Dive Review of Taveuni Dive Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni, Fiji

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Taveuni Dive Resort: "Taveuni, Fiji - MAy 2022", May, 2022, by Gregory S Bruce, Washington, United States ( Sr. Contributor 24 reports with 19 Helpful votes). Report 12117 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
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	My Portland, Oregon based dive group had planned a 2 week trip to Fiji just prior to COVID hitting and everyone is excited that we were able to realize it. For most of us, our route to get to our final destination began with a flight from Portland to San Francisco or Los Angeles and then a connecting Fiji Airways flight into the international terminal at the Nadi (pronounced Nandi) airport. From there it was a walk across to the domestic terminal after collecting bags and then the short hop to the island of Taveuni. For those of us coming from Portland, our first Alaska airlines flight left at 6:15pm and arrived to San Francisco at 8pm. Our flight to Fiji on Fiji Airways was at 11pm and 10 hours later, we were in Fiji. Our short commuter flight on subsidiary Fiji Link left 2 hours later and lasted a bit over an hour and was spectacularly beautiful as we flew at a very low altitude and had outstanding views of surrounding islands and reefs and countryside. The commuter plane is quite small. A maximum of 12 passengers and luggage and everything is weighed pretty meticulously, including each of us. Youa re allowed 1 carry on weighing 15lb (all that can fit anyway) and one 33lb checked bag. You can purchase an extra checked bag up to 50 lbs for about $45 US, which I did. Our resort staff was at the small airport in Matei, Taveuni to meet and greet and collect us for the 30-40 minute ride down the leeward side of the island to our home for the next 16 days: www.taveunidiveresort.com Before I forget, we did have some drama at the Portland airport. About 7-10 days prior to departure, Fiji changed their entry requirements. It was no longer necessary to get a COVID test prior to departure, so everyone canceled theirs and happily showed up at the airport only to find out that no one had entered that information into the Alaska computer system, and they were insisting for their liability purposes that we needed to prove evidence of a negative antigen test within the last 1 day or a PCR test within the last 2 days. Long story short, they decided to check everyone through to San Francisco only where we would have to gather checked luggage and check in again with Fiji Airways, who obviously knew that no one required a negative test. At that point, it was clear sailing, and everyone had enough layover time to make the transition smoothly. Back to arrival at the resort: We had an excellent orientation to the resort and what life was going to look like, filled out necessary paperwork, followed by a very nice lunch. There is a 2 page menu of food items, as well as posted specials of the day on a chalkboard. There are 3 lunch specials and 3 dinner specials each day apart from the normal menu. We are a group of 15 and have the entire resort to ourselves since we are occupying all 8 rentable villas (Bures). The bures are well appointed and spacious with plenty of room for everything and outlets everywhere. Excellent rain shower with lots of pressure and warm water. The resort is very eco-friendly and is operated 100% by solar energy. The only WIFI is at the common dining/bar/pool area. Unless your villa is adjacent, you will not have it and there are only 2 that are close enough to get the signal- out on their patio, but not inside the room itself, as the concrete walls block the signal. There is no air conditioning, but plenty of screened windows and 2 large ceiling fans. 2 days in and it has been quite comfortable. Overnight low about 65 and daytime high about 75+ with just the right amount of humidity. The grounds are lush, tropical and immaculate- exactly what you’d think of when dreaming of a south pacific paradise. Although you do not have to get tested to enter Fiji at this time, you must be fully vaccinated, and you must have a pre-scheduled COVID test within 48-72 hours at an approved test site. Our resort is an approved testing location. About 4 days before departure for the trip, I began to have a scratchy throat. 2 days prior to departure I went to see my doctor for a consult. She swabbed for Strep Throat and did a PCR test just to be safe. Both came back negative and she encouraged me to go and prescribed me some antibiotics to take for my throat should it become worse. Once at the resort, I began to feel worse, but shook it off initially as fatigue. I had just been traveling about 20 hours door to door and with very little sleep and hadn’t slept well the previous few nights. Instead of waiting my requisite time of 48-72 hours to get my test, I decided to get tested just before dinner. If I did have COVID and it had just been incubating before manifesting positive, I needed to know sooner rather than later for the sake of everyone else. Sure enough, it was positive. We did a 2nd test just to make sure and it also came back positive. So, here I sit on day 2 holed up in my villa, which has no WIFI and my phone’s cell connection so weak I can barely text; while all of my friends are out diving. The resort staff have been “on point” and super supportive. My meals are brought to me and I get checked in on. My sore throat has subsided, and I am feeling quite good today. Protocol is to stay isolated for 5 days from the day of testing positive and then return to normal activities assuming symptoms are gone and feeling healthy. Should I not rebound or I take a turn for the worse, I will transfer to the hospital. I have been very fortunate throughout this entire pandemic. Over the last 2+ years, I have not been ill at all, and I have taken dive trips to Cozumel 3 times, the Bahamas, Bonaire, Florida twice and the Red Sea. I am the last person that should be throwing a self-pity party. Update: I am day 5 into isolation and I feel awesome. I will get checked by the owner tomorrow morning at 7am for an antigen and well-check and should be on the boat diving by 8am. Staff here continues to be outstanding and accommodating. Since it is entirely possible to continue to test positive for 10 days or more after the initial positive test, I will continue to test periodically throughout the remaining 12 days and adhere to safe practices around my dive buddies and resort companions. Should I test positive the day prior to departure, they have arranged for me to a local doctor for an exam. As long as I have no symptoms and am deemed healthy, he/she will issue a certificate that I am “safe to fly” which will be accepted by Fiji Airways and allow me to board my flight and get back home. Back to other stuff: We are set up on a full 3 meals a day and beverage plan, (alcohol) is extra. Typical day: Breakfast is at 7am (pre-order lunch from the set menu or one of the specials after breakfast) Boat boarding is sharp at 8am. It is a 4-minute walk down to the boats. All gear is handled entirely by the staff. No need to deal with anything other than what you want to (computer and camera). Reefs are 10 to 20 minutes. After dive 1, it is a surface interval on the boat or a nearby beach, followed by dive 2. After dive 2, return to the resort for lunch and a quick rinse, maybe change dive light batteries and chill for a bit and then walk back to the boat to go out for dive 3. Boat loads and departs at 2pm for the afternoon dive. After lunch, place your order for dinner. After dive 3, it is back to the resort to clean up and have dinner around 6:30pm. After dinner—you guessed it: (Order your breakfast for the following morning). It is a very well-oiled machine and a pretty perfect itinerary for each day. Especially considering we are here for 2 weeks. Diving and weather: May is a shoulder month. For the most part, the warmer, wetter and more humid months are past and Fiji moves into its Fall and more temperate surface temps. Water will slowly get colder over the months ahead, but is currently 80-81 degrees. Diving is done with aluminum 80’s (a few 100’s available). Nitrox is an extra $15 per tank, if desired. At this time, Fiji does not have an operational hyperbaric chamber. One was just recently acquired and will reside at a hospital in Suva (Capital)- which is about a 45-minute flight away. Not sure about the target date for opening. Soft coral capital of the world………… General Costs: Resort, meal, ground transportation and dive package for our group: $2200 per person, per week (based on Dbl occupancy). There was the option to do one or both weeks. Vast majority are here for both weeks. Flights: $800 to $1K round trip most of the time. (if Los Angeles or San Francisco are your home airports, then air travel is much simpler and quicker) Incidentals: Tipping is not a common practice in Fiji. Owners prefer that if anyone wants to tip, that they do so with management and all tips are held throughout the year and distributed equally during a Christmas party.
Websites	Taveuni Dive Resort Taveuni Dive Resort
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Cozumel, Thailand, Vietnam, Channel Islands, So Cal Coast, Pacific NW, Monterey-CA, Grand Cayman, Bonaire, Belize, Philippines, Red Sea, Sea of Cortez, Florida
Closest Airport	Nadi then small plane to Taveuni	Getting There	Portland to LAX or San Francisco to Nadi to Taveuni
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, choppy, currents, no currents
Water Temp	81-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	You could dive your own profile if separated from group- but SOP is to stay together with group and ascend as group due to potential tricky currents. Hour long dives
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	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	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Daily dive boat- typical setup with a rinse bucket.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Taveuni Dive Resort in Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni, Fiji

Taveuni Dive Resort: "Taveuni, Fiji - MAy 2022", May, 2022,

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 Taveuni Dive Resort in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Taveuni, Fiji