Planning a Fiji Dive Trip

Getting there and getting around

Most international flights land at Nadi. Fiji Airways, the national carrier, flies from Australia, New Zealand, North America and several Pacific and Asian hubs, and other airlines serve Nadi from Australia and New Zealand. Check entry rules with your own government's travel advice before you book: many nationalities can visit Fiji without a visa for a short stay, but rules change.

Inside Fiji, you have three options:

• Road. Pacific Harbour (for Beqa Lagoon) and Rakiraki (for western Bligh Water) are reached by road from Nadi.
• Boat. Ferries and resort boats serve the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands from Port Denarau, and inter-island ferries run to the larger outer islands.
• Domestic flights. Small planes link Nadi and Suva with Taveuni, Savusavu, Kadavu and other islands. Seats and schedules are limited, so book early.

Gear to pack

Most dive centres and liveaboards rent full sets of gear, but many divers bring their own mask, dive computer and wetsuit for comfort and fit. A 3 mm full wetsuit suits most of the year, with a 5 mm for the cooler months; see best time to dive Fiji. Bring a surface marker buoy, because so much Fiji diving is drift diving, and consider a reef hook only if your operator allows them. Nitrox is available at many operators but not all, so ask in advance if you want it.

Dive insurance and safety

Buy dive insurance that covers hyperbaric treatment and medical evacuation, not just general travel insurance. Fiji's outer islands are a long way from hospitals, and evacuation by air is expensive. Fiji has a recompression chamber in Suva, but always check the current situation with your insurer or a dive safety organisation before you travel. Follow your operator's depth and time limits, and dive within your training.

Before flying home, leave enough time for the nitrogen absorbed on your dives to clear. Common guidance from dive safety organisations is a minimum of 12 hours after a single dive and 18 hours after repeated dives or several days of diving. That makes a non-diving day at the end of the trip the simplest plan. The same applies to domestic flights between islands.

Money and costs

The local currency is the Fiji dollar. Card payments are common at resorts and in towns, but carry some cash for villages, small shops and reserve levies. Dive costs vary a lot by region and by resort, and marine reserve levies are often charged on top of dive prices. When you compare packages, check what is included: number of dives, gear rental, nitrox, transfers and park fees.

Village etiquette and sevusevu

Fiji's villages are welcoming, but they have customs that visitors should respect. If you visit a village, it is polite to bring a gift of yaqona, the root used to make kava, and present it to the chief in a short ceremony called sevusevu. Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, take off hats and sunglasses in the village, and do not touch anyone's head. Remember too that many reefs are owned by villages under traditional fishing rights, and the levies divers pay support those communities.

For more detailed advice on single subjects, from drift diving to manta etiquette, see the Fiji diving blog. If anything here is out of date, please let us know.