World class diving in Fiji- The Great White Wall
(77 Reviews)
99% Recommended
Tree Schmidt
Lakewood, CO
Bucket List Travel
I have been blessed to have traveled the world extensively and can't wait to assist you in making your travel dreams a reality.
My specialties are Tahiti and her islands including Bora Bora, Fiji, Cook Islands.
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I have been blessed to have traveled the world extensively and can't wait to assist you in making your travel dreams a reality.
My specialties are Tahiti and her islands including Bora Bora, Fiji, Cook Islands.
I have been and assisted clients to New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, the Maldives, and Europe.
If you looking for a luxury tailor-made vacation with memorable custom itineraries designed specifically for you that combine culture, adventure, and romance? Look no further!
Whether you’re traveling on a romantic escape, a cultural adventure, or a family reunion, I will take care of every detail to maximize your budget and save you time.
No one can give you better insight into what makes a perfect vacation than the person who has first-hand experience, knows the lay of the land, what to expect, pitfalls to avoid, and in many cases is personally acquainted with resort owners.
What are you waiting for? Let's craft your once-in-a-lifetime travel adventure for you.
Visit our website BeyondBoraBora.com
Can Be Reached At
1-303-489-5946
Soft coral on the great white wall
Suddenly, there was a change of plans. Instead of Rainbow Reef, the dive team at Taveuni Paradise Resort announced we are heading to the Great White Wall today. Rainbow Reef is my all-time favorite! It’s a drift dive with incredible density and diversity of hard corals and 2000 different kinds of fish. The last time I dived there, the undulating glitter lines on the reef gave everything a pristine sparkle. The amazing variety of colors you'll see is why it’s aptly named.
Taveuni, known as the "Garden Island of Fiji," is the third largest island in the archipelago of 330 islands. Fringed on all sides by coral reefs and azure water, it's breathtaking as you approach in your small plane. A cigar-shaped volcanic island, much of Taveuni is still wild jungle, punctuated by coconut plantations and small boutique resorts.
As we approached the White Wall, I felt a touch of nerves. The White Wall is known for serious currents, which soft corals love. Today’s conditions were ideal, hence the change of plans.
The natural beauty of the landscape and the underwater world is stunning, but nothing captivates your heart more than the Fijian people. Warm, welcoming, and genuine, Fijians are eager to introduce you to their homeland and share their customs. They always remember your name, which is extremely endearing.
The Great White Wall is unique. It's a transition between the typical 60 to 80-foot depth of the Somosomo Strait and the open ocean. The dive starts in just 25 feet of water. I could enjoy the dive right there on the shelf with many colorful soft corals and a variety of fish. But, of course, that's not why I'm here.
Fijians practice long traditions of stewardship to their islands. Much of the food you'll be served is grown in organic gardens. They understand that poisons and pesticides invariably find their way into the sea. The difference between Fijian waters and those of many other tropical nations becomes obvious.
In the dive briefing, we were told we’d follow a swim-through that pops out in the middle of the White Wall at about 90 feet. The swim-through was spectacular, home to a large population of fish. The tunnel is generous in size, not at all claustrophobic. Our dive masters have keen vision, locating and pointing out even the tiniest shrimps and colorful nudibranchs.
The base of the Great White Wall extends down to 300 feet. Today’s visibility must’ve been 200+ feet, as I could see beyond the bottom of the wall. I dived here years ago when visibility was not ideal, making it a bit spooky. Today, the soft corals are fully extended, like a vertical cotton field swaying in the current. Here in the north of Fiji, it is known as the “soft coral capital of the world”! Drifting along the wall, there are untold small critters to be seen. We even got a visit from a curious baby white tip shark.
Following the sideways current along the wall at 90 feet, I understood some people's desire to go much deeper. The soft corals below us at 200 to 300 feet were even more densely packed. However, I was not interested in trading my dive time for more depth.T
There are few things I love more than the brilliantly colored giant clams. The most psychedelic ones seem to be 6 to 10 inches at maturity, but the really big ones are up to 24 inches across, with large mantles reaching out to catch sunlight. They host colorful algae within their tissue in a symbiotic relationship. Zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae that corals and other reef-dwelling invertebrates host, are critical for the health of reef ecosystems.
Eventually, the drift brings you to another swim-through, which brings you back up to the beautiful upper reef. The soft corals on the reef above were a wide variety of brilliant colors in contrast to the snow-white soft corals on the wall.
In conclusion, the Great White Wall, in close proximity to Taveuni Paradise Resort, deserves to be on the bucket list of any serious diver.