Vuna Reef, which is located on Taveuni’s southern tip, is a purely magical place. While you can enjoy nearly endless snorkeling on the inner edges of the reef, its outer reaches offer some of the best diving in Fiji. There are more than ten specific dive sites on Vuna Reef, each with its own special features and each attracting a variety of different marine life. Let’s take just a few moments to slip beneath the serene turquoise waters that surround the “Garden Island” to explore a few of these incredible dive sites.
Fish Factory
No dive holiday to Taveuni would be complete without at least one dive at Fish Factory. Here, you’ll find beautiful soft coral in brilliant pink and orange hues that contrast with the brilliant blue ocean water, plus giant clams and so many coral bommies that it can be difficult to decide where to focus your attention! With ambient temperatures, very little current, and many features around just ten to twenty meters, the site is perfect for experienced divers and novices alike.
The waters here are filled with schooling damsels and orange anthias, which circle the bommies, where moray eels hide in the shadows, sea stars and nudibranchs flirt with other invertebrates, and blue spotted rays rest. Keep an eye on the blue as you take in the colorful show, as you’re certain to see schooling pelagics passing in the distance, or even encounter white tip reef sharks or barracuda.
Tavoro Cave
Turtles often cruise the wall that leads to Tavoro Cave, where you will find some excellent swimthroughs and amazing opportunities for photography. Cracks and gullies filled with moray eels, lobsters, snapper and groupers invite exploration, while brilliant clouds of butterfly fish, damsels, anthias, and other reef fish contrast beautifully with the soft coral and sponges that proliferate all along the upper walls.
The cave is located at 27 meters, and offers an excellent vantage point for peering out into the blue, where you’ll see barracuda and sharks, manta rays, tuna, jacks, and other pelagics passing. If you are lucky, you may even see pilot whales or whale sharks in the distance.
The Stairs
Located about midway along Vuna Reef, The Stairs is a site not to be missed. With brilliant plate coral and soft coral that provides a rush of color as you descend, the sheer walls here stretch away into the distance. At 28 meters, you’ll find a swimthrough and overhang coated in lovely white soft coral, which may be extended to feed if the current is right. Once you make it to the bottom of the wall at 30 meters, you’ll be able to ascend back up the steps, where you may encounter sleepy white tip or grey reef sharks, or even a few hunting barracuda. After spiraling your way back up this incredible series of wide sponge and coral encrusted swimthroughs, you will emerge onto a plateau at 14 meters, where parrotfish and Titan triggerfish swim among smaller anthias and fusiliers. After descending through another series of swimthroughs, you will find yourself in a beautiful garden of gorgonians, where you may encounter the leopard sharks which are often found napping on the sand. As you ascend the wall once more and make your way to the safety stop, remember to look out into the blue, where mackerel, trevally, and other pelagics pass.
Vuna Chutes
Famous for the white tip reef sharks and occasional leopard sharks which bask here, and often populated by blue spotted stingrays, moray eels, turtles, and other large reef inhabitants, this path of brilliant white sand winds its way through lovely bommies, never extending beyond 15 meters. With visibility that often exceeds forty meters, this is an exceptional site for novices, and wonderful for photography. Watch for schooling barracuda, batfish, and butterfly fish, plus a few Moorish idols, parrotfish, and others.
Tabua
Meaning “Whale’s Tooth”, Tabua features a magnificent wall that drops all the way to forty meters, plus a shallow area with a gently sloped bottom of hard coral, where it is possible to encounter all manner of sea life – from small, brilliantly colored reef fish in the shallows, to large bull sharks, bronze whalers, grey, black tip, and white tip reef sharks, and even manta rays. Nudibranchs and crayfish can be found taking shelter in small grottoes along the wall, along with groupers and moray eels.
With so many spectacular dives, it can be difficult to choose a favorite. No matter where you go though, you’re certain to encounter a wide variety of incredible marine life, plus you’ll make memories to last a lifetime. Fiji is a very popular place, so book your trip as soon as possible to ensure you can visit the sites that capture your attention most!