Ever wonder where each new dayactually begins? When you visit the

island of Taveuni, Fiji you will quicklyfind the answer. The InternationalDateline runs right through the middleof the island. For convenience sake,the dateline has been moved so that allthe Fiji Islands are under one time zone.

Taveuni is the third largest island inthe 300 plus island group of Fiji. It lies90 miles northeast of the main island ofViti Levu. After you arrive on Taveuni,friendly taxi cab drivers can take you tothe two most popular resorts along thecoast. Both Dive Taveuni and GardenIsland Resort are on the edge of theSomosomo Strait, where you can findsome of the most beautiful diving in theworld. The foliage along the way to bothresorts is extremely dense and trulydemonstrates what the color green is all

r

about. It's not uncommon to see hugeleafy plants and flowers growing inthe wild, plants you would expect tosee only in expensive greenhousesstateside.

When you look at a map of the islandyou will see that your trip from the air-port has only scratched the surface ofwhat Taveuni has to offer. The south-east coast is lined with dozens of wa-terfalls, many of which are accessiblethrough resort tours. One of the betterknown is 60 foot Bouma Falls, perfectfor half and full day trips of hiking andswimming in the pools below the wa-terfalls. The falls are only about a tenminute walk from the main roadthrough well manicured trails that leadto picnic tables, benches and a chang-ing room. If you are adventuresome,you can make the 30 minute hike to asecond 100 foot waterfall or even athird that is 25 feet high. Each has itsown special beauty, unique to Fiji.

Before we look at the other adven-

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHYBYJACKANDSUEDRAFAHL

tures found in Taveuni, let's movefrom fresh water to salt and talk aboutthe main reason you would probablycome to this peaceful island.

Diving at Taveuni is mainly in theSomosomo Strait, where the currentexchange brings nutrient filled waters.This creates an intense environment,thick with soft corals, hard corals, tons

of fish, eels, seasnakes, leaffish andjust about every other animal youdreamed of finding in Fiji. A typical dayincludes two single tank dives; one inthe early morning and, after lunch, asecond, early afternoon dive.

Most of the diving is in currents thatrange from a gentle flow to warpspeed. Don't worry though, the dive-masters for these resorts have an ex-cellent understanding of the currentsand tidal exchanges of the SomosomoStrait, making current diving a breeze.In fact, if you have any fears about cur-rent diving, this is the place to rid your-self of them.

The first and most important part oflearning to dive Taveuni is listening tothe briefing. By giving the divemasteryour attention you will learn how to getto the bottom, where to go and where

n~^ • T~'1 • •Taveuni, Fiji

O

rv Vanua Levuo/Somosomo .

{Strait ,• "WTaveuni

• /Ap-^7arden /•

(__yTAVEUNI

NAMENAIALA

KORoW

Above: SusanSavela takes aclose look at whatseems to be a f luo-rescing anemone-fish. After diving offTaveuni you mayfind yourself disap-pointed anywhereelse. Right: Pre-diveon a Garden IslandResort dive boat.

104 SKIN DIVER JUNE 1996

the currents drop to a minimum.We could do a whole article on cur-

rent diving in the strait but it's alreadybeen done (SDM May '92) and it's anexcellent source of additional informa-tion. If you didn't read that issue, wewill give it to you in a nutshell. Com-fortable current diving is a combinationof streamlined equipment, a proper un-derstanding of current flow and properswimming techniques. Equipmentdrag will slow you down and cause youto use additional energy. Keep yourhoses and dangling equipment closeto your body. Put your snorkel in apocket or away from your facemask.Snug your mask up an extra notch andkeep the air in your BC to a minimum.

Photographers have an additionalproblem as cameras create drag. Ifyou use a wide angle system, fold upthe flash arms until you are on the bot-tom. When you are swimming fromone location to the next, hold the cam-era system close and parallel to yourbody. If you can hold it next to yourtank there will be almost no drag. Haveyour system set on your favorite set-ting so you can tuck the camera awayuntil you need to get that perfect shot.

When you jump into the water, makesure you time it close to your buddy's en-trance. Move quickly to the bottom and lookfor small coral bommies. The current slows atthese locations and will allow you to regroup.When you and your buddy are together, swim be-hind a bommie and you will find the current is minimalor maybe even nonexistent. You can then swim out intothe current for your pictures, quickly seeking refuge be-hind the bommie afterward.

If the current gets stronger, concentrate on places whereyou can hold onto the bottom without endangering the animallife. Don't use live coral to steady yourself, look instead for asmall dead area of the reef or a rock asa handhold. This keeps you in controlso you don't come crashing into thecoral unexpectedly.

On your first dive in the SomosomoStrait make sure you watch the dive-master and see how he/she uses thecurrents. Because of the high concen-

One Fijian word,lomelagi, perfectlysums up Taveuni'sindescribablediving—heaven!

SKIN DIVER JUNE 1996 105

ANSE CHASTANET RESORT • SCUBA ST. LUCIA •

CO

<CO

i<CO

to

SCUBA ST. LUCIA • ANSE CHASTANET RESORT

PO Box 7000, Soufriere, St. Lucia, West Indies • Telephone (809) 459-7000 Fax (809) 459-7700For U.S. dive reservations call Go Diving at 800-328-5285 or (612) 931-9101

Call immediately for our color brochure, or contact your favorite travel agent.

orde M8 on Reader Service Card

SEA EYE to EWall diving with your choictof accommodation..

BLUE WATER DIVERSSALT RAKER INNGreaf wall diving minutes from Salt Raker beachCharming 180yr. old Inn, modern conveniences

fc,> Dedicated to divers6-10 divers per boat

'QCil ims

Lye Divi809-946-1407 ZHONE

FAXl

Quality service by people who care!

<v,///809-946-2260/v/.v2817Guanahani Beach ResoiSitting Pretty HotelCoral Reef HiGrand Turk's finestbeach front hotelswith diving atfour doorstec.

All properties withAC, TV, pool. Fitness center

and tennis courts at Coral Reef.

FAX 946-2668809•946*2666

rand Turk ManModern comfort with TwIL

and balconies overlooking thecall -x" 809-946-246

ARAWAK INNBeachfront with kitchens, each unit canaccommodate up to 4 persons. Dive the

Grand Turk Wall from our beach!

809-946-2277Fax: 809-946-2279

TAVEUNI, FIJI

tration of animal life there is a tendency tomaximize your first dive and see as muchas possible. Regardless of your divingbackground, use the first dive to shakedown your equipment and diving tech-niques. This will make the remainder ofyour dives a dream. Once you mastercurrent diving, you will wonder why youever had any concerns.

Conditions in the Somosomo Strait arevery diverse. The bottom is quite differenton each of the 20 plus dive spots and in-cludes everything from bommies, slopes,walls, canyons, caves and flat bottoms.The reef itself is called Rainbow Reefand you will understand why as soon asyou jump into the water. Soft corals thrive

TAVEUNI DIVE OPERATORSDive Taveuni Resort(011)679-880-441(011)679-880-466 (fax)Garden Island Resort/Rainbow Reef Divers(011)679-880-286/254(011)679-880-288 (fax)

here and come in every size, shape andcolor you can imagine.

If you like leaffish, you should look onthe backside of the bommies, where thecurrent is at a minimum. They usuallyprefer calmer conditions, where they cansit and pose for photographers. Fishhave the same problems as divers, sothey hang around these areas to rest andpick up food that swirls into them. Wehave also seen many cleaning stationshere, which always provide great photoopportunities.

As you swim along you may see an or-ange glow on the side of the bommie.This is actually an anemone reacting likesome of the fluorescent corals found inFiji. When we saw our first fluorescinganemone we thought is was unique tothe area, then we found even more onthe next dive. What really seemedstrange was that the clownfish them-selves seem to glow just like theanemones. Confirming this sounds like agood excuse to make another trip toTaveuni, although most any excuse todive there is acceptable!

One of the most famous dive sites offTaveuni is the Great White Wall, a hugewall of white soft corals. The visibility hereis excellent and makes for outstandingwide angle photography. Another favoriteof photographers is Annie's Bommie,where the soft coral rainbow colors are infull effect. Other favorites describe the sitewith their name: Barracuda Point, FishFactory, Cabbage Patch, The Ledge,

106 SKIN DIVER JUNE 1996 arete §17 on Reader Service Card

Blue Ribbon Eel Reef and Small WhiteWall. The problem is which one to dive.Each has its own special attractions,guaranteed to please.

Okay, let's look at what else you can doat Taveuni. If diving isn't enough you canexplore a warrior burial cave in a 1,200

GETTING THERE

Flights to Fiji are available throughAir Pacific and Qantas. The nonstop

Air Pacific flight from Los Angeles toFiji's International Airport in Nadi is ap-proximately 10 hours. Taveuni can bereached via a short, one hour flight, ar-ranged through a local carriers, Air Fiji.

Air Pacific(800) 227-4446Qantas(800) 227-4500Air Fiji(800) 677-4277(310)670-7302

foot lava tube or maybe take advantage ofsome of the best birdwatching in the FijiIslands. Other attractions include LakeTagimaucia in an old crater high in themountains, a rock waterslide near theGarden Island Resort or a visit to some ofthe friendly local villages. If you are a truesport enthusiast, you can go horsebackriding, use paddle boats or hike the manytrails around Taveuni. If it's starting to lookas if you'll need to stay two weeks to trulyenjoy this dive trip, you may be right.That's why so many Taveuni divers returnyear after year. If you have not been toTaveuni, be sure to put it high on your pri-ority list. You won't regret it. ***

PADI'S SIXTH CAREERDEVELOPMENT CENTER

The Dive Station/Florida Diving Insti-tute in Orlando, Florida is the sixth PADIdive center to receive the Five StarCareer Development Center CharterMember rating. This guarantees thatstudents receive a complete vocationalcurriculum that will prepare them for acareer in diving. Anyone interested in be-coming an instructor will also be interest-ed in the pre- and post instructor trainingand most importantly, the job placementservices that a PADI CDC offers stu-dents. For more information on becom-ing a PADI instructor, contact The DiveStation/Florida Diving Institute, 3465Edgewater Drive, Orlando, Florida32804 or phone (407) 843-3483, (800)282-3328, fax (407) 849-1427, e-mailkamfdi@aol.com. **>

Located Belowthe Hurricane

Belt! 1-800-U-BONAIRE

^N C^ Vi*^O «Ts*\ at: hiVisit Bonaire on the Internet:http://www.interknowledge.com/bonaire/index.html LJIJ I Or-1

THE NATURAL CHOICE.

arete »130 an Reader Service Card

BECOME A

PADI INSTRUCTORInstructor DevelopmentCourse Fee Includes:

LodgingTransportation

i Tanks and Weight Belts

KEITH MATTSON.Course Director 15561

FOR MORE INFORMATIONCALL US NOW

: Orlando Florida is an InternationalTravel Destination. Join us for yourDiving Career.FLORIDA DIVING INSTITUTE. INC.n Division of THE DIVE STATION***** PADI 5 STAR IDC3465 Edgewater Drive / Orlando. FL 32804FAX (407) 849-1427

1-800-282-3328arete »11 on Reader Servce Card SKIN DIVER JUNE 1996 107