Scuba Diving the Yasawas, Fiji

Dive Site: The Garden of Eden
Location: Sosoniko Point, Naukacuvu (in the Naviti group, the Yasawas), Fiji
Description: Coral garden
Depth: 20 metres + (65 feet)
Visibility: 25 metres (80 feet)

This dive can be an experienced on its own or as an extension to The Erebus for those with good air consumption. The fringing reef at this point slopes of gently from 5 to 30m with huge spurs of new-growth plate corals jutting out at angles. This really is a lovely dive, the plate corals are exquisite and there is always something going on, be it turtles cruising around, huge schools of parrotfish or surgeonfish roaming in file or larger pelgaics coming on for a quick look. To top this there also stands solitarily, one of the largest plate corals in Fiji.

Scuba Diving the Yasawas, Fiji

Dive Site: The Erebus
Location: Vunavesi Bay, Naukacuvu (in the Naviti group, the Yasawas), Fiji
Description: Wall dive with swim-through
Depth: 24 metres + (79 feet)
Visibility: 25 metres (80 feet)

This is an interesting and extremely fun dive. Although the islands of Naukacuvu and Narara are surrounded by one network of fringing reef, there is a strong current that cuts a channel between the two. On the western side of the island this channel opens up onto a wall that drops off to around 30m and is lined with large gorgonian fan corals. Visibility on the wall itself averages 25m but where the channel opens out onto the reef it brings through a constant stream of dirtier, colder water. Meaning “Gateway to Hell”, the Erebus describes the feeling divers get when either entering or exiting the vast cavern-like swim-through that either starts or ends this dive (depending on the tide). The stark contrast in visibility and ambient lighting, the change in water temperature and indeed the quite differing marine life carpeting the walls on either side really gets pulses racing. Good dive!

Scuba Diving the Yasawas, Fiji

Dive Site: The Blue Room
Location: North of Waya, west of Narara, the Yasawas, Fiji
Description: Reef
Depth: 30 metres + (100 feet)
Visibility: 25 metres (80 feet)

A 200m diameter platform reef out in the middle of not very much has a large bommie to its southern edge. This and the channel between them are home to a couple of reef sharks several turtles, a large school of red snapper and a whopping mauri wrasse, amongst others. The reef itself, despite having fan corals, whips and lots of individually nice fauna does not make for spectacular viewing but there is always excellent visibility here and there are always creatures around that liven up the dive. Safety stops in the surge on the reef top at first beckon boredom but on closer inspection there is revealed a cornucopia of blennies and dartfish that momentarily before reappearing with numbers to inspect the group of strangely bubbling objects that have just swung into their space.