Dive Review of Garden Island Resort/Garden Island in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni

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Garden Island Resort/Garden Island: "Fantastic Fiji!", Jul, 2019, by Michelle Dannelley, MO, US ( 1 report). Report 11145.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was our second visit to the Garden Island Resort, we were part of a group of twelve divers. The staff is very attentive, they make a point to learn your name the first day. The rooms are clean and comfortable with a desk and couch and end table providing plenty of room relaxing and for cameras and other gear. The property is well-maintained but the dock has not been repaired since a hurricane several years ago. Each day at breakfast the lunch and dinner menus are presented with 2-3 options for each meal and you are required to order ahead. The menu lacks in variety and I was disappointed that fresh fish was only offered once. The food was good, well prepared and nicely presented. Friday night is a traditional feast with entertainment. The kitchen was very accommodating for guests with allergies, low carb and gluten-free needs. The dive shop staff is very helpful and the diving excellent. Our group was divided and sent out on two different boats according skill level. The dive masters were excellent at finding small critters like nudibranchs and mantis shrimp while sharks were present on multiple dives. A few lucky divers saw a whale shark! The large hard corals are fabulous, with the Cabbage Patch being one of my favorite dive sites. The color, variety and quantity of fish is amazing, the reefs are in excellent condition The boats are smaller with limited shade, there was only a small rinse bucket for cameras. Because the dock has not been repaired a short van ride took us to the boats. Surface intervals were on a beautiful stretch of beach but there were no amenities, on our three dive days a picnic lunch was provided. On our previous visit surface intervals and lunch were at the resort which was very convenient. Nitrox was available but had to be brought in from another resort due an equipment problem, it was 29-31%. We were thrilled to see two humpback whales, a mother and “baby” several times as we motored to and from our dive sites, migration was just beginning and the dive crew was as excited as we were! The captains stopped and we watched them for 10-30 minutes each time they were spotted. They were not strict to a schedule which allowed us the freedom to enjoy watching these amazing animals. I was amazed by my first visit to the Garden Island and wondered if the second would pale by comparison, absolutely not! Loved it and would return every year if I could.
Websites	Garden Island Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Bonaire, Grand and Little Cayman, Turks and Caicos, Cozumel, Roatan, Bahamas, Belize, Fiji, Galapagos
Closest Airport		Getting There	Tulsa to LA to Nadi to Taveuni.. The overnight flight from LA to Fiji and the reverse makes the time and date change fairly easy if you can get some sleep.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy, cloudy	Seas	currents
Water Temp	78-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	- Ft/ - M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Easygoing dive masters provided a plan but did not enforce it, especially time limits which I appreciated as I want the most of my vacation. This may have been frustrating for the less experienced divers who had to wait on the boat.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	1 or 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	1 or 2
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	N/A
UW Photo Comments	The boats are not UWP friendly, very small rinse buckets and no designated safe place for cameras. The divers masters were excellent and pointing out small creatures and finding requested creatures like blue ribbon eels. Except in areas with strong current I was free to take my time getting shots while a dive master kept me in view so I didn’t lose the group.

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Dive Review of Garden Island Resort/Garden Island in Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni

Garden Island Resort/Garden Island: "Fantastic Fiji!", Jul, 2019,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 Garden Island Resort/Garden Island in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni