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The Namena Barrier Reef is one of the South Pacific's most diversified reef ecosystems. The reef and waters within have been a Marine Reserve since 2004 (more later on the Namena Marine Reserve) so the diversity of corals, both hard and soft, along with prolific marine life have blossomed since the 'no fishing' ban. As you can see by the aerial of the Namena Barrier Reef and Namenalala Island within these waters, the area is once again breeding grounds for every type of marine animal. Although Fiji was hit by coral bleaching in 2000 and again in 2002, the recovery of the corals is spectacular. Divers who have visited the Great Barrier Reef off Australia comment time and again that their diving experiences here at Namena are superior to those they have had on that Great Barrier Reef.
The Fiji Islands are known as the Soft Coral Capital of the Pacific. We feel that the reefs surrounding our island are the best in Fiji! We have it all ... sheer drop-offs, graduating walls, bommies (sea mounts), current, no current. There are several openings in the barrier reef and in those openings the current will be stronger than experienced along the wall where divers can drift along in little or no current. We work with the tidal changes, choosing the North Wall sites for the incoming (rising) tide; the South Wall sites for the outgoing (falling) tide. Soft corals bloom in current so sites like the Tetons, Chimneys, Neptune's Haunt and other bommies on the south side along with the South Save-a-Tack Passage and Unmarked Passage are subject to current. We don't have ripping current like experienced in the Somosomo Straits during certain moon phases, but the current can be a little stronger than normally experienced during those moon phases.
At the North Save-a-Tack Passage, at one side is Grand Canyon, a sheer drop-off which is charted around a mile deep! On the other side of the entrance are The Fish Patch, Window of Dreams, Kansas and other exciting dive sites. Often, we drop divers at the tiny bay and let them slowly drift along the wall to the entrance to the North Save-a-Tack Passage where they finish their dive.
Some of the favorite dive sites are bommies on the south ... Chimneys and Tetons, Neptune's Haunt, Black Forest, Seven Dwarfs ... these bommies are covered with a wide variety of soft and hard corals and loaded with a variety of fish, nudibranchs and other sea creatures. On the south wall beginning at the South Save-a-Tack passage, we have beautiful sites like Pirates Den, Rainbow Wall, Manta Mount, Cascades, Magic Mount, The Fingertip to name a few.
We do two dives daily. The morning excursion leaves the docks at 9:00 a.m. After a leisurely dive, we return to the island where some folks head for a hammock, do some snorkeling along the shore or just lay on the beach. We have lunch at noon and the afternoon excursion leaves the docks between 1:30 - 2:00 p.m., depending upon the site your divemasters have chosen. Most sites are around 10-25 minutes from the island; we use two boats, depending upon number of divers and prevailing sea conditions. TOFUA is a 33 foot cabin cruiser with covered roof; SALTSHAKER is a 28 foot fiberglass with a 225 hp outboard engine.
We never anchor; our captain will drop you off at the dive site and then sit off following bubbles so when you are ready to come aboard, he is right there to pick you up. No having to return over old territory to return to an anchored boat. We highly recommend using a dive safety sausage to assist our crew & captain of where to retrieve you when we have some rough seas to work in during our winter months.
DIVERS INFORMATION:
- Water temperature ranges from 76-78 F. in July & August (Fiji's winter); average remainder of the year is around 80F.
- Recommend 3mm wetsuits (long sleeve/long leg) for winter months
- Only wetsuit rental gear available in Fiji are the 'shorty' wetsuits (short sleeve/short leg above the knee)
- As for snorkelers, we do recommend bringing a lycra lightweight bodysuit (long leg/long sleeve) to layer up for cold water in winter. They weigh a few ounces and some come with UV protection incorporated in the material.
- For a comfortable and safe dive, avid scuba divers should bring their own personal gear - BCD, regulator, computer, mask & fins. Ill-fitting fins can cause blisters and an ill-fitting mask can leak.
Now ........ LET'S GO DIVING !
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