Bligh Water Diving and Namena

Where to dive Bligh Water from

There are two main ways to dive Bligh Water: from a resort on the coast, or from a liveaboard.

• Rakiraki, northern Viti Levu. Resorts on the north coast of Viti Levu, around Rakiraki and the Volivoli area, run day boats to reefs and pinnacles on the western edge of Bligh Water. It is a road transfer from Nadi, so it is easy to reach without a domestic flight.
• Savusavu, Vanua Levu. Savusavu on Vanua Levu's south coast is the gateway to the Namena Marine Reserve and other reefs on the eastern side of the channel.
• Liveaboards. The more remote pinnacles and seamounts in the middle of Bligh Water are mostly dived from liveaboards, which can reach them early in the day and dive them several times. See the Fiji liveaboard diving guide.

The Namena Marine Reserve

Namena is a reef system around the small island of Namenalala, off the south coast of Vanua Levu. The surrounding reefs are part of a marine reserve managed by the local communities who hold traditional fishing rights there, with support from conservation groups. Fishing is restricted inside the reserve, and divers pay a reserve fee that helps fund its protection and the local communities. Expect to buy a reserve tag through your dive operator or liveaboard.

The protection shows underwater. Namena's reefs are known for healthy hard and soft corals, large schools of reef fish and regular sightings of reef sharks. It is a good example of how many of Fiji's best reefs are protected: not by a distant government agency, but by the villages that own them. Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji and other groups have worked with communities on this kind of management across the north of the country.

Skills and conditions

Bligh Water is mostly intermediate to advanced diving. The pinnacles are exposed to current and sometimes to swell, and the deep sections can tempt divers past their limits. Good buoyancy, a surface marker buoy and comfort with negative or quick descents are all useful. Operators choose sites and times to suit conditions, and on some days they will simply say no to a site: trust that call.

The channel can be dived all year. Trade winds in the cooler months can make the crossing bumpy, while the warmer months bring calmer days but the chance of tropical storms. The best time to dive Fiji page explains the seasons, and best dive sites in Fiji compares Bligh Water with the other regions. For the reef life here, see the Fiji marine life guide.