Rainbow Reef, The Corner: A scuba diver and an aggregation of scalefin anthias, chromis and butterflyfish swimming over the colourful delicate coral reef
Bula! Fiji is one of just a few dive destinations that I even have returned to on a number of occasions. The country’s amazingly colourful coral reefs, plentiful fish life and beautiful landscapes, as nicely as the heat and caring of the Fijian people hold me coming again. This Pacific island nation officially reopened its borders on December 1st, 2021, and my wife and I had been lucky to go to in early March 2022. On this adventure, we dove the Bligh Waters, Beqa Lagoon, and Rainbow Reef—three of Fiji’s premier dive locales unfold throughout their 300 plus islands.
The fabled Bligh Waters are located off the northern fringe of Viti Levu island. Named for Lieutenant William Bligh of the English Royal Navy, who, along with 18 loyal crew, sailed by way of these seas in 1789 on a 23-foot (7-meter) launch, cast adrift following the infamous mutiny on the Bounty. Volivoli Beach Resort and Ra Divers have been diving the world for many years and took nice care of us during our stay.
Golden damselfish swimming amongst large colonies of darkish green black sun corals and colourful sea followers, Mount Mutiny, Bligh Waters
Fiji has been dubbed the “soft coral capital of the world” and most of the iconic dive sites within the Bligh Waters substantiate that moniker. We had the pleasure of diving sites corresponding to Mount Mutiny, Purple Haze, Vatu Express, Maytag, G6, Instant Replay, and considered one of my personal favorites, Mellow Yellow. As the name implies, golden delicate corals blanket its two submerged pinnacles whereas contrasting red and purple sea followers and green sun coral formations break up the scene, providing shelter for aggregations of vibrant reef fish.
An aggregation of scalefin and bicolor anthias fish above yellow gentle corals, gorgonian sea fans and green black sun corals, Mellow Yellow, Bligh Waters
Most of those dive sites lie throughout the 42-square-mile (110-square-kilometer) Vatu-i-Ra Conservation Park, which was established in 2017 as a way of defending the area’s plentiful biodiversity. Visitors are charged a modest FJ$15 (~US$7) annual fee that helps maintain the park’s administration. Vatu Island, positioned at the northern finish of the park, helps notable colonies of seabirds in addition to nesting hawksbill sea turtles. On a three-tank dive day, divers can wander the sand after lunch surrounded by tons of of terns, gulls and frigatebirds.
Soft corals sustain themselves on passing meals particles in the water column, and when the present is operating, they inflate their our bodies to maximise floor space and improve their likelihood of catching a meal. Successfully diving delicate coral is all about managing the current. The trick for the dive operator is to find a dive web site with enough water movement to open up the corals but not a lot vitality that divers are whisked away without a chance to appreciate—much less photograph—the scene. It is a fragile steadiness of timing that requires close attention to the tides, the evaluation of circumstances once on-site, and naturally years of experience.
A colony of pink soft corals, extending into the blue water, to feed in the present, Garden of Eden, Bligh Waters
During the pandemic, one of the house owners, and his now 12-year-old daughter, made over one hundred shore dives and found a complete new world of muck and critter diving. I made a check-out dive upon arrival and in just half-hour, I saw multiple pipefish, shrimp gobies, clownfish in anemones, juvenile filefish, good tube worms, and one very shy yellow seahorse. Fiji will endlessly be identified for its phenomenal coral reefs, but it is at all times nice to have options, and I suppose a little critter searching in the muck is a good way to spend the afternoon and practice your macro images.
A tomato clownfish hiding in its bubble-tip anemone
Traveling across the japanese half of the island on our way to Pacific Harbor, we bade farewell to the Bligh Waters. Arriving on the islands southern perimeter, often recognized as the Coral Coast, we found our new residence located on the water’s edge, on a private inlet, surrounded by remote tropical jungle. The picturesque, secluded grounds of Waidroka Bay Resort conveyed an instantaneous sense of peace and tranquility.
The majority of scuba diving on the southern shoreline happens within the confines of Beqa Lagoon, which is protected by a sizable offshore barrier reef. The underwater topography is putting, predominantly comprised of pinnacles, bommies and walls punctuated with onerous corals, sea followers, and somewhat less frequently than the Bligh Waters, gentle corals. The branching exhausting corals entice a variety of reef fish, which pulse into the water column in search of food.
A scuba diver swimming beneath an underwater arch lined in delicate corals, Golden Arch, Beqa Lagoon
A scuba diver peering via the hole between a pair of huge red sea followers, Caesar’s Rock, Beqa Lagoon
On our first dive, we dropped in to discover the Tasu II shipwreck at a web site referred to as 7 Sisters. In addition to its seven namesake pinnacles coated in exhausting corals and sea fans, we discovered the former 200-ton Taiwanese fishing vessel sitting upright on the sandy bottom, encrusted with marine life. Even bigger sea followers awaited us across the pinnacles at a web site called three Nuns before we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the attractive, uninhabited Yanuca Island. At our final dive site, appropriately named Golden Arch, we discovered a big swimthrough, able to enveloping multiple divers, extensively cloaked in yellow delicate corals. Several smaller arches in the rocky terrain supplied a wider array of gaudy delicate corals, along with a myriad of sea rods, sponges and sea fans to round out a great day of diving.
A sicklefin lemon shark, accompanied by juvenile golden trevally and pilotfish, Beqa Lagoon
Another of the main points of interest in Pacific Harbor is its world-renowned shark diving, and excitement ranges have been high as we pushed off from the dock for a two-tank dive. Submerging to 60 ft (18 meters), the group knelt in an arc behind a brief rock wall as numerous sharks circled the bait canisters suspended in front of us. Several wholesome bull sharks stored our heads on a swivel, while a lemon shark, with juvenile golden trevally escorts, paid explicit consideration to my strobes as nurse, reef and blacktip sharks stayed shut by in hopes of a free meal. Animated voices crammed the air again on-board as we replayed our exhilarating encounters, and after a surface interval, we have been all psyched to get back in with the sharks for spherical two. I had hoped one of the semi-resident tiger sharks would make our acquaintance, but alas she didn’t materialize.
A bull shark swims by way of an aggregation of pilotfish, snapper and other reef fish, Beqa Lagoon
The coral coast might as well also be generally identified as the adventure coast. We spent a refreshing day inner-tubing the Navua River, and guests can even partake in river rafting, jet boat safaris, cave tours, waterfall hikes, jet snowboarding, dune buggy treks, zip-lining, sky diving, cultural excursions, wildlife parks, golf outings, paddle boarding, and browsing. Additionally, on the grounds of the resort we had access to a slack line, volleyball, a swimming pool, jungle hikes, kayaks, SUPs, yoga, darts, and a pool desk.
After several days of diving along the Coral Coast, we returned to the worldwide airport in Nadi for the short flight as much as the island of Taveuni. The 70-minute aircraft journey on-board a small 19-seat puddle jumper offers unbelievable aerial views of the Bligh Waters, Rainbow Reef and Vuna Reef. Landing on the northern tip of what’s also referred to as the Garden Isle, we hopped in a van for the scenic ride all the way down to Paradise Taveuni Resort on the southern finish of the island.
Blue chromis and three-spot dascyllus swimming over onerous corals, Paradise Taveuni house reef
The island of Taveuni is separated from the a lot bigger island of Vanua Levu by a slim physique of water known as the Somosomo Strait. Beneath the surface exists a compilation of dive websites well-known for his or her multicolored gentle corals, collectively known as Rainbow Reef. This includes the acclaimed Great White Wall, which is constantly included on lists of the world’s top 10 favorite dive sites. This towering vertical wall, comprised solely of white soft corals, is only accessible twice a day during slack tide when the current slows simply enough to permit divers to drift past whereas the delicate corals are nonetheless totally engorged.
Looking up at the massive expanse of white soft corals, Great White Wall, Rainbow Reef
The transit from the resort to Rainbow Reef is anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes depending on the destination. The resort’s location additionally provides divers the distinctive opportunity to dive Vuna Reef, which is a mere 5 to 10 minutes farther south. Divers have unfettered access to sites similar to Fish Factory, Yellow Fin Wall, Pinnacle, Incredible Reef, and Orgasm.
Pulling away from the dock for a two-tank dive on Rainbow Reef, we headed north towards Purple Wall. Nearby to the Great White Wall, this website showcases a robust fusion of onerous corals with quite lots of purple gentle corals across an expansive vertical structure. Gliding previous the reef, we marveled at the huge purple canvas as lots of of cautious anthias came out to say howdy. It was a stunning begin to the day, although dive number two at a website called The Corner was much more spectacular. This spectacular mix of hard and delicate corals, in a kaleidoscope of colors, warranted the title of “Rainbow Reef” all by itself, and the fish life on this explicit dive was actually outstanding.
A massive colony of cabbage coral, Cabbage Patch, Rainbow Reef
If you somehow tire of colorful gentle corals, ask about diving Cabbage Patch at the far northern finish of Rainbow Reef. This website accommodates one of the largest colonies of cabbage corals I even have ever seen. The home reef at Paradise Taveuni can additionally be spectacular, boasting a resident blue ribbon eel, multiple species of clownfish in anemones, scorpionfish, parrotfish, lizardfish, nudibranchs, large clams, and countless brightly colored chromis, anthias and fusiliers swimming among the branching corals. At night, an entirely completely different forged of characters emerges from their daytime hiding spots, making this an excellent place to grab a flashlight and discover after dark.
Pink anemonefish shelter in a large carpet anemone as scalefin anthias swim overhead, Rainbow’s End, Rainbow Reef
A pair of reef lizardfish, Lone Rock, Rainbow Reef
Underwater Photography Tips for Fiji
The visibility of Fiji’s tropical blue water typically exceeds a hundred ft (30 meters) during their dry season from April to October. The water temperatures are warmer during the November–March wet season with the chance for elevated particulate matter and decrease visibilty.
* A wide-angle zoom lens, fisheye lens or a wide-angle conversion lens are a should for photographing the beautiful reefs and fish life
* Once you find a sturdy composition, calmly maintain position if potential and let the reef fish get comfortable along with your presence, so they ultimately swim again out into the blue and fill the negative space
* An underwater model helps add scale and curiosity to the scene but could require additional persistence for the fish to get accustomed to multiple strangers of their area
* Macro images subjects are available on most dive websites, making a conversion lens advantageous, though the present may not always allow for delicate, up-close work
* I dive with a muck stick, even when capturing extensive angle, to assist preserve position without touching the reef
A typical aerial view of the stunning Fijian Island chain
Matthew Meier is an award-winning business photographer specializing in underwater and nature, in addition to architectural and product images. His images have been printed in books, magazines, and advert campaigns as properly as displayed in art galleries, museums and private collections. For the past thirteen years, Matthew has served as a contributing editor, photographer and travel author for X-Ray International Dive Magazine. Based in San Diego, he’s available for assignment work and his pictures may be purchased as fine artwork prints and licensed for industrial and editorial utilization.
