| Fiji is the "soft
coral capital" of the diving world. We dive Namena, Koro Island,
Motoriki, Gau, Bligh Waters (E-6), Hi-8, Makogai and Wakaya. Water
visibility ranges from 60 - 100 feet. On the outer reefs and walls,
visibility usually exceeds 100 feet. Water temperatures average between 74
- 84 degrees F year round.
The cruise is 7 days with 5 1/2 days of diving.
Diving begins Sunday morning and the Fiji Aggressor returns to the dock on
Friday about 2:30 PM. Due to the distance between dive sites, the Fiji
Aggressor is normally making 4 dives daily or 20-22 dives per week. Most
dives are made from the 30 foot skiff due to the currents at most dive
sites.
Divesites
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- Ningali Pass: Ningali pass is a small
cut in the reef that can only be dove 1 1/2 hours before low water to
1 1/2 ours after low water, otherwise the visibility is nil and the
current can exceed 4 knots. At this sight we see large grouper/jew
fish, barracuda, big eyed jacks, snapper, big gray reef sharks and an
occasional sea snake. We also have seen eagle rays, mantas and
hammerhead sharks.
- Wakaya Island
- Wakaya Pass: This site starts at about
35 ft sandy bottom then you swim out over a wall and turn to the left.
As you come over the drop off of the wall you can look strait down to
about 140 ft. While swimming along the wall you may see White tip,
Nurse, and Hammerhead sharks along with Mantas, Marble Rays, Turtles,
Eagle rays and Barracudas.
- Golden Rock: This site is a bommie that
starts at 35 ft on the high inside edge it then comes up to 10 ft and
is 20 ft across. This site has soft coral, hard coral, cleaner shrimp,
blue ribbon eels,and most important it is a cleaning station for
mantas and we see mantas here 90% of the time.
- Gem Stone: Gem stone is on the outside
edge of Wakaya passage. This is a wall dive with swim throughs, hard
and soft corals and as one guests who has dove around the world said,
this sight is as good as they have in the red sea. Mantas also
frequently visit this location along with hammer head and white tips
sharks. When diving this location on a night dive the light fish here
are very abundant and make for a great light show.
- Sand Point: Sand point is a wall dive
between the island of Wakaya and Mokongi. On this dive we frequently
see mantas, eagles rays, turtles, white tips and the various colorful
fish of the south pacific in abundance along with hard and soft
corals.
- Makongi island: At the turn of the
century Makongi Island was the home of the last leper colony in Fiji
but today its the home of the Fijian turtle and clam farm. The north
end of the island is protected by a barrier reef which has a lot of
great dive sights. The foremost popular are White rock, Rustic Arch,
coral garden and Makongi channel. Each of these sights has wide
variety of bright indigenous little fish
- White Rock: White Rock is at the
entrance of Makongi channel and aptly called because the waves always
break on it causing the reef to have a white cap. This sight has white
tips, occasionally eagle rays and mantas, eels, large file fish, an
abundance of hard and soft corals but most of all it has the
friendliest school of fuseliers.
- Rustic Arch: This sight was discovered
by our very own Rusty Madsen during an exploration trip in Feb. 98.
This sight has excellent hard and soft corals, sea fans, sea anemones,
lion fish, moray eels, white tips and a recently discovered home to a
large Napoleon wrasse.
- Coral Gardens: A series of bommies that
have a beautiful supply of hard and soft corals. This sight also has
turtles, white tips sharks, moray eels, lion fish and once in a while
a nurse shark. Visibility can sometimes be below 40 feet because of
heavy plankton.
- Makongi Channel: Makongi channel is
most often a drift dive due to the fact its at an entrance to the
inner reef. On an incoming tide the visibility is quite good and
sometimes exceeds 100 feet. The usual party of Makongi sea life
abounds here in the channel as well.
- E-6 and Hi-8: These two sights are
aptly named: 'E-6' for the amount of film shot at this sight and
likewise 'Hi-8' for the amount of video footage taken. Both E-6 and
Hi-8 are pinnacles that start at a depth of 3,000 feet and rise to the
surface. E-6 has a horseshoe shaped grotto which is filled with
anemones, large clams, lionfish and spectacular red sea fans and soft
corals. Each has a virtual smorgasbord of soft corals, hard corals,
sea fans, sea anemones, octicoral, swim-throughs and are teeming with
smaller fishes of the south pacific. Included at both sights are sweet
lips, hammer heads, white tips, occasional silver tips and if we're
lucky a whale.
- Namena (Namenalala Island): The Namena
barrier reef stretches a distance of over 10 miles. There is an
abundance of dive sights here but many are unprotected in open waters
and can't be dove in bad weather. Most of these sights have the
possibility of high currents and as a result the sea life here is
abundant and very active. It is not uncommon to see gray reefs, white
tips, silver tips, barracuda and dog tooth tuna on a 30 minute dive.
The following are the most popular dive sights.
- Chimneys: Chimneys start at about 74
feet and come to within 10 feet of the surface. On the sandy bottom
you'll find a field of garden eels with goobies and shrimp scattered
throughout. Everywhere in the bommies of this sight you can find pipe
fish, cleaner fish, Nudibranches, soft corals, hard corals, sea
anemones with clown fish, and free swimming in the current above the
bommies are unicorn fish and anthiest. Between the bommies in midwater
are resident barracudas and it's not uncommon to see white tips or
grey reefs swimming by.
- Magic Mound: This dive sight is a
single bommie 80 to 100 feet long and 30 to 40 feet wide. It starts at
80 feet on one side and comes up to within 15 feet of the surface. Its
covered in hard corals, soft corals, sea anemones, sea fans and lots
of lion fish lurking in between or hanging around under ledges. This
sight is also known for its white tips and grey reef action.
- North Save-A-Tack: On an incoming tide
the action is fast and furious. A diver must descend to a depth of 70
feet in water that often has a visibility of over 150 feet. On the
bottom a diver may see grey reefs, white tips, barracudas and dog
Tooth tuna with an occasional silver tip without even moving. the
current is strong and during an incoming tide and the visibility is
excellent. Divers normally start on the east side of North Save-a-tack
and end their dive on the west side among the hard and soft coral
covered bommies. This side is most excellent for macro and wide angle
shots.
- Island of Koro
- Black Rock Caverns:
In the mouth of Dere Bay and the host of many swim-throughs,
caverns and caves. This is also one of our favorite night dive
sights that is the host to large file fish, many decorator crab,
white tips, flashlight fish, eels and occasionally squid. This
site also has a large school of barracuda. It is in the lee of the
island of Koro and can be dove most any time during the year but
visibility is usually limited to 60 feet.
- Koro Gardens: Koro Gardens is
marked by a single large bommie that comes to within 15 feet of
the surface. The area around the bommie is about 45 feet to the
bottom and drops off to 95 feet in some areas. Hard corals cover
everything while an abundance of reef fish crowd the waters and
make the diving spectacular.
- Shark Fin Point: This sight on the
north east point of Koro island can be action central. On most dives
you will see a large school of about 500 barracudas, eagle rays, many
white tip, lots of grey reefs, lobster, eels, and we have even seen
whale shark here, yes we really have. Not only are the fish and shark
abundant but it's covered in both hard and soft corals. When the tide
is running this can be a most enjoyable drift dive because little
effort is needed to move and its seems as if the show just swims by
you.
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