Mike30 - Bluewater Dive Travel

Mike30

Mike30

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Reviews (5)

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Paradise Taveuni Fiji

4
5
5
3

This is a resort designed for scuba divers, especially photographers. There is a great air-conditioned room for photographers where everyone gets their own workstation for the week. There is a rinse tank and compressed air to keep everything clean.

I found the Rainbow Reef better than the reefs close to the resort. Because the resort is at the far end of the island it is a 30-45 minute boat ride to the Rainbow Reef. Because of this on most days they will do 2 dives and then lunch on a beach close to the Rainbow Reef so they don't have to go back to the resort. They made meals for us to take but we were surprised when they offered us a coke to drink. We later found out when we checked out that we were getting charged for those drinks.

The house reef if great. We only did a night dive there but it was one of the best dives of the week. We saw so much stuff and wished we had time to do another one.

The staff were a highlight. Everyone is friendly and always smiling. Dive guides were great as well, pointing out everything they saw and making sure everyone had time to see it.

The rooms are great. Indoor and outdoor showers and an outdoor tub. They have a farm behind the property where they grow most of the food they serve. There is a menu with a few options and you pick between the options for your meal. The options get repeated throughout the week though so if you're there a week you will have some repeats.

There were some non-divers at the resort and they mentioned how through the day it was very quiet and there weren't many people around because the majority of people were divers. They do offer day tours and activities but I found them to be costly.

If you want to dive the Great White Wall make sure you check with the resort when booking because there are only certain times of the month when they are able to dive it due to the current.

Visited on 09/2018 - Submitted on 04/10/2020
The clouds are turned orange by the sunset over the infinity pool, ocean and a sailboat by Mike Leeson Photography
The sun casts a golden scene of a beer on the patio of the waterfront bure by Mike Leeson Photography
A sign leading to the waterfront spa with blue skies and the ocean in the background by Mike Leeson Photography
The milky way rise over a bamboo hut and a palm tree by Mike Leeson Photography
The bures at Paradise Taveuni by Mike Leeson Photography
A wide angle shot of the Rainbow Reef by Mike Leeson Photography
A wide angle shot of the Rainbow Reef by Mike Leeson Photography
A pink soft coral on a reef surrounded by the blue waters by Mike Leeson Photography
A white, blue and purple nudibranch on a reef in Taveuni by Mike Leeson Photography
A blue, purple and white nudibranch from the Rainbow Reef in Fiji by Mike Leeson Photography
Read all Paradise Taveuni Fiji Dive Resort reviews
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Oneta Resort

4
5
4
5

If you want to get away from it all, this is the place for you. It starts with a small prop plane flight to Kadavu, followed by a 30-45 minute boat ride to what is basically your private island of Ono. The surrounding islands are where they film the Swedish and French versions of Survivor.

I believe there are 6 bures and 2 villas for larger groups. We stayed in the Turtle Lair bure at the top of a hill overlooking the resort and the views from the deck were worth the walk up the stairs every time.

It's not only the location, but the staff that makes this resort special. The staff is always smiling and laughing and making sure you have everything you need. The general manager Martin is amazing. He is Australian but grew up in Fiji and can teach you about the Fijian cultures and traditions. Everyone has breakfasts and dinners together and Richard always keeps the conversations going telling stories. The food is fabulous. Everything is fresh and we never had the same meal twice.

We went fishing for a day to try and hook a Giant Trevally that that resort is famous for. We booked a half day of fishing and because fishing was slow the guide stayed out with us for the whole day to ensure we caught lots of fish (although no Giant Trevally :( and we were only charged for the half-day charter.

As for the scuba diving, if you want untouched reefs where you are the only boat and the only divers you see for miles, this is the place you want to be. Because of its location, Oneta Resort dives the northern parts of the Great Astrolabe Reef. We were the only divers at the dive resort and we were the only divers we saw the entire week. The only other way to get to some of these dive sites is on a liveaboard. The soft coral is not as spectacular as the Rainbow Reef, but there are big walls full of life that start 10 feet below the surface and go down to the sandy bottom below 100 feet. There are lots of cool swim-throughs as well. When we were there they were in the process of building their dive center to house all of their gear and have more space as when we were there there was only a small shack where our gear was kept. Because all their power is provided by generators I doubt they will have any camera rooms with A/C. They made sure I had everything I needed when I was there to keep my camera and housing clean.

One island over and about a 5 minute boat ride away there is a manta cleaning station so anytime you are passing by they will stop and see if there are mantas there. If there are they will let you jump out and snorkel with them. We did this 3-4 times during the week. Unfortunately the week we were there was cloudy and rough so visibility wasn't great and we couldn't get any great photos of the mantas.

If you have non-divers in your group they will have lots to do here. They can arrange trips to the local villages, fishing, snorkeling, private beach trips, they have kayaks, SUPs, and even a Hobie Cat you are welcome to use. There were non-divers at the resort when we were there and they definitely didn't look bored.

Visited on 09/2018 - Submitted on 04/10/2020
Two people enjoy a drink while enjoying the view from the Turtle Lair balcony overlooking the ocean by Mike Leeson Photography
The sunrise lights the clouds up in an orange hue from a balcony overlooking the ocean and other islands of Fiji by Mike Leeson Photography
The honeymoon suite with a king bed with white and blue bedspread and two glasses of champagne sitting out by Mike Leeson Photography
The sun rises casting a yellow glow over the beach with boats sitting on the ocean by Mike Leeson Photography
The sun rises over the ocean and the sky turns orange with a silhouetted palm tree in the foreground by Mike Leeson Photography
A view of Oneta Fiji Resort from the water by Mike Leeson Photography
A small airplane comes in low over the ocean for a landing with large white clouds in the background by Mike Leeson Photography
A diver checks out a feather star in the blue waters of Fiji by Mike Leeson Photography
A orange clownfish hides behind an anemone in Fiji by Mike Leeson Photography
A manta ray swims by at the manta cleaning station by Mike Leeson Photography
A white tip reef shark swimming along the reef by Mike Leeson Photography
by Mike Leeson Photography
A diagonal clam shell on a wall and a diver in the blue waters of Fiji by Mike Leeson Photography
An orange see feather attached to a wall on the reef surrounded by blue water by Mike Leeson Photography
Read all Oneta Resort Dive Resort reviews
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Uprising Beach Resort

5
3
5
3

If you are heading to Beqa for the world-famous shark dives, the Uprising Resort is a good budget accommodation and a short ride from the dive shop. The stayed in the beachfront bure and rooms were large and right on the beach that stretches for a mile at least. There are more upscale villas with indoor and outdoor washrooms that looked quite nice from what we saw. For our bure, you need to exit the bure and enter a separate door for the washroom and the outdoor shower. We didn't mind that as we still had lots of privacy.

They have kayaks you can use if you want to go for a paddle.

There is pool and a restaurant right on the resort with good food you would expect at a beachside restaurant. It definitely caters to a younger/backpacking crowd but was fine for our needs. The Pearl Resort down the beach has the same owners and is more upscale if that is what you are looking for.

The Golf Medal Fiji 7s Men's Rugby team practices at the facilities on the grounds so there is a chance to see them practicing while you are there.

The dive shops will arrange to have a taxi come and pick you up and drop you off afterward at the dive resort.

Visited on 10/2018 - Submitted on 04/10/2020
Enjoying a Tona on the deck of our our waterfront bure at Uprising Resort by Mike Leeson Photography
This beach in front of the resort stretches for a mile and ends at the Pearl Resort by Mike Leeson Photography
Read all Uprising Beach Resort Dive Resort reviews
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Beqa Adventure Divers

4
5
5
5

When friends heard we were going to Fiji they told us we had to do a shark dive at Beqa. We were nervous as I think anyone would be on their first shark dive. We didn't know what to expect. But Beqa Adventure Divers made us feel comfortable and safe right away. Everything was well organized and the dive briefing was thorough and we knew exactly what to expect when we go down there.

During the dive, we were surprisingly relaxed because we knew what to expect. It is a 3 level dive. First, you drop to almost 100 feet to watch the bull sharks while kneeling behind a coral ledge while the DMs hover above you with metal poles to guide away any sharks that get too close. Then you head up to the second level and hand onto a rope and watch a second feeding station with more sharks, and then you do your safety stop at 15 feet at a third feeding station with more sharks. The second dive is very similar.

I had a housing with strobes and the DMs made sure I got a spot close to the feeder so I was in position to get nice photos which I appreciated.

Unfortunately, we didn't see a Tiger Shark which we were hoping to see :(

Visited on 10/2018 - Submitted on 04/10/2020
A bull shark swimming by in the deep blue water by Mike Leeson Photography
A bull shark swimming by in the deep blue water by Mike Leeson Photography
A white tip reef shark eating a tuna head by Mike Leeson Photography
A white tip reef shark eating a tuna head by Mike Leeson Photography
A bull shark swimming by in the deep blue water by Mike Leeson Photography
Read all Beqa Adventure Divers reviews
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Dressel Divers Cozumel

4
4
4
5

As with any dive operation in Cozumel, its a big boat with lots of scuba divers and the dive sites are quite busy. The DMs were good, dive briefings were good. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. Even so, the visibility was good.

You get a discount if you prebook your dives online beforehand. They also offer free nitrox. The only problem is that that week it was so rough we only got out 3 days as they closed the harbor for the rest of the days so we couldn't get out to dive. You don't get a refund, they give you a voucher that is good for 5 years to use your dives, but it means you have to go back to a Dressel Divers location to use the dives.

The dive shop was accommodating due to the weather and arranged for us to dive Cenotes with the Dressel Divers in Playa del Carmen.

There is no camera room so you need to bring your camera gear back to the room with you.

Visited on 01/2016 - Submitted on 04/10/2020
Read all Dressel Divers Cozumel reviews

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