Fiji 2001 Trip Report

Fiji

June 2001

Trip Report

As a stopover on our way to Australia we decided to visit and dive Fiji again. Several years ago we had stayed on Taveuni and dived the Rainbow Reef (Somosomo Strait) and I was looking forward to more soft coral, big fish and amazing visibility. This time, however, we chose the Kandavu area, ending up first at Jona's Paradise Resort.

The people at Jona's were nice as could be, and the food was fabulous, but I think calling it a "Resort" is pushing it a bit. It was more like catered, enclosed camping. The bungalows had coral floors, open windows (no glass in most bungalows) and no electricity or hot water. There were hot showers in the communal area, which was a real blessing. The air temperature never got over the low 60's while we were there (the other guests kept telling me "but it's winter here" -- my feeling is if we're that close to the equator winter shouldn't be a factor!) The water, at 76 or so, should have felt warm compared to the air, but it didn't: I was shivering after every dive, even with a full wetsuit and hood.

The diving was disappointing. I'd heard of the "Great Astrolabe Reef," and I think the name as much as anything appealed to me. (What's an "astrolabe," anyway?) But we either missed the best part or arrived after a great deal of damage to the reef, because much of what we dove was dead, murky or both. We only made nine dives in five days there, and I'd have to say the best was "purple wall." There was a variety of purple soft coral, a huge moray and a shark. At most of the other sites we did see lots of small fish: anemonefish, wrasses, blennies and gobies. There were a few very "tame" emperor angelfish. One site ("Broken Rock" -- an apt descriptor) had interesting swim-throughs and caverns, but very little fish. Fortunately, the beach nearby was fabulous and the crew put on an amazing barbeque picnic featuring fresh-caught grouper and pit-steamed local vegetables. At another site, the surface interval was held on a small, windy beach nearby. Jona was nice enough to build a roaring fire to keep us from freezing to death. My only concern was that the wind would carry embers across the entire island (no worry -- the next day the fires were gone!). We spent many evenings in the dining area (the only part of the resort with electricity and lights) playing cards and dice to while away the darkness. Night dives weren't offered, and we wouldn't have gone for them anyway -- two dives a day left us thermally challenged as it was!

Our next stop was Dive Kandavu. While the diving was better, the visibility was still poor, and the water was just as cold. Fortunately, the air temperature warmed up (with sun most days) and the resort was more protected from the wind. Our bungalow was wonderful: a large queen bed, ceiling fan, electric lights and a bathroom with HOT running water! Plus, it was surrounded by landscaped garden and a stone's throw from the resort's sandy beach. We stayed in the end bungalow which bordered forested land. Nice, until the squawking wild birds woke us up at 6 in the morning!

One of the best dive sites there was "yellow wall". Not really a wall, it was more like a bommie with overhanging fringes of yellow soft coral which framed the views looking out from theswim-throughs. There were multitudes of fish: puffers, wrasse, lionfish and even a sea snake. Another notable site was "Moray Reef." Our divemaster hand-fed the resident morays -- a practice I'm not really in favor of, but it made for interesting photos. There were also schools of black, yellow and white bannerfish; one of my favorite schools of fish to watch.

Our stay at Dive Kandavu was half over when the owners, Rena and Bob, returned from their vacation to Australia. Unfortunately, they turned a peaceful, relaxing dining area into a forum for their own opinions, crowding into our table and interrupting our discussions of underwater sights with their own discussions of political policies in Fiji and Australia and opinions on various other topics of little interest to us on vacation. I liked the resort, but would much rather go there with a group where we can have a PRIVATE table with our own conversations!

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