By Chase Sheldon
Taveuni Island is the third largest island of the nation of Fiji, and one of the world’s hot spots for diving adventures. While not home to very many beaches, being a volcanic island with a rocky surface, Taveuni island’s natural mineral rich waters support a vast quantity of rich and exotic sea life, from fish to coral. This creates a beautiful undersea vista, with colorful coral so thick and rich that one of the island’s greatest natural treasures is known as the Rainbow Reef.
Of course, no adventure is perfect without a home base, and Paradise Taveuni Resort offers plenty of options for activities. This resort wonderland offers a deep dive not just into the waters off the coast, but deep into the lush verdant landscapes and deep caverns that make their home in the volcanic crust of the island. You can spend a day searching for the variety of critters that make this island their home, from unique species of iguanas and tree frogs, to the several unparalleled and uncommon species of bats that call this Fijian island their home. Paradise Taveuni offers several hiking adventures, exploring settings such as Cannibal Cave and the famous “Southern Blowhole”, a natural formation of lava and waves that now pushes water fifty feet up into the air. Then there are the boating activities, which include whale watching and fishing, where you can catch your own dinner as part of the adventure to be served up by the resort restaurant, or simply “Catch and Release” at your own pace.
Of course, while there are several reasons to come to Taveuni Island that don't start with diving, it is one of the greatest draws of not only the island, but of Paradise Taveuni in particular as well. Sitting on the Somosomo Strait, the resort offers shore diving twenty-four hours a day, and has easy access to more than thirty different sites around the island. One of the most famous dive spots that Paradise Taveuni offers is the Rainbow Reef, a twenty-mile stretch of corals that displays such a wide variety of color to be akin to a rainbow. An environmental wonder of the world, what makes this reef more significant, more extraordinary than other reefs around the world? The mix of hard and soft corals attract different types of sea life, different types of fish that only add to the natural beauty of the island. And how can one mention the Rainbow Reef without speaking of its biggest draw, the Great White Wall, a 120-foot drop that is lined with some of the most beautiful soft corals that you will ever see.
Paradise Taveuni has its own custom built charter boat ready to take you to the Rainbow Reef, and if you are lucky, you may even be able to see Humpback and Pilot whales, and Manta rays along the way. Many of them migrate through, or make their homes in the waters near the island, completing the picturesque scene that has been building up. While Paradise Taveuni Resort offers so much for the most avid of divers, there are activities and events that can entertain all sorts of people, from the intellectual and culturally minded, to the adventurous nature lovers and everything in between. Send us an email at sales@caradonna.com or call 800.328.2288 in order to learn more, and start planning your own adventure to one of the world’s biggest diving hot spots.