By Julia – (Northern California)
I have a trip planned to Fiji in 2017 with stays on the islands of Viti Levu, in the town of Nadi, and Taveuni. Does anyone have experience with snorkeling these places? I don’t want to be disappointed since this is my only snorkeling trip in 2017 and I am going with another couple who are divers and they chose the locations.
Thank you for any information and suggestions.
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Shawn – Oct 2, 2016 – Taveuni Fiji Snorkeling
I did a Taveuni, Fiji trip in October 2015. We stayed at Garden Isle Resort. It is well worth it and beautiful, however you will find some spots heavily damaged by Crown of Thorns Sea Stars, as they are having issues there with them.
I would recommend trying to get on a boat with all snorkelers if you can. I was the only snorkeler on a dive boat and they took me to shallower areas (which were amazing) after dropping divers off, but that limits your time in the water.
Enjoy your trip!
Rick Hamill – Oct 16, 2016 – Taveuni Fiji Snorkeling
I visited Taveuni for five days in October, 2015. We did two, half-day boat trips to the Rainbow Reef. The owners of the resort where we stayed (Aroha Resort) scheduled our snorkeling trips, and I can’t remember the name of the outfit. But, it was about a 15 minute drive from the resort. The boat accommodates both divers and snorkelers. Snorkelers are dropped off, with a local guide, in shallow water (8-20 feet), up current and you drift along the reef down current for 20-30 minutes. Both fish and coral are plentiful.
Shortly after we left the island, Fiji was hit by a strong cyclone. My understanding is that Taveuni suffered a lot of damage. Before you go, I recommend you research any negative impact the cyclone had on the coral. The dive/snorkel operator told us that the coral, at the time, was still regenerating from a previous cyclone several years prior. The resort owners at Aroha Resort are a couple from New Zealand, very nice and helpful. Perhaps they could be a good resource. Enjoy!
Joe – Oct 29, 2017 – Not Nadi
Nadi is only good to fly into. If you want to snorkel the Yasawa Islands or Mamanuca Islands are where you want to end up.
Nicole & Galen – Jul 24, 2018 – Beqa Island
There is a small island just south of Viti Levu (the island where Nadi is) called Beqa Island. Linda recommends the snorkeling from the Beqa Lagoon Resort.
Nicole & Galen – Aug 21, 2019 – More Info About Snorkeling Yasawa and Mamanuca Islands
For those of you interested in Joe’s suggestion, here are a couple pages with some info about snorkeling the Yasawa Islands: liveaboard and resort Yasawas snorkeling and some suggested resort islands in the Yasawas and here is a Fiji trip report with info about snorkeling in the Mamanuca Islands.