters bring grey reef sharks, barracuda schools and the occasional manta. Two long established island operators run the strait daily, and the house reefs off the resort jetties can be dived on any tide.
Best months
Diving runs all year, but the calmest seas and clearest water come in the dry season from about May to October. The strait is tidal, so the best soft coral colour is on a running current and dives are timed to the tide rather than the clock. The Great White Wall sits deeper, around thirty metres, and suits divers comfortable with mild current, while shallower parts of the Rainbow Reef work for newer divers and snorkellers.
Getting there & around
Taveuni is reached by a short flight from Nadi or Suva to Matei, or by ferry to Vanua Levu and on by boat. Most divers stay at a west coast resort near Waiyevo, where the boats leave for the twenty to thirty minute run to the Rainbow Reef. Roads on the island are limited, so book diving through your resort and plan internal flights ahead in peak season.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Paradise Taveuni
OutfitterParadise Taveuni is a dive resort at Waiyevo on the west coast of Taveuni, with its own PADI dive centre run by owner and instructor Allan Gortan. Its boats reach the soft corals of the Rainbow Reef, a thirty two kilometre reef in the Somosomo Strait, in twenty to thirty minutes, and dive the Great White Wall, ranked among the top ten dive sites in the world. Two purpose built boats run the strait and the house reef can be dived off the jetty on any tide.
Taveuni Ocean Sports
OutfitterTaveuni Ocean Sports is an owner run PADI dive operation based near Waiyevo on Taveuni, offering courses from introductory dives up to PADI Divemaster. It keeps charters small, never more than six guests per boat, for personal guiding on the Rainbow Reef and its Purple Wall, and works the strong tidal flows of the Somosomo Strait that funnel nutrient rich water past the soft corals. The team also runs snorkelling and surfing trips from the same base.