Fiji, the best diving in the world
Fiji is exactly as you imagine it on postcards. Lost in the south west of the Pacific, this archipelago, home to barely a million people, is the paradise of paradisiacal islands and one of the best places in the world to dive with sharks.
Everything you need to know for your trip to Fiji:
Official exchange rate 1EUR = 2.42 FJD Fijian Dollar
Best Diving Spots in Fiji
I have to admit, I went to Fiji not in search of paradisiacal beaches or Polynesian culture, which nowadays when you go to these places they are more of a spectacle than anything else. If not for the diving and after having dived in several countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Kenya, Thailand, Indonesia… among others I had never had an experience as close to large sharks as I had in Malapascua (Philippines).
This was the main reason for taking that plane from New Zealand, diving in “The Colosseum“
Beqa Lagoon also known as The Colosseum is a place on the southern coast of Viti Levu (Main Island), where all kinds of sharks live. The most common and that you will not get tired of seeing are the Nurse Sharks, followed by the Reef Sharks, the Blacktip and Graytip Sharks also usually stop by to say hello and if you are a little lucky, the Tiger Sharks.
Although without a doubt the king of the area is the Bull Shark, it likes to intimidate and will swim towards you to change direction at the last second and leave you with a small heart attack. When you arrive with the boat, the place is already impressive, the motor attracts the first curious sharks and suddenly you will see that the boat is surrounded by 15 or 20 sharks and at that moment the instructor will tell you that you have to jump into the water to start the immersion.
- What qualification do you need? At least the PADI or SSI Advanced, the sightings are about 18 meters deep and you stay there for a long time
- How much does it cost? Prices for two dives start at 400FJD which would be equivalent to about €180.
- It’s worth it? It is the best dive I have ever done, after this the rest falls short.
You are going to do two dives, both are very similar and although on the way you see walls of beautiful corals as well as the sharks circling around there you don’t notice anything else, at first they will scare you a little, but after a while After a while that turns into respect. Much of the dive is in this Colosseum, which is like a mound from which you see all the sharks passing by. Even though the two dives are practically identical, the time will fly by.
- It is safe? 100% I was accompanied by my instructor and a dive master the entire time, while two other dive masters did a cleaning dive to preserve the area.
- What other dives can be done in the area? Many people complement a second day with a dive in the soft corals in the same area. If you want to discover another island and continue diving in Vanua Levu there is the Rainbow Reef or the White Wall.
One week in Fiji
Among many other things, this blog tries to break the myths that traveling is expensive, and few places more expensive than Fiji come to mind, right? Let’s debunk this myth.
Days 1 and 2: Nadi
People will say what they want, but for me you have to visit the capitals and it is the best way to understand the local culture of a country. Nadi is precisely this. I was staying on the beach about 30 minutes by bus from the city center at the Smugglers Cove Hostel for €8/night.
The bus to Nadi costs a little more than 1 FJD each way although you don’t know when you will leave or when you will return, in principle they go every hour, but it is not true.
In Nadi you can visit several places, but the most interesting without a doubt is the local market, in it you can see all kinds of stalls, but you cannot miss the area where they sell Kava, it is a kind of root from which they get a drink that looks like dirty water and has a semi-narcotic effect. Apart from this the Sri Siva Subramaniya Swamiya Hindu temple that half of the country is Indian population that the British brought. In fact, Fijians and Indians do not get along at all.
Days 3 to 5: Coral Coast
I’m not going to fool anyone, yes, I spent 3 days lying in a hammock, kayaking, drinking beer and watching Argentina win its third crown from a small beach house on the south coast of Fiji. I needed to recharge my batteries after an intense month in New Zealand.
Even so, this hostel is one of the best you can find, you can do Kayaking, paddle surfing and snorkelling in an area where the reefs are quite good. Furthermore, the sunsets from Coral Coast are something like no other.
You can take a bus from the center of Nadi from 8am every day until 7-8pm for about 10 FJD and the journey takes about two and a half hours.
Days 6 and 7: Pacific Harbour
Little else remains to be said about Pacific Harbour, the place is a bit decadent and there is nothing interesting to do there per se. There are a couple of nice hotels on the coast, but those beaches aren’t the best either, in fact most people who go there are to go diving, the two main resorts have a separate diving school. In my case I did both dives with Aqua Trek and I was very lucky because I did them alone, other colleagues told me that there were like 20 people. So I guess I got lucky.
Backpacking Fiji daily budget
I personally dispelled the myth that Fiji was expensive and that you can travel there “on a budget”, although if I returned I would take a totally different route and go to the Yasawa Islands. But this is what I spent:
Food: I was eating out every day so €9 for eating in paradise isn’t that bad.
Accommodation: There was everything, hostels in Nadi cost around €8-9 while in Coral Coast and Pacific they were around €20/night.
Transportation: It is very cheap South East Asian style, like €5 for 4-5 hour trips that cross the entire country and buses for €0.50.
Leisure: This is where your budget will stretch the most, the activities especially if you come to dive are expensive. If you want to visit the rest of the islands you can take the “Bula Pass” which is also worth it.
