The benefit to scuba diving in Fiji: there’s absolutely no place where it’s bad to scuba dive. The water is clean and pure, the coral is different and the fish are fascinating just about anywhere. But to get the most from your diving experiences in Fiji, here are the top 5 places to find the best diving in Fiji.

5 places to find the best diving in Fiji: Coral Coast

5 places to find the best diving in Fiji: Clear water makes Fiji Islands a prime location for diving. Photo by geminijen, flickr
Clear water makes Fiji Islands a prime location for diving. Photo by geminijen, flickr

One of the most visited diving spots in Fiji, the Coral Coast offers it all in terms of diving. Situated on the south coast of Viti Levu, you are able to do swim through dives, wall diving and drift diving. The Coral Coast is most recognised for its array of hard and soft colourful coral that houses many different fish species. The Coral Coast is a great place for beginners to start, so it doesn’t matter if you aren’t a qualified diver.

If you’re particularly interested in diving, consider staying at the Diveaway resort. It’s a great resort dedicated to diving in the area of the Coral Coast and it has its own PADI diving facilities. The dives are best for seeing eagle rays and scorpion fish which are the masters of blending in with the colourful coral.

Beqa Lagoon

5 places to find the best diving in Fiji: Beqa Lagoon is a great diving spot to see exciting colorful coral and marine life. Photo by patsOn, flickr
Beqa Lagoon is a great diving spot to see exciting colorful coral and marine life. Photo by patsOn, flickr

Despite being fairly small in size (the whole lagoon is only 17 miles long) Beqa Lagoon offers so much when it comes to marine life diving. In the lagoon there are a number of underwater coral mazes, great for fish to hide. Beqa Lagoon is the place to be for divers who are keen to see sharks – up to 8 species can be seen, including bull and tiger sharks at any given point. On your dive in Beqa Lagoon, you are also exposed to schools of barracuda and unicorn fish, as well as the odd blue ribbon eel.

The Beqa Lagoon resort was recently voted as the best dive resort in the world by Scuba Diving Magazine – and it lives up to its name. There are a number of diving instructors living at the resort, and it has PEDI facilities available at all times.

MORE: 10 OF THE COOLEST RESORTS AROUND THE WORLD

Taveuni

5 places to find the best diving in Fiji: Beautiful coral and fish in Taveuni. Photo by Jun...z, flickr
Beautiful coral and fish in Taveuni. Photo by Jun…z, flickr

An island known for its outstanding coral, Taveuni is the arguably the best place for divers in Fiji and perhaps even the world. Rainbow reef is known for its colourful fish and coral and is warm all year around. For the brave divers, you can attempt to dive the Great White Wall – which sounds intimidating but it has nothing to do with sharks. The Great White Wall is an ice coloured soft coral wall that lies below 20 metres deep, and keeps getting deeper. Taveuni Dive Company will organise group dives, particularly in places that are large and deep – and they offer great prices and beginners courses all over the island. Taveuni is the best place for diving if you want to see colourful fish, including a few Nemo (clownfish).

Aside from Taveuni Dive Company, you can stay at the Nakia Resort and Dive, with PADI facilities and a 12m diving pool on the grounds of the resort. Both of the companies offer great prices for diving for beginners, intermediate and experienced divers.

Kadavu

5 places to find the best diving in Fiji: A mantra ray in the Great Astrolabe Reef. Photo by Mantava Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort, flickr
A mantra ray in the Great Astrolabe Reef. Photo by Mantava Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort, flickr

Off the beaten track of Fiji is Kadavu, home to the fourth largest barrier reef in the world. Go diving in the Great Astrolabe Reef for views of amazing coral and marine life. You don’t need to be experienced to dive here, and you really get the most out of being outside of the tourism trail as the water is the clearest and the coral has not been tampered with. On the other side of the island is Manta Reef, a great diving spot for those who are eager to get up close and personal with Manta Rays.

Mantana Beach resort has over 40 diving destinations in the region of Kedavu, where you can see the manta, sharks, rays, sea snakes, large groper fish and fish of all different colourful varieties. It offers diver/guest discounts online.

Vatulele

5 places to find the best diving in Fiji: Stunning clear beaches at Vatulele. Photo by Dive in Style, flickr
Stunning clear beaches at Vatulele. Photo by Dive in Style, flickr

Vatulele offers great drift diving off its blue wall, known for deep water and blue coral. There’s a great spot for diving in Vatulele called the Aquarium, known for bright colourful coral. You can also go diving at places like the Labyrinth or Turtle Mountain to get great views of marine life.

Although the resorts at Vatulele are not as dedicated to diving as resorts in other places around Fiji are, they still have a PEDI dive instructors on board in their five star facilities. This gives beginners a chance to experience diving in a controlled environment before they dive out into the great unknown!

The best time to go diving anywhere in Fiji is from the months of April through to October. The water is significantly clearer and cooler, and because it is not summer the high peak tourist season has not started yet. A good time to go diving in Fiji!