First breaths
Learn to Dive in Fiji
Warm water, calm lagoons and reefs full of life: Fiji is a good place for a first dive or a full certification course.
Why here
Why learn to dive in Fiji
Fiji has everything a new diver needs. The water is warm all year, many resorts sit beside sheltered lagoons with shallow, sandy training areas, and even the easy reefs are full of fish and coral. Most resorts and dive centres teach courses from the major training agencies, such as PADI and SSI, and the certification you earn is recognised around the world.
Learning to dive in Fiji also means your first open water dives happen on a real tropical reef, not in a cold quarry. Many divers say that is the moment they get hooked. The trick is to choose the right part of the country, because some of Fiji's famous sites have strong current and are best saved for later.
Courses
Your options, from a first try to advanced
Try dive
A half day with an instructor: a short briefing, skills in shallow water, then a guided dive. No certification.
Open Water
The full entry-level certification: theory, pool or lagoon skills and four open water dives over a few days.
Advanced
Five adventure dives, often including deep and navigation, that build confidence for current sites.
Specialties
Courses such as nitrox, drift diving, buoyancy and underwater photography.
How an Open Water course works
An entry-level Open Water course usually takes three to four days. It has three parts. First comes the theory: how pressure affects your body and your gear, how to plan a dive, and how to handle problems. Then come confined water sessions in a pool or a calm, shallow lagoon, where you practise skills such as clearing your mask, sharing air and controlling your buoyancy. Finally, you make four open water dives on a reef with your instructor.
You can save holiday time by doing the theory online before you travel. The main agencies offer eLearning, and you then finish the in-water parts with a dive centre in Fiji. Ask the dive centre in advance whether it accepts the agency and the eLearning you plan to use, and book the course before you go in busy months.
Medical check: every course starts with a medical questionnaire. Some conditions need a doctor's sign-off before you can dive, and it is much easier to get that at home than in Fiji. Fill in the form before you travel. Minimum ages for junior courses are set by the training agency.
Where in Fiji to learn
- The Mamanuca islands near Nadi have calm water, short transfers and many resorts with their own dive centres. See Yasawa Islands diving for the Mamanucas.
- The Coral Coast and Pacific Harbour on Viti Levu's south side give access to sheltered sites inside Beqa Lagoon.
- Lagoon resorts on the outer islands such as Kadavu also teach courses on shallow reefs inside the barrier reef.
Places to save for later include the strong-current walls of Rainbow Reef and the offshore pinnacles of Bligh Water, which are better once you have logged some dives. The best dive sites in Fiji page shows the level each region suits.
Choosing a dive centre
Look for a centre that is affiliated with a recognised training agency, keeps class sizes small, and has well-maintained gear. Ask how many students each instructor takes in open water, whether the course price includes the certification fee and the learning materials, and what happens if weather stops a dive. Good centres will answer clearly and will not rush you through skills you are not comfortable with.
After you are certified
Once you have your certification, Fiji opens up. Many divers take an Advanced course on the same trip, which includes a deep dive and builds the confidence needed for current. Then plan a second trip, or a second leg, to the regions known for drift diving and big animals. Use our best time to dive Fiji page to time it, and remember not to fly for at least a day after your last dives.
Questions
Learn to dive in Fiji FAQ
How long does it take to get certified in Fiji?
An Open Water course usually takes three to four days. Doing the theory online before you travel can shorten your time in Fiji.
Is Fiji a good place to learn to dive?
Yes. The water is warm, many resorts have calm lagoons for training, and the reefs are full of life even on easy sites.
Can I do a try dive without a certification?
Yes. Most dive centres offer an introductory dive with an instructor, usually in shallow, calm water, as long as you pass the medical questionnaire.