The Somosomo Strait is a tight squeeze point between the islands of Vanua Levu and Taveuni and vast amounts of water are pushed through the gap bringing nutrients to sustain the most amazing soft corals. This is some of the best diving in Fiji. There are also a number of wonderful sites to the east of Taveuni. The island is famous for its lush rainforests, waterfalls and tropical blossoms.
Great White Wall
One of the iconic sites in the Somosomo Strait with, what many believe to be, the best soft coral cover in Fiji and possibly the whole planet. Like an underwater winter wonderland, steep slopes covered in white coral trees plunge deep down to depths way beyond recreational diving limits. Awesome, but keep an eye on your depth gauge.
Rainbow Passage
You can easily spend several dives taking in the wonder of this multi-coloured, soft coral extravaganza. From tiny, jewel-like Christmas tree worms to gangs of large pelagic hunters such as barracuda and whitetip reef sharks, this dive is pulsing with life.
Annie’s Bommies
Essentially an extension of Rainbow Passage – it is a submerged reef with several large bommies each dripping with soft-coral gardens. When the current is running this is an explosion of colour – a soft coral kaleidoscope. While it doesn’t have dramatic walls as most sites in the area is does give you the chance to meander along the bottom rich in marine life – look out for the zebra sharks (sometimes called leopard sharks).
Jerry’s Jelly
An exhilarating drift dive which starts at about 18m with the reef wall on your left shoulder. Garden eels peer out from their burrows with large schools of Spanish mackerel and dog-tooth tuna swirling around plus prowling whitetip reef sharks. In a strong current, you are whisked over a reef top at a phenomenal lick before dropping down in its lee for a much-needed rest.
The Edge
One of the top dives on the eastern side of Taveuni on the Montualevu Atoll. Patches of multicoloured soft corals with overhangs and different types of hard and leather corals. Lots of angelfish and blue-spotted coral trout.
Stillwater
Just north of the small island of Qamea is this misnomer of a dive site – the waters here are rarely still as strong currents feed a vast array of soft corals which have grown on the rubble of a hard coral base which was destroyed in a tropical cyclone. At the 20m mark the wall is covered with large sea fans.
