Fiji and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Dive
Posted By Abigail Smigel on 2 November 2006
It was easy enough arranging our travel details as they were included in a travel package put together by Aqua Trek (Aqua Trek is a Scuba Center that bought out Garden Island Resort several years ago). Since our group of four hadn't traveled on a package tour before, we were a bit wary, but didn't need to be. The excellent reviews were right and friendly people made it smooth sailing. In fact, we caught a direct flight from LAX to the city of Nadi. From there we jumped on a small, but sufficiently sized island hopper to the palm tree-lined runway of Taveuni Island. Here, however there are some great highlights of the natural waterslides.
Fiji is a nation comprised of approximately 300 islands, each with its own unique beauty. Taveuni, which is known as the Garden Island for its rich flora and fauna, is Fiji's third largest island. The first being the main island of Viti Levu, where Nadi is located, and the second, Vanua Levu, which is separated from Taveuni by a strait of water known as the Somosomo Strait. The Somosomo Strait is where the Rainbow Reef is located.
Fiji's soft corals are legendary among scuba divers. A combination of warm, clear and nutrient rich water as well as steady supplies of swift currents make this environment perfect for the soft corals Fiji is famous for. When the current is strong, the soft corals open up to feed and that is when the kaliediscope of color unfolds. Every color of the rainbow seems to be represented in translucent formations, hence the name.
The Great White Wall is another wonder of this place. It is named for the pale lavender soft coral that blankets it. This site begins by dropping through a tunnel that starts at 30 feet and exits onto the wall at 88 feet. The wall continues below for another hundred feet or so. With the vast amount of white coverage it is easy to imagine diving along some eerie glacial form.
The usual suspects we saw on most dives, and you are sure to find here as well are Blue Ribbon Eels, Clownfish, White-tipped Reef Sharks, Lionfish and Garden Eels. The locals report occasional sightings of Manta Rays as well as larger species of Shark, however we didn't see any Mantas during our trip.
For above water fun try out the natural waterslides located within walking distance of the resort. We were told local kids frequent the spot, but were disappointed none appeared the day we bruised ourselves silly testing the waters. Oh, and watch out for squashed toads.
Apparently the Fijian variety have a propensity for finding themselves under the tires of moving vehicles. Also within walking distance is the old site of the International Date Line. Originally the Date Line passed directly through the island. You can imagine the confusion this must have caused. In fact, lore has it that a man ran who ran a plantation on the island got his employees to work 7 days out of the week by pointing out that while it was Saturday on one end of the field, it was still Friday on the other.
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