The best places to dive in Fiji-Beqa and the North--Column 3

This is the third in a series of three blogs by Scott Kukral, founder of Seafiji.com, on the best places to dive in Fiji.

Beqa Lagoon:

A relatively small area, Beqa Lagoon is the submerged crater of an extinct volcano. At only about 17 miles across, a lot of great diving is packed into this area. This is where the world famous Shark Encounter is located, along with Frigate’s Passage and many other well-known dives. There are pinnacles, bommies and reefs within the lagoon and some jaw dropping walls sporting huge gorgonian fans many feet across and gigantic black coral trees on the outside. The Shark Encounter alone draws in up to eight species of shark at once, including the much sought after Tiger Shark. Black tip, white and silver tip, lemon and bull sharks as well as others make their appearance throughout the lagoon. Vast fields of both hard and soft coral extend

to the limits of your vision on some dives. Blue Ribbon Eels, schools of barracuda and unicorn fish seem like they are waiting there just for your entertainment. I saw over 10 species of nudibranch in Beqa on a single dive! While currents can be quite strong in Beqa, there are usually many good places to hide from it as well.

The Northern Group:

With a celebrity reputation that is often exceeded each time you visit, this region can excite even the most jaded divers. It is so big that no single trip can adequately cover all the great sites. This is the playground of liveaboards and the home of areas like Namena Marine Reserve, Somosomo Strait and Rainbow Reef, Vatu-I-Ra Channel and Bligh Water. Typically abundant with soft and hard coral, this is what Cousteau referred to as ‘The Soft Coral Capital of the World’. Somewhere within this region can be found just about everything Fiji has to offer from Pygmy Seahorses to Hammerheads. Generally considered a destination for advanced divers, there are also numerous sites suitable for novice divers and snorkelers. Currents can make the diving arduous at times, but the rewards can be exceptional. There are still areas here where exploratory dives can yield amazing discoveries.

There are a wide range of resorts in each of these areas to suit most tastes and budgets. Serious divers usually decide where they want to dive and then choose a resort, but no matter where you decide to stay there is probably some good diving nearby.

Scott Kukral has over 12 years experience as a Scuba Dive Instructor and a command officer with a dive rescue team, accruing thousands of hours of underwater experience and over 3500 dives (over 700 in Fiji alone) If you have any questions contact him at kukral@seafiji.com, 1 (800) 854-3454 or visit his website www.seafiji.com.