Dive Review of Aquaventure/Maravu Plantaion Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni

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Aquaventure/Maravu Plantaion Resort, Sep, 2004, by Richard Haines, CO, USA . Report 1338.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	TAVEUNI ISLAND, FIJI, A 25TH ANNIVERSARY SURPRISE TRIP 26 Aug 04 - 4 Sept 04 I started planning this trip over a year ago. I wanted it to be special, romantic, and now that my wife is a diver, I wanted to add some great diving too. I decided on staying at the Maravu Plantation Resort on Taveuni Island and diving with Aquaventure. The flight from LAX to Nadi was long, (10 1/2 hours) but Air Pacific made it very comfortable. The meals were good (no really they were) and everyone had a TV in the headrest in front of them, with 10 movie channels and radio channels. Service was excellent. Most every one slept a good portion of the flight, as we were to land in Nadi at 5:00 AM SATURDAY! Going through customs was a breeze. We got our bags, and had plenty of time to have a cup of coffee and make our 7:30 flight to Taveuni on Air Fiji. WOW, 23 hours after we left Denver and here we are. We were greeted with "welcome home". Because we arrived at 9:00 AM and our room (Bure) wasn't ready, we were introduced to many of the staff, handed a fruit drink and fed breakfast. I can't say enough about Maravu, the staff was simply wonderful. Once they were introduced to you, they would call you by your first name, each and every time they met you. If you needed anything, they were there to help. Finally it was time to check out our Bure.. It was very nice inside, it had a sitting area and a desk, mini fridge fully stocked, a CD player, and a large shower with plenty of hot water. (no TV or Phone thanks goodness) Water is great, you can drink it right out of the tap. Also, our Bure had a private Jacuzzi hot tub outside that got plenty of use. The maid service was outstanding, they must have visited the room several times a day to make sure our towels were clean and the bed was made or turned down for the night. After lunch (a 3-course meal) we walked over to the dive shop Aquaventure which is a short walk across the street. We met Jim and Tania and made sure we were on the schedule for the next 5 days. They offered to pick us up every morning @ 7:45 at the resort and explained how everything worked. We had to show our C-cards and of course sign our life away as usual. After a fabulous dinner we had no problems sleeping as we had had a very long day. The next morning, Sunday 29 Aug, we were up early and made our way to breakfast at 7:00 but it seems that they don't serve breakfast or at least start putting out the food on the tables until about 7:30. We were able to get some coffee and juice and at 7:30 a quick omelet and then our ride showed up promptly at 7:45. I could see we were going to have to work something out if we were going to be able to eat a good breakfast before diving. After a day or two of “trial and error”, we had it all worked out and the staff came through again. (Thank you Olita & Laite) They asked what we wanted and when the divers showed up early in the morning, they brought out fruit plates and omelets, coffee and juice special for us. And by 7:30 the rest of everything was out on the tables if we wanted anything else. Lunch and dinner are 3 course meals, so they provide two or three choices for you to pick from, including a veggie choice. My only recommendation for improvement for Maravu: Since diving is a big part in this area, and all the dive shops appear to be on the same 7:45-8:00 schedule, I would recommend moving up the breakfast schedule to 7:00. This would allow all the divers to enjoy a relaxing meal and still have time to order the lunch and dinner meals. In the category of: "Going beyond the call of duty, and providing the extra personal service: 1: I had arranged a candle light dinner on our anniversary by the pool. Well refer to story above. My wife was not going to sit by the pool at night with the frogs, so the staff offered to set up our dinner in our Bure. They brought over a table and all the trimmings. Then Tracy, bless her heart, carried each part of our meal to us at the appropriate time. After dinner she and several others, along with the band came in to sing to us and bring a cake. It was a wonderful memorable evening thanks to them. Aquaventure met us at the resort and took us to the dive shop with all our gear. (they have plenty of rental stuff if you need anything) They will take your stuff and load it on the boat for you and hook every thing up. They have a small boat that will hold 6 divers comfortably. It has a canvas roof for sun protection too. It took about 30 or so minutes plus or minus to get to each of our dive spots all on "Rainbow Reef". The DM always gave a good dive brief of what to expect in regard to currents, the reef, the critters, and the flow of the dive with techniques on how to avoid the strong currents, depth and time limits, and how we were going to execute the safety stop. (And they actually made you listen) After each dive they would check your max depth and air remaining. They would provide cookies, coconut, and fruit. With juice, hot chocolate, and tea. All the dives were fabulous and the DMs were very accommodating. The full trip report with pictures can be read here: [dive.scubadiving.com link]
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Been to Cozumel 3 times
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, currents
Water Temp	75-78°F / 24-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Max depth and remaining air were watched closely
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Aquaventure/Maravu Plantaion Resort in Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni

Aquaventure/Maravu Plantaion Resort, Sep, 2004,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Aquaventure/Maravu Plantaion Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni