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Fiji Ultimate 10-night Soft Coral & Shark Liveaboard Trip Oct 2027

Reefs

Oct 23, 2027 - Nov 2, 2027

Explore Fiji, the soft coral capital of the world, aboard the Nai'a Liveaboard with Bluewater's Photo Workshop in October 2027.

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Fiji Ultimate 10-night Soft Coral & Shark Liveaboard Trip Oct 2027 - image

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Stunning Reefs & Corals

Shark Encounters

Nitrox Included

Free Photo Workshops

Why Join This Trip

Experience the absolute best of Fiji’s huge soft corals, sharks, and giant schools of fish on one of the world’s best liveaboards, the Nai'a
10 nights at the best of the best dive sites including Bligh Waters, with FREE nitrox
Learn from one of Bluewater’s most experienced photo instructors
Easy direct flights from the USA
Fully refundable deposit until 18 months from departure
25% discount on rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo

Trip overview

In Fiji, it's all about the corals. The colors are so incredibly vibrant and the anthias so plentiful that its hard to ever look away. Around every corner is the next world-class image. Remember to get in the current. One of the main draws of diving Fiji is the reef scenes - they are quite spectacular!

The gorgeous, lush, color-splashed images of Fiji that you see in dive publications are courtesy of a soft coral called dendronephthya. Few other places in the world offer such an abundance of this coral, nor the wide spectrum of colors ranging from pink and purple to orange, yellow and fiery red. Dendronephthya soft coral needs current; with little current present, the soft corals are muted, but as the current increases, they inflate with water and their color really begins to glow. As the current picks up, planktivores such as beautifully colored scalefin anthias spring up off the reef in polarized schools. Together, this forms a rich pageantry of color. Underwater photographers will want to shoot when some current is present, making a dramatic difference in the color of underwater imagery.

The best places for soft coral in Fiji are the Bligh Waters between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu where there are numerous reefs and pinnacles, the Somosomo Strait between Taveuni and Vanua Levu, and Namena Island, with its marine protected area. The 10-night trip includes a visit to Fiji's Rainbow Reef, one of the area's best-known dive sites which gets its name from the spectacular array of colors because of the abundance of soft corals, leather corals, sea fans and sea anemones - not to mention the fish!

Read about our 2025 trip to Fiji.

Marine Life To Photograph

Fiji is home to an amazing variety of fish life, including colorful angelfish, anemone fish, anthias, frogfish, hawkfish, moray eels, ghost pipefish, and countless other photogenic species.

Blue ribbon eels are also fantastic subjects. The yellow and blue males are full of personality and if you search hard, you can find the female (all yellow) and juvenile (black with a yellow stripe). The black juveniles are notoriously difficult to photograph.

There are sharks in Fiji, though they are generally not found on every dive. Beqa Island is the one exception to this rule, as sharks are seen there daily. The most common species of sharks in Fiji are grey reef, white tip reef, silvertip, and hammerhead. Sharks always make great subjects, but reef sharks are difficult to get close to. For real shark action, do the shark dive in Beqa Lagoon, where youll see up to 8 different species of sharks numbering in the dozens, including very large bull sharks and a massive tiger shark that makes semi-regular appearances.

Other fun subjects include banded sea snakes, several species of turtles, and pelagics like tuna, barracuda, and occasionally manta rays.

There are also plenty of macro opportunities. While diversity is not as great as Southeast Asia's coral triangle, there is still a wide range of species here, including mantis shrimp, decorator crabs, bobtail squid, and many different nudibranchs.

Camera and lens tips: Youll definitely want two strobes to get full light coverage in your frame. Use as much strobe power as possible to illuminate the soft corals and really make them shine. Fortunately, soft corals dont move, so you can get as close as you want. Bracket and really work on your blue backgrounds. Get close to the soft coral with a fisheye lens. Fiji is a great place to get close to the coral and practice your wide-angle technique. Take your time, put your strobes on manual, and get your exposures right.

Experience level needed for this trip: Most of the divers who come onboard a very experienced diver but they do take all levels of experience, but all levels are welcome and accommodated. Their friendly and experienced Fijian crew will look after you if you're a beginner.

Read the reviews on diving Fiji here.

Itinerary Overview

Please see the map below to get an idea on the place you will visit on the trip.

Fiji dive sites

Here is the daily onboard routine:

Time	Activity
6:15 AM	Coffee, Tea, Juice, Toast, Cereal, and Fruit
7:00 AM	First Dive
9:00 AM	Breakfast
10:30 AM	Second Dive
12:00 PM	Lunch
2:00 PM	Third Dive
4:00 PM	Snacks
5:30 PM	Dusk Dive
7:00 PM	Dinner
8:30 PM	Night Dive

* This schedule may vary at several locations where tighter coordination of dive times is required due to the site, tide and/or weather. Additional dives are generally available in between scheduled dives.

Recommended Scuba Gear

Download our full scuba gear guide to Fiji, Bluewater Travel guests receive 10% OFF! Click the image below to download (PDF).

3mm wetsuit. Browse Wetsuits at Bluewater Photo
SMB. The Mares Dive Marker Buoy is our choice!
Skins. Check out these sharkskins
Snorkel gear. We recommend the Cressi ZS1 & Corsica Snorkeling Package
Travel BCD. Read our Best Travel BCD Article
Travel regulator. We suggest Mares Ultra 62X Dive Regulator

Trip Inclusions

All meals and accommodation on board, all non-alcoholic beverages, complimentary wine served with dinner
Free Nitrox
Return transfers to the ship from the airport or hotels in the Nadi area
Tanks, weights, and unlimited air refills

Trip Exclusions

Fijian Tax ($942 per person, invoiced in advance)
Gratuities
Alcoholic beverages (other than the house wine served at dinner)
Gear or camera rentals
Personal purchases from the ship's store
Fuel Surcharge $35 (subject to change)

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Accommodation

About The Nai'a

The main salon & sundeck

The camera room & dive deck

Nai'a is setting a new standard in world-class liveaboard scuba diving expeditions. The ship is beautifully appointed, incredibly spacious and boasts a dive-savvy Fijian crew famous for their dedicated service. Nai'a has accommodation for 18 passengers in 9 air-conditioned staterooms with private ensuite heads. All the staterooms are larger than those on most dive vessels, with plenty of storage for gear, and they are bright, airy, and comfortable.

Read the reviews of the Nai'a here.

Trip Price

Trip starts from $6,277 per person.

Nai'a Stateroom

Air Conditioning (AC)

En Suite Bathroom

Camera Room

Nitrox

Double-occupancy

$6,277

per person

Nai'a Stateroom

Air Conditioning (AC)

En Suite Bathroom

Camera Room

Nitrox

Double-occupancy

$6,277

per person

Payment Schedule

Deposit: $2,000 to book your spot
Payment 2: $2,400 due 1 September 2026
Balance: due on 1 March 2027

Book this Trip

Extend your trip

Want to extend your trip? We can help with that! See more of Fiji before or after your workshop with Bluewater by staying at the Volivoli Beach Resort or with one of our other local partners. Learn more about the packages here:

Trip Leader

Nirupam Nigam

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo & Video - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head.

You can get in touch with him at nirupam@uwphotographyguide.com or through his website www.photosfromthesea.com.

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Why Join This Trip

Experience the absolute best of Fiji’s huge soft corals, sharks, and giant schools of fish on one of the world’s best liveaboards, the Nai'a

10 nights at the best of the best dive sites including Bligh Waters, with FREE nitrox

Learn from one of Bluewater’s most experienced photo instructors

Easy direct flights from the USA

Fully refundable deposit until 18 months from departure

25% discount on rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo

Trip overview

Marine Life To Photograph

Itinerary Overview

Recommended Scuba Gear

Trip type

Trip Inclusions

All meals and accommodation on board, all non-alcoholic beverages, complimentary wine served with dinner

Free Nitrox

Return transfers to the ship from the airport or hotels in the Nadi area

Tanks, weights, and unlimited air refills

Trip Exclusions

Fijian Tax ($942 per person, invoiced in advance)

Gratuities

Alcoholic beverages (other than the house wine served at dinner)

Gear or camera rentals

Personal purchases from the ship's store

Fuel Surcharge $35 (subject to change)

Accommodation

About The Nai'a

Trip Price

Trip starts from $6,277 per person.

Nai'a Stateroom

Air Conditioning (AC)

En Suite Bathroom

Camera Room

Nitrox

Nai'a Stateroom

Air Conditioning (AC)

En Suite Bathroom

Camera Room

Nitrox

Payment Schedule

Extend your trip

Trip Leader

Nirupam Nigam

How to get there

Inquire about this trip

Check availability and start planning your perfect trip

Check availability
and start planning your perfect trip