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Fiji Scuba Diving Regions > Kadavu

Fiji Scuba Diving Regions 6. Kadavu

An unspoiled corner of Fiji, Kadavu is a beautiful mountainous island with waterfalls, rounded hilltops, outstanding beaches and high rocky cliffs. It offers interesting bush walks, charming rockpools, luxuriant native trees and fascinating birdlife, particularly the famous red and green Kadavu parrots.

Kadavu (pronounced Kahn-da-voo), has a population of approximately 8700 and lies only 88 kilometers south of Suva. Kadavu is approximately 48 kilometers in length and varies in width from 365 meters to 13 kilometers. Its area is 411 square kilometers, just a bit less than Taveuni. Kadavu has several high mountains and numerous precipitous cliffs. In short it is a rugged island with few roads, which makes water taxis the prime mode of transportation. The airport, a government station and a new hospital are located at the eastern end of the island in the village of Vunisea.

From every corner your eye is met with spectacular views overlooking extensive coral reefs located just ten minutes off shore.

Northeast of the main island is the smaller Ono Island and the fabulous Great Astrolabe Reef stretching halfway to Suva. It was named after Dumont d'Urville's ship Astrolabe which sailed past in 1827.

The longest sandy beach on the island is at Ndru, an hour's walk north from Vunisea the largest of the island's 60 Fijian villages, situated on a narrow hilly isthmus where Ngalao Harbour and Namalata Bay almost cut Kadavu in half.

Legend says that the women of Namuana village west of the airstrip could summon giant turtles up from the sea by singing traditional chants from a bluff 60 metres above the sea.

The waters around Kadavu are one of Fiji's richest fishing grounds and home of the Pacific Blue Marlin, the Sailfish and Wahoo, Trevally and Coral Trout.

You can hire a boat and dive from the offshore reefs of Malawai, visit the hard and soft corals in the Coral Gardens, or snorkel amongst the abundant tropical fish life inside Great Astrolobe Reef.

Kadavu is the fourth largest island in the Fijian group, 100km south of Suva, reached by Air Fiji from Suva five times a week, or by Sunflower Airlines which flies Nadi-Kadavu daily. Boats arrive at Vunisea from Suva twice a week calling at villages along the north coast.

Kadavu

This is Fiji’s fourth largest island 45 miles south of the capital city, Suva, and linked by air from both the Nadi and Nausori airports. Kadavu airport at Vunisea is where the island is somewhat like a wasp’s body - a narrow strip of flat land making for a spectacular aerial approach and take off to the south, featuring a deep bay dotted with islands and a riot of colours in the lagoon. The island is off the beaten track from Fiji’s mainstream tourist attractions and the resorts are dedicated to avid scuba divers, adventurers and deep sea fisherman. No disco’s, bars, fancy restaurants or boutiques. virtually all the resorts are served by boat from Vunisea and this reinforces the feeling that you are undergoing pioneer experience. Of more interest to the prospective diver is the fact that Kadavu is rated as an outstanding dive destination, equal to (and better than most) in the world.,

Diving

World class, Kadavu’s early reputation was won by the Astrolabe and solo reefs are now household names among dive connoisseurs. That was in the days when the only way to get there was by boat from Suva and the boat was a yacht named Star-Reta owned and operated by Eric Dowdall, who with David Evans, started Fiji’s first commercial dive operation: Scuba hire. Eric pioneered Kadavu diving and ‘discovered’ the Astrolabe and solo reefs. As word slowly spread about its superb diving another “live-aboard” began regular visits to Kadavu and then eventually in the 1980’s small resorts dedicated to divers, made their appearances. It has now been found that reefs encircling Kadavu offer outstanding diving and that its excellence is not confined to the two reefs that first made its name. In particular the Namalata and Tavuki reefs have had a good deal of exploration and are the focus of excellent diving.