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Reviews (9)

Paradise Taveuni Fiji

3
4
2
3

My dive buddy and I recently had the opportunity to return to Fiji, so we had some idea of the dive conditions we could expect but were looking forward with anticipation to the accommodations at Paradise Taveuni.
Come on. A place called Paradise would be perfect, right? Well...
ACCOMMODATIONS: Our bure was beautiful, neat and clean. It came with a grotto-like outdoor shower and spa - the shower was great and romantic. The spa never worked. For a couple with romance as the highest priority I would give this and big, solid "A". For those of us who appreciate romance but are serious divers, the bure could have used a small desk area with good seating and lighting for writing log books or working on some piece of dive or camera equipment. Let me hasten to add that here is a nice area for working and servicing your UW camera attached to the main lodge. There is a double sink camera rinse area just outside the camera room which is nice if there are just two divers. It was something to be negotiated when there were more than two UW photogs returning from an outing. In the camera room there are outlets (240V) and lights at each station and the stations are well laid out and easy to work at. The downer is that although the area has an air conditioner, it was anemic at best and we often found ourselves wiping beads of sweat before they fell in our open housings and exposed cameras equipment .
Food at Paradise was pretty bland with an unvarying menu (at least for the week we were there). Portions were such that the bag of salted nuts we kept in the bottom of the travel bag for those airport layover emergencies was pretty well depleted by weeks end. One evening the staff created a four course dinner that was quite good, but for our stay, it was a one-of event.
DIVING: In coming to Taveuni, we were quite excited by the prospect of diving Rainbow Reef. The hype and accolades for the site are easily found on any web search. We were well aware that many sites in Fiji are current controlled - that is that at higher current conditions you'll find much better representation of soft corals than at slack tides. But the Dive Masters need to judge the currents carefully so as to experience the best of the soft corals and yet not blow away less experienced divers. It is often a difficult act to handle successfully. The good news is we never lost a diver, the bad is that we never caught Rainbow Reef at its best. Sites like Fish Factory, Rainbow's End, Freeway, Christine's Garden and Great White Wall were interesting, but well below the color and diversity of Bligh Water sites we had dived previously - OK but not breath-taking as often described in the advertising literature. The one site that was interesting was Mini-Cabbage Patch. Very interesting coral structure and fish life made this a site we would have done more than once.
Coastal sites along Taveuni were a disappointment - Vanu Reef, Tabua and Coral Garden really were not worth the air to dive them. On one of the trips across the Soma Soma Strait, we came upon a pod of sleeping Pilot Whales but were not allowed to snorkel so we could not take any UW images of the beautiful critters. Actually, we had an immense amount of fun diving the house reef and drop-off. Close, easy, good species diversity (Blue-ribbon morays, leaf scorpion fish, lion fish, puffers, big anemones and the requisite clown fish, octopus and Tridacna clams) and amazing dusk dives kept us pretty happy. A night dive on our own would have been nice, but there were no unguided night dives allowed. The one we went on we were moved along with the herd of newbies and the experience garnered an extra charge.
STAFF: First, the dive staff - first rate and willing to bend over backwards to help the guests - A-1! They do the very best with the site they have.
The room staff - the ladies who tended our bure everyday were excellent - fastidious and inventive. We would return from dives with welcome messages written in flower petals on the floor- quite nice.
The wait staff needed nearly daily reminders regarding certain things (i.e. no bread or flour foods) Had the resort been packed with hoards of people I could understand there might be some confusion, but a full house was not the issue while we were there.
AMENITIES: As we were there for the diving we didn't take advantage of most of the amenities that are available to guests, but we did do an hour massage with banana wrap finish that was quite awesome - I would definitely recommend experiencing it.

Visited on 05/2015 - Submitted on 06/08/2015
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Molokini Crater

4
5
4
4

As traveling divers, we often get wrapped up in the desire to get to the most exotic destination we've heard or read about; it is an issue that I have been a victim of. However, recently I was reminded that excellent doesn't necessarily have to mean far, particularly for us on the West Coast. A recent unexpected invitation to my fiance and me to travel to Maui, Hawaii made the point very clearly to both of us. The short four and-a-half-hour flight from LAX to Maui - Kahului, HI found us in our condo near Lahaina, unpacked and scheduling our dives for the week - easy, peasy!

Though we dived several areas on Maui and the surrounding islands, I am going to focus on one specific site that was so enjoyable that we scheduled several return trips. The site was Molokini , a partially submerged volcanic crater a 45-minute boat trip from Lahaina Harbor. A crescent-shaped part of the rim that extends above water provides shelter from prevailing winds and currents and creates an amazing UW environment that is home to a high percentage of Hawaii's endemic reef species and with a drop-off close by, it isn't unusual to be visited by transiting pelagics. On our three days of diving, we encountered sharks on two days and a curious manta ray on another. Even though we were diving two days after hurricane Ana swept through the area, we enjoyed visibility well in excess of 100-feet and water temperatures ranging from 80° at the wall drop-off to 84° diving in the aquarium-like crater.
I'm not a marine biologist and don't even play one on TV, so my ability to name the myriad varieties of sea life is a bit limited, but those that I recognized include barracuda, cravalle, hawkfish, trumpet fish, goatfish, octopus, squirrel fish, big-eyes, Moorish Idols, spotted grouper, moray eels of numerous types and sizes and more types of butterfly fish than can even be imagined. And from the clouds of juvenile reef fish that swept over us and sometimes totally obscured the coral, it is easy to see just what a healthy, interesting, productive area this is.
So, a suggestion: when you're getting the urge to do some dive travel but are stymied by the cost to get there and be there, consider Hawaii. Consider Maui. And by all means definitely consider Molokini.

Visited on 10/2014 - Submitted on 10/29/2014

Cabo Pulmo Diving, Baja California, Sur

5
5
5
4

Though not mentioned as often as other Sea of Cortez dive destinations, Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park is a mostly undiscovered jewel for the adventurous travel diver. If you are looking for cocktails around the pool and ESPN on the satellite flat-screen over the bar, look elsewhere. If you want amazing diving with immense masses of diverse sea life, where "getting there" (offshore to the dive site) can entail an adrenalin-rush not unlike a pretty good coaster ride in an amusement park. Where sitting in a beach-side cantina after a day of remarkable underwater experiences sipping a Corona is the standard practice, then You must consider a trip to this out of the way gem.

Though there are several dive operators the serve Cabo Pulmo and we have tried most of them, the best we have found is Ms Pilu. She runs a one-person shop and offers the dive service and support that you ask for. Her knowledge of the park area and the piscatorial inhabitants is encyclopedic and her excitement about each trip is contagious. She keeps her dive groups very small and intimate, with just one other buddy pair (four of us) the largest group we've ever had and often it was just Pilu and us. Conditions at Pulmo can vary as with any offshore diving venue, but conditions are mild, visibility ranges from 30-feet (the worst we've ever encountered) upwards to 100-feet. Critters run the gamut from massive schools of jacks to huge grouper to sharks (Bull & hammerhead), eels, rays and even the occasional whale shark. The fun part is you can do two dives, same site, back to back and encounter entirely different residents each time.
Knowledge, support and the nicest divemaster/guide you will ever find is the reason we always try to schedule our Cabo Pulmo dives with her, but because she is so much in demand sometimes we have to choose other options.

Visited on 11/2013 - Submitted on 09/03/2014

Scuba Club Cozumel

5
5
5
5

Prior to my trip to Scuba Club Cozumel I had heard rave reviews from several buddies who had made multiple trips to SCC. They descriptions had set the bar pretty high so I was expecting an amazing experience and I wasn't disappointed.
Our room was spacious and lovely and with more than adequate space for two photographers to lay out and prepare their equipment and charge batteries. Food at Scuba Club was very good. Mornings were a buffet affair with enough diversity and quantity to satisfy most any taste and the served to order dinners were quite excellent.

But food was not the reason we came to SCC - it was for the diving and again we were not disappointed. Like most dive facilities in the area the reefs at Palancar and the drop-offs to the north are the usual dive locations and they are just amazing with a diversity of critters to keep an UW photog very happy. For nearly all of our dives we enjoyed minimum visibility of 50+ feet, often very much more and water temp of 82°. Palancar Caves and Palancar Bricks were favorites as was Punta Tunich, the wreck of the C-53 and Paradise Reef. Sea horses, morays, eagle rays, barracuda, turtles, grouper and more made every dive something to savor.

We had weather one day that kept the dive boats at the dock and we spent the day very happily diving the House Reef in the rain. Primarily for the macro shooter, the House Reef is amazing enough to be a first choice and not just a fallback dive. Take the time to cruise the warm, shallow waters and discover the myriad creatures willing to have their pictures taken.

So, to sum up, Scuba Club Cozumel is a quality diver's resort. I stress the diver part of that. Though there is a pool and non-divers can certainly find enough to stay entertained, SCC is primarily a resort for divers and many hold the view that is is THE best dive resort in Cozumel and with the experience we had, I certainly wouldn't argue with that point of view.

Visited on 07/2013 - Submitted on 05/27/2014
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Matava Eco Resort

5
5
5
5

FIJI – MATAVA ECO RESORT, Kadavu

I have to say that I wasn’t quite sure what to expect on my first visit to Fiji. Described as an eco-resort, Matava’s staff had been very fast, informative and helpful in arranging the visit but even with web information about Fiji, Kadavu and Matava, I still wasn’t sure what to expect except for some pretty exciting diving.

The island of Kadavu lies a short distance south of Fiji’s main island, Veti Levu. After a quick flight from the international airport at Nandi we landed at Kadavu and were greeted by friendly Matava staff members who gathered our gear and got us down to the local wharf where we boarded one of the Matava boats for the half-hour run to the resort. The resort can only be accessed by water or by foot trails. But the fact you are not in a recreational, urban resort does not mean there is a lack of amenities. As we were to see.

Warmly greeted at Matava’s landing by George and Mr. Maggie, the staff quickly carried our baggage up to the Honeymoon bure. The bures or cottages are built traditional Fijian style. Matava’s are large, simple and airy with solar lighting and hot water, attached deck with magnificent views of the lagoon waters and Great Astrolabe reef and each placed for privacy. If you are looking for AC, TV, room service and fancy, you might be a lot happier at a different resort. However if you appreciate nature close at hand and serious efforts made to reduce a carbon footprint impact with lush foliage at every turn and beautiful diving at your door step, Matava will fit you like a Lycra skin.

The food at Matava was amazing! The call to breakfast and dinner was by the pounding of the lali – the traditional Fijian slit-drum. If you ask and have a modicum of rhythm, you may have the opportunity to drum the resort to dinner. The food is nearly all grown or produced at the resort. Fresh greens, vegetables and fruit are standard with every meal and the cooks created mouth-watering meals in traditional Fijian style as well as international dishes and it was impossible to choose one meal over another; they were all delicious. Also, the soups that were served with lunch everyday were absolutely the best I have ever tasted anywhere!

While we were there we were treated to several kava ceremonies and an impromptu sing along with participants from two of the nearby villages. The kava ceremonies were a very quickly acquired taste, and the singing of the locals was just beautiful. We really had the feeling that we were among life-long friends at these warm, wonderful events.

As for the diving, again Matava far exceeded my expectations – and I had high expectations. The 75-mile long Great Astrolabe Reef embraces such diverse terrain and sea life it is difficult to know where to begin. Sharks, mantas, barracuda, wrasse, jack, corals, soft and hard, Tridacna clams, court-sized areas blanketed with huge colorful anemones along with their guardian Clown fish – sufficed to say the diving is magnificent. Visibility ranged from 40 to 100 feet and water temp was quite comfortable in a 3mm suit.

Would we go again? In a heartbeat! The work and effort made by owners Richard Akhtar and Adrian Watt on this eco-treasure is plain to see and wonderful to experience. They and their staff’s pride in their service to guests and the resort itself make a visit to Matava a truly marvelous experience. It is an experience that will call you back again and again.
Patrick Smith

Visited on 05/2013 - Submitted on 02/26/2014
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Maluku Divers Resort

4
4
5
4

Site Report: Maluku Divers, Ambon – Aquila, ex-Duke of Sparta

The fact is that 99.9% of the divers who make the trek to Ambon, Indonesia come for the muck diving. That in itself is quite valid as exploring the waters of Ambon Bay with Maluku Divers will provide myriad rare and exotic subjects for the most jaded muck photog. What I found and suggest as not an alternative, but an addition to the muck diving is a dive or two to Ambon’s amazing shipwreck, the Aquila, ex-Duke of Sparta.
The wreck in Ambon Harbor has an interesting history; the vessel was built in 1940 as the Duke of Sparta by William Gray & Co, West Hartlepool, England for the Greek shipping magnate, Stavros George Livanos. Surviving WWII, the vessel was sold in 1951 to the Grimaldi Brothers as part of the post-war expansion of their various shipping concerns and re-named Aquila. The Aquila spent the next seven years carrying miscellaneous freight and cargo to ports throughout Europe and the Far East. In late April 1958, the Aquila was anchored off Ambon City in ballast, awaiting cargo. At this point the Aquila became a pawn in international politics. In an attempt to support right-wing rebels and destabilize the leftist leanings of Indonesia’s President Sukarno, the CIA mounted airborne attacks on shipping in Indonesian ports in the hopes of destabilizing the government. The Aquila along with two other vessels was bombed by a CIA aircraft with the Aquila and the SS Flying Lark eventually sinking. That little foray into international diplomacy (or perhaps a lack of diplomacy) provided divers visiting Ambon today with an amazing diving opportunity. Despite the fact that she was the Aquila when she sunk, the wreck is today known by her launch name - Duke of Sparta.
The wreck is very easy to locate as it is marked by a large rust-covered buoy fastened to its stern. The ship lays on a slope with her stern deck in about 40 feet of water and the jack staff of her bow right at 100 feet. The ship is very intact with nearly all parts of the structure blanketed in life. Of particular interest to photographers is the ship’s mast which is densely covered on both hard and soft coral and more invertebrates than you can imagine. The best thing about diving the Duke of Sparta is that you don’t need to hit the deeper areas of the wreck since the stern area, aft deck house and equipment provides myriad photo subjects at minimal depths. Cruising the stern area we found several reef octopus that had claimed dens in the scuppers and under the aft cargo winches along with scorpion fish, frog fish, several morays, a rainbow selection of reef fish and the ubiquitous lion fish (several species share the aft house).
Because its location is in the harbor the better visibility would probably be found on an incoming tide. But even on one of our visits when we dived it at the end of a low tide we still had 25-35 feet of visibility.
In spite of Ambon’s claim to fame as a muck diving paradise, even a die-hard mucker will find plenty get his attention on a dive to Ambon’s wreck the Duke of Sparta.
Patrick Smith
02/2014

Visited on 02/2014 - Submitted on 02/25/2014
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Rocio Del Mar Liveaboard

5
5
5
5

Islas Revillagigedo on Rocio del Mar

In November of 2013 Cindy and I scheduled a live-aboard trip on the Rocio del Mar to the Islas Revillagigedo or Socorro Islands as they are more commonly known. This was our second attempt to visit these remote islands, our first thwarted by a rather substantial hurricane.
The Rocio del Mar is a staunch, custom built, 100-foot dive boat that has been in service since late 2008. Built, owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Lolo and Dora Sandoval, with long serving professional crew, it is, in my opinion the best live-aboard operating in Baja. Guest accommodations are ten comfortable, double cabins, each with AC, bathroom and shower. For the UW photographer there is a dedicated camera table on the dive deck along with camera work space and entertainment center in the second deck lounge. Both the individual cabins and the second deck lounge along with the dive deck camera table have outlets for charging cameras and other equipment at standard US 110 volts. For diving convenience, each diver has their own space and gear storage area with close access to the twin stairs leading to the panga boarding, swim step area. This access and dive deck area makes the Rocio the perfect vessel for dive adventurers. Gas choices aboard include Nitrox at 32 percent or air.
We departed from San Jose del Cabo and spent the next 26 hours running to the southwest in calm seas. Taking the opportunity to do a final equipment check still left plenty of time to get acquainted with new dive buddies and relax on Rocio’s spacious sun deck or lounge area or to just flake out in your cabin for a nap.
Bright and early on the second morning, we arrived at San Benedicto Island and into the water we went! First dive found us with turtles and white-tip sharks and the next dive we were in the water with mantas. From then on, over the next five days it was nothing but awesome diving. Dolphins, turtles, sharks – white tip, silver tip, Galapagos, silky and hammerhead – wahoo, BIG tuna, mantas, mantas, mantas, dolphin and finally we were visited by a very accommodating whale shark on our last day at Roca Partida. These along with the usual reef and rock suspects along with gentle seas made this a spectacular trip. All dives were from large rigid-hull inflatables with a typical ratio of four divers for each dive master. Except for the more rigorous dives when the dive briefing was more specific, buddy pairs have pretty much free rein to wander a bit and to chase the images they want.
As far as the amenities on Rocio they are excellent. Beginning with the stability of the vessel which provides the easiest ride I have ever encountered on a live-aboard vessel. That is not to say that the Rocio doesn’t move in the swell, but the vessel has a very gentle ride that is enhanced by the use of paravanes on long transits which makes for an easier more relaxing voyage. Food on the Rocio – what can I say but excellent and abundant. Poncho the Rocio’s chef provides amazing food, everything from snacks –fresh fruits, goat cheese, taco bites and more – to the amazing cooked to order breakfasts and the diverse and delicious dinners. On my several cruises aboard Rocio, it is SOP that the guests will give Pancho and his creations standing ovations several times over the course of the trip. The rest of the crew is first class as well.. Panga operators Julio and Everado have been with Rocio since she began operating and their skill and safety awareness make even the challenging dive easier and safer for the divers. Aurelio the Rocio’s engineer, is sort of the guy behind the scenes, but if there is a mechanical problem whether the ship’s equipment dive equipment or a funky strobe connection he can usually handle it.
Again, I’ll say for diving the Sea of Cortez or the Revillagigedo Islands there is not a better diving live-aboard experience to be had than the Rocio del Mar and her excellent crew.

Visited on 11/2013 - Submitted on 02/23/2014
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Maluku Divers Resort

4
5
4
4

Trip Review: Maluku Divers

I recently had the opportunity to dive with Maluku Divers in Ambon, Indonesia. Located on the eastern end of the Indonesian chain, close to the island of New Guinea it is about 16-18 hours flying time from the Pacific Coast; A long time in an airline seat but worth the trip.

Maluku Divers Resort is just a 10-minute ride from the airport, and a Maluku Diver’s car and driver contacted us immediately on deplaning from our Boeing 737-400 Lion Air flight. On arriving at the resort we were greeted by Emily and Joe, the managers for the operation. Emily sat with us as she explained the “Whats” and “Hows” of the resort. In the meantime the staff had moved all of our luggage and gear into our simple, neat airy and very comfortable bungalow, one of just ten in the resort.

Maluku is obviously designed and built for divers. After a quick lunch in the nicely appointed dining area, we wasted no time in grabbing gear and heading down for the afternoon dive. Boarding of the vessels (Maluku Divers has three vessels – two 10-meter craft and one 8-meter boat, all sporting twin outboards and heavy duty dive ladders) requires wading out in shallow water and climbing the dive ladder to board. All SCUBA and photo gear is carried out by dive staff and carefully placed aboard. Your gear (photo & SCUBA) is tagged with your name so there is no confusion or mix-ups as I have experienced in some other dive operations.

Cindy and I were blessed on this trip to have drawn Samuel the resort’s senior Dive Master as our guide. With over 20-years’ experience in local waters and one of the original dive guides at Lembeh, Samuel would show us a wide variety of creatures we had never seen before. Our initial check-out was actually on the east end of the House Reef – probably a one minute boat ride to the site. Once buoyancy was adjusted, Samuel began pointing out some of the myriad critters that call Ambon home. Cuttlefish, shrimp, pipefish, ghost pipefish scorpion fish and a couple varieties of octopus were all seen on the first jump and the numbers, diversity and variety of creatures just got larger and better through the rest of our visit.

On returning to the resort landing area I began to appreciate how well the resort is designed to accommodate underwater photographers. Our cameras were the first items the crew carried ashore from the boat. All cameras are placed in heavily padded, insulated coolers (provided by the resort for the duration of your stay) and carried up to the rinse tank area. Four large, deep tanks are available with frequent changes of water. While our gear soaked, we stepped to the other side of rinse tank area where there are freshwater showers, soap, gear drying facilities and personal gear boxes assigned to each diver. After a freshwater rinse and hanging our wetsuit and booties to dry, we had to decide whether to work on our cameras in the nearby camera room or in our bungalow. The camera room has about a dozen work stations that include high intensity spotlights for close up inspection of O-rings, multiple electrical outlets, work pads and towels along with trays to hold additional batteries and cords. But if we wanted, we could do our camera work in our bungalow as each unit has two large work areas with multiple outlets and lights.

After that first day, we dropped into Maluku’s daily dive schedule: Grab breakfast at 07:00 (limited by very adequate choices – omelets, egg scrambles, cereals, or more local cuisine such as noodles or fried rice with an egg topper and of course delicious local fruit), check cameras and suit up for an 08:30 departure for the two morning dives. Back in around Noon-ish, dunk camera gear, shower off, lunch (wonderful soups and different entrees everyday) change cards and batteries in cameras, suit up and be ready to load on the boats at 15:00 for the afternoon dive. For those who wanted (and we did) it was easy to schedule an additional evening or night dive as well. Dinner was at 19:00-ish and was cheerfully adjusted to accommodate those of us who did the later dives.

For all the positive aspects of the resort I do have a couple of issues. The first has to do with getting on and off the boats. Depending on the tide, sometimes it is a bit harder to access the boats or return to the shore due to the cobble and larger rocks that span along the beach. This isn’t a big deal, but it does, on some tides require a bit of caution. The second issue isn’t specifically a resort issue, but a national issue. It has to do with the amount of trash – particularly plastics – that find their way into Indonesia’s local waters. Though I never saw excessive amounts on the resort’s seafront on some tides, looking across Ambon Bay immense, wide swaths of plastic and debris were plainly evident. On speaking with the resort managers about the issue, they mentioned how Maluku Divers work with the local villages to curtail stream and ocean dumping, but even with local support, it is a problem that will require national muscle to address this issue.

That said, the staff and crews at Maluku from the managers to the cleaning folks are very accommodating and in many cases anticipatory of their visitor’s needs. If you are a diver looking for pristine waters and huge, blooming reefs, Ambon is not really for you. If you are a macro photographer looking to find tons of rare, amazing creatures, Maluku Divers will make you a very happy camper. Like they say in their literature – “Creatures without Crowds.”

Captain Patrick Smith

Visited on 02/2014 - Submitted on 02/21/2014
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Wananavu Beach Resort

5
5
4
4

In 2013 my fiancée and I had the opportunity to visit Fiji and dive the Wananavu Resort after winning in the Bluewater Shootout. What can I say about the experience? Amazing, fabulous, wonderful, would do it again in a second.

Fiji itself is amazing.

The trip from Nandi to Wananavu - about 2-hours by road - gives you the opportunity to see some of the island and the people. Green rugged hills are reminiscent of some areas of Northern California while in other areas great sweeps of sugar cane fields bordered with palms, banana, papaya and mango trees leave no doubt that you are in a tropical paradise. And this is even before you get a look at the water!

Arriving at the resort I was impressed by the warm welcome and the neat facility. Our check-in was easy and completed with a complimentary welcome cocktail. We were upgraded to the Honeymoon bure which was a magnificent ocean-view room. The king-sized canopied bed, private mini-pool, view deck and indoor and outdoor showers were exactly the things that would keep newlyweds very happy.

The food at the resort was very good and abundant and the staff first class.

But we were at Wananavu to dive.

Over our six-day stay, we made 14 dives, our first less than an hour after we arrived. The dive operation was prompt and anticipated our needs and had our gear onboard the boat in short order. The dive operators - Chris Liles an American expat and Vicky his wife, a transplanted Brit - were efficient, cordial and accommodating in every way. Both being underwater photographers, they and the dive masters ( Mere, Josh, Las, Jimi, Kini and Jo) are finely tuned to the need of UW photogs and some of the nicest folks anywhere. The operation runs two boats. The 33-foot Nami, the larger boat, is setup to accommodate (I believe) 20 divers, but we never had more than ten aboard during our trips. Twin outboards allow fast trips to the amazing dive sites of the Bligh Waters. The second boat the Nami Llailai, is smaller (24-foot) and is setup as a six-pack boat and is as fast as the large Nami. Both boats have dive gear storage bins beneath bench seats and carried the usual safety equipment along with GPS, VHF radio, life preservers, fire extinguishers, 02 and first aid kits.. Both boats are fast and stable and are very good dive platforms.

The Diving! Is just amazing.

All our dives were to sites in the Bligh Waters and we made repeat dives to the same site a couple of times. Usually I would have issues with jumping the same site, but the reefs there totally change depending on depth, current and time of day. Parnella’s Rock became a totally different dive when the current picked up. The current was easy enough to swim against, but made the difference in the types and number of creatures seen and whether certain soft corals were out in feeding mode. Other sites we did multiple dives on were Black Magic Mountain and Mount Mutiny. Truly, by picking a different depth, time of day and current flow, each one of these sites was actually myriad different dives.

The colors of the fish and corals on the sites were amazing. Looking at some of my images after the trip it looked like someone went crazy in a paint store; the vivid colors – blues, reds oranges, yellows, greens and the shades and variations of each is just stunning. As far as creatures, we did not see many big boys. We saw sharks often, but out in the blue and barracuda and turtles of some size would cruise through periodically. But the spectrum of colors provided by the local reef inhabitants seemed to make up for fewer large folks. For me, the number and diversity of the Tridacna clams was very cool. Every mantle was different and I killed many pixels capturing the amazing colors and patterns.

Diving the Bligh Waters with the Dive Wananavu operation will make you want to come back (or not leave!)

Visited on 05/2013 - Submitted on 02/01/2014
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