It's a job to know where to start! More then anything else, Fiji is an exotic destination. The 333 islands that make up this nation can sizzle with excitement or murmur with the quiet calm of pristine nature. Where else can you swim with huge, harmless manta rays congregating by the shore, snorkel over giant rainbow gardens of soft coral, or scuba dive the White Wall and famous Astrolabe Reef? Fiji is where the Cloud Breaker, the incredible six-metre wave found offshore at Tavarua, draws surfers from around the world. It is also where you can float in the calm, quiet waters of a turquoise lagoon at sunset or walk alone through lush rainforest. It is where the sun shines almost every day and when it does rain, people rush outside for a rain bath. It's an island where rushing is rude and people wear flowers tucked in their hair, not to impress visitors, but because they like to. The Fiji archipelago is at the cross roads of the South Pacific. In the days of sailing ships it was known as The Cannibal Isles and carefully avoided by mariners because of its fierce warriors and treacherous waters. However, in the age of jumbo jets and global travel. Fiji has become the central hub of the exotic South Pacific. More than 85 flights land at Nadi on the main island of Viti levu every week. From there it is only a quick seven minute hop to one of the offshore island resorts, or less than an hour of flying time to Vanua Levu or Taveuni, the second and third largest islands, where then outside world is quickly left behind.
Fiji, "the Soft Coral Capital of the World", is rated as one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world. It is well deserved.fijiplane Fiji's vast, varied and colourful underwater playgrounds boast something spectacular for divers at every skill level: breathtaking hard and soft corals, wall dives, caves, grottos and shipwrecks. Fiji is truly a diver's paradise where the daily menu is so diversified that it is sometimes difficult to believe you are in the same country. According to Jean-Michel Cousteau: "The unparalleled range of quality dive sites and sheer diversity of life of Fijian reefs is over whelming." There are more than 50 dive operators and about six liveaboards currently serving Fiji. Liveaboards ply the bommies and offshore sites that see little diving pressure.
Fijians are a modest people, and outside the resorts, you should avoid wearing anything that shows too much leg. When visiting a village or attending a church service, women must wear long pants and men are often encouraged to follow suit. If you are visiting the out islands, please take the time to find out and then observe the local customs and procedures. Your experience will be the richer for it. Pack a DSMB in your dive bag - this is current country with serious tidal changes. Some of the currents are raging. Be honest about your dive experience. A dive light is a must to fully appreciate the kaleidoscope of soft corals. Oddly enough for people once feared as fierce cannibals, Fijians are honestly the most friendly people you are likely to meet in the South Pacific.
