Dive Review of Nai'a in
Tonga/Ha'apai group

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Nai'a, Aug, 2005, by Richard Nelson, CA, USA . Report 1990.
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	The Nai'a is a terrific boat, with a really friendly, capable, professional crew. The Tonga trips are all about whales, really, so the reef diving was somewhat incidental. We were on a special charter to develop a whale website for the Imaging Foundation, so we placed even more emphasis than usual on whales. Some of the divers were a bit disappointed that we didn't do more diving, but the crew tried to accommodate, within the parameters of our expedition. Swimming (snorkeling) with the humpback whales is wonderful. One encounter lasted over an hour, and the photographers got some great pictures. Other encounters were briefer and less satisfying to those taking pictures, but still quite breathtaking for those of us in the water. Just the one long encounter was worth the whole trip. As for the diving, we didn't get to their best sites, but some of the reefs we visited were really very good, healthy, and with abundant, diverse fish life. Other sites were merely OK. Nothing difficult or challenging, but it was rather colder than most people expected. Some of the crew wear drysuits, and I might be inclined to do likewise if I were going to dive extensively. Light suits were fine for the snorkeling and a couple of dives per day. The Nai'a crew is wonderful and friendly. The food would be great for the five-dive-a-day Fiji schedule, but seemed a bit excessive for the amount of diving we were doing. We felt overfed. I will definitely favor the Nai'a for future Fiji diving, and would recommend the boat as a way to visit the whales in Tonga.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Truk, Palau, PNG, Australia, Cozumel, Florida, Bahamas, California
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	73-75°F / 23-24°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	>2
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Diving Guide to Tonga
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Dive Review of Nai'a in Tonga/Ha'apai group

Nai'a, Aug, 2005,

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 Nai'a in
Tonga/Ha'apai group