Beyond the Bligh 7 nts

Fiji: Volivoli Beach Resort to Volivoli Beach Resort

7 night duration

Qualification required: PADI Open water or equivalent - no minimum number of logged dives required

This 7 night liveaboard adventure allows up to 22 dives including up to 3 night dives and offers the chance to explore some of the finest diving in Fiji. As with all diving trips, the choice of dive sites visited during the itinerary will be affected by a number of factors including weather, tidal movement, moon phase, experience of divers and number of vessels. The Captain & Cruise Director will give a detailed briefing each evening for the following day’s dive schedule.The safety of all on board is paramount. The Cruise Director is always pleased to listen to requests from guests to visit or remain at certain sites and providing it is possible and the schedule allows, then guest’s requests are respected.

Departing from the Darling family's Volivoli Beach Resort on Viti Levu, this 7 night itinerary takes you through dives at Bligh Waters with stunning coral pinnacles which attract schooling pelagics including barracuda & tuna. We cruise onwards through the Vatu-I-Ra Passage to dive at the Namena Marine Reserve, where hard coral gardens support a myriad of marine species and schools of colourful reef fish. The S/Y Fiji Siren then moves south into the the Lomaiviti Island Group for dives at the islands of Gau and Wakaya. A mix of drift dives, coral gardens and pinnacles is to be expected, keeping on the look out for manta rays and hammerheads but also we see ribbon eels, leaf fish and numerous other smaller creatures. Grey reef sharks can be seen in schools at the mouth of the Nigali Passage. We have the option to return to the Namena Reserve or dive once again in Bligh Waters as the S/Y Fiji Siren cruises back to her home port at Volivoli.

Fiji Diving Highlights

Bligh Waters & Vatu-I Ra Passage
E6: Starting from just 1m below the surface, this large pinnacle drops to over 900m providing a wealth of hard and soft corals along with a cathedral like overhang adorned with gorgonian fans. Eagle rays and hammerheads are known to make an appearance. Meanwhile amidst the colourful corals, numerous crustaceans and molluscs are spotted.

Mellow Yellow: Divers can expect to see grey reef sharks, schools of barracuda and plenty of turtles. Whilst at night the lionfish, flatworms and shrimps are a delight.

High -8: All manner of marine life from green turtles and titan trigger fish to whitetip reef sharks can be spotted here.

Coral Corner: White tips and grey reef sharks dart between the schooling fusiliers, triggerfish and wrasse, meanwhile on the corals octopus can be found along with flat worms, moray eels and scorpion fish.

Chimneys: Consists of 3 large coral bommies extending downwards from just 3m (10ft) and covered with soft corals and crinoids. Tuna, barracuda, white tips and occasional silver tip sharks are seen here as you drift around the bommies. Currents can be strong.

Namena Marine Reserve
The dives you will make will be based on the currents and conditions but you can expect to see plenty of macro species including ribbon eels, garden eels and fire gobies. You are also likely to see several species of shark and schools of tuna and trevally jacks. Manta rays have been known to visit also whilst the shallow waters of the nature reserve are the epitome of healthy hard coral gardens.

North Save a Tack: This site offers a diverse reef structure and steep reef wall. You will descend to 30m (100ft) to watch for large pelagics. Schools of big eye jacks congregate here as do hundreds of unicorn fish and red tooth trigger fish. Continuing along the reef southwards we come to a pinnacle known as "Kansas" named for the likeness to the wheat fields of the US State, due to an abundance of golden leather corals. A wide variety of reef fish, anthias and gobies can be seen along with octopus and garden eels.

Grand Central Station: A delectable fish soup with schools of barracuda, trevally, parrotfish and trigger fish. Colourful damsel fish hover over the corals in clusters whilst dog tooth tuna, Spanish mackerel, white tip and grey reef sharks patrol the reef edge. Other sites within the reserve include "Two Thumbs Up","Magic Mushrooms", "Ned's Heads" and "Keenans".

Wakaya Island
Lion's Den: Dive out into the blue to look for patrolling hammerhead sharks and manta rays. White tips, grey reef sharks, schooling barracuda, batfish and hawksbill turtles are also commonly seen.

Wakaya Passage: A wall dive with swim-throughs and overhangs covered with soft corals - another great spot to look out for manta rays and hammerhead sharks.

Blue Ribbon Eel Ridge: This sloping coral wall develops into plateaus at 18m (60ft) and 30m (100ft) coral bommies on the plateaus hide leaf fish, dart gobies and blue ribbon eels.

Gau Island
Nigali Passage: A deep channel with an incoming current that attracts schools of pelagic fish. Barracuda and trevally jacks are a common sight at the channel mouth whilst grey reef sharks form schools at just 18m / 60ft. Hang out in the channel for most of the dive and watch the action then end your dive in the shallow lagoon as the channel ends. Also of note are the huge groupers that cruise about.

Jim's Alley: Typically a more relaxed paced dive than the Nigali passage, Jim's Alley offers swathes of garden eels and anemone fish, black snapper and clown triggerfish, nudibranchs and banded sea snakes.