Fiji Islands
Fiji, considered "The Soft Coral Capitol of the World," is a soft coral wonderland offering idyllic tropical islands, beautiful tropical resorts and World Class liveaboard diving. All this for a short 9 hour flight from Los Angeles! Fiji's culture is still intact; a local chief governs each village. Divers will be honored to visit a Fijian village and drink kava (the local drink) with the chief and dance with the locals. Schools of jacks, snappers and barracuda and black tip sharks are common here. Find out more in January 2001 Destination of the Month.

Solomon Islands

Fiji
Bega Lagoon: the rim of an ancient volcano, Bega is a chain of islets surrounding a lagoon more than 17 miles across. Soft corals are abundant, along with large purple, tan, and green sea fans. Nutrient-rich water rushes daily through breaks in the walls of this underwater mountain, supporting the rich diversity of soft and hard corals.

Kadavu/Astrolabe Reef: here you will find stunning soft coral displays, dramatic drop-offs and a rich variety of marine life. Excellent visibility and a kaleidoscope of luminous fish life (including clown fish and lion fish) make the diving here some of the best in the South Pacific.

Namena: many believe this area offers some of the best diving in Fiji. Clear water, prolific schooling fish, bottomless wall, pelagic potential, and beautiful coral gardens to finish the dive in. Because this area is only accessible when the weather is calm, the diving is truly pristine.

Gau: Gau has no resorts and is inaccessible except by liveaboard. It offers two distinct types of diving. In the North a large area of coral heads offers protection for a variety of soft corals and associated marine life. Toward the southern tip of Gau is Nigali Passage, a narrow cut in the reef through which ocean water is sucked into the lagoon. Schools of jacks and barracuda, several resident gray reef sharks, eels, and a supporting cast of thousands can be found in the passage. A drift dive here starts along the edge of the outside wall and follows the deep channel into the lagoon where it ends in a rich garden in 15ft of water.

The Northern Region: the northern islands are often grouped together but, in actuality, each island in the region offers it's own unique twist on what many consider the region with the most prolific soft corals. The Great White Wall in the SomoSomo Strait is one of the sites in this region that is world famous, almost defining and transcending the region all by itself. The current here can be strong, but this rush of water feeds the abundance of soft corals that define this site. From 75ft down, the wall is covered with pale, almost white, soft corals that seem to glow as they reflect the sunlight from above. Rainbow's End, another SomoSomo Strait site, offers phenomenal gardens of multi-hued soft corals as the current here runs perpendicular to the reef. This is a site known for a propensity of Fairly Basslets. Noel's Wall is a cliff face that acts as magnet for big fish. Dogtooth tuna, sharks, and even Manta Rays can be seen here, along with the abundant soft corals. Purple Wall (in the channel between Taveuni and Qamea begins in about 30 feet and drops vertically to 80ft, the slides are a forest of purple soft coral.

Solomon Islands
There is diving off Gizo Island, Munda Island and Uepi. The Russels stand out because of dramatic underwater scenery of rocks, caves and cracks. In the Florida Group don't miss a dive on Twin Shaft Pinnacles.

Fiji
Fiji's weather presents a real mixed bag. The choice is often between good visibility and cool water or warm water and calmer seas with less visibility. June - October is the dry season when the water is the clearest, but it's also at its coldest and the winds kick up on average. Water temperatures can sink into the low 70°F during this time of the year, making it necessary to drag out the full wetsuits. November brings a transition period. The water warms up, the winds die down, and the plankton blooms, lowering the visibility. By January and February, the water has warmed back up into the low 80°F. The rains then pick up and the hurricane season is December - March. Counting Tonga and Samoa, the area gets about five cyclones (hurricanes) a year. It's a risky time to try to catch good diving weather. Because the winds kick up so much in February and March, some resorts pick these months to close down for repairs. During April and May, the wind, and therefore the seas, become calmer and the water remains warm, but the plankton bloom cuts down on the underwater visibility. Of course, this offers the best odds of seeing large plankton grazers. The best time to go depends on your preferences: warm, calmer, cloudy seas, or clear but cold water.

Solomon Islands
The Solomons are hot and humid year-round, with the most rain falling between December and March. Annual rainfalls are well above 100 inches, but mountainous islands do produce rain shadows resulting in much less rainfall on some coasts. Between December and April winds blow periodically out of the west (calm spells are broken by storms). The southeast trades blow from the end of April to November. Diving is year round with plenty of places to dive in the lee, but April and May are the best months followed by October, November and December.

Lonely Planet Diving and Snorkeling Fiji (Diving & Snorkeling), Casey Fiji, the Uncharted Sea, Dr. Fredrico Busnero
Mahaney & Astrid Witte Mahaney | Buy
Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Fiji, W. Gregory Brown | Buy

Lonely Planet Fiji :: Online | Buy
Lonely Planet Solomon Islands :: Online | Buy

Fiji Visitors Bureau
Dive Somosomo Strait, Taveuni, Fiji, January 2001 Destination of the Month.
Air Pacific Warm Dives, Cool Deals!
Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau