Month: July 2018

Taveuni Island is one of Fiji's best-known dive destinations. It is the third largest of Fiji’s 333 islands and is separated from Vanua Levu by the Somosomo Strait. The cigar-shaped land mass is a massive shield volcano, which rises from the ocean floor. Roughly 150 volcanic cones dot the island, including Uluigalau, which is Fiji's second highest peak. Tourists are attracted to the isle because of its abundant flora, prolific bird life, abundant waterfalls, and exotic bushwalks. Many of Taveuni's best known attractions lie underwater though. Rainbow Reef Extremely nutrient rich tidal currents through the Somosomo Strait create perfect conditions for large and variedly colored, soft coral reefs. Every patch of rock is covered in vibrant hard coral, soft coral, leather coral, or the like. Every inch is a colorful vista brimming with each color of the rainbow. Walls of soft colors, clusters of coral heads, sandy slopes covered in bommies, and thousands of marine species call this dive site their home. There is spectacular biodiversity with nearly 500 species of mollusks, 300 species of hard coral, and over 1,000 species of fish. The reef hosts a multitude of large pelagics, schooling gray reef sharks, barracuda, jacks, dogtooth tuna, Spanish mackerel, manta rays, and giant clams. White Wall A magically distinct part of the reef is a stunning white coral vertical wall that is rated as the best diving site on the planet by many scuba enthusiasts. Blanketing nearly every inch of the reef space here are soft white Dendronepthya soft corals. The wall shines brightly as if it was sprinkled with newly-fallen snow. The wall of amazing alabaster soft corals stretches down beyond 300 feet/100 meters, offering scuba divers plenty to see at differing depths, including large lava tubes, schools of anthias, and larger pelagics cruising along the drop-off.