One superb day we headed out to an offshore seamounta location never before dived. Here we found forests of elephantine gorgonian fans 3-4 metres wide at 40

metres depth. In stunning 50 metre visibility it was hard to appreciate the size

of these intricate coral trees. They are huge!

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Diving with the firewalkersBeqa Lagoon Resort has long enjoyed an enviablereputation for great diving and fine food and wasvoted “World’s Best Dive Resort” in 2002 by thereaders of Rodale’s Scuba Diving. After our visit lastJune, we can only agree with that lofty assessment.

: Alan Wiggs

Near Pacific Harbour we boarded one of the huge resort diveboats and journeyed south to Beqa (pronounced “Bengar”) - ascenic 40 minute trip across choppy seas reflecting a slate greysky. We arrived with high expectations – first impressions werefavourable as we crossed the palm-fringed beach to the maindining room, admiring the views across the lagoon to YanucaIsland. Surrounding us was emerald green pristine rainforest –tropical parrots screeched overhead weaving through thecoconut palms. We quickly settled into our superb bures onthe beach and were soon breaking out the gear, anxious to trya shore dive.

Our dive equipment was dutifully collected by the resort staffand hung up down at the dive shop – it was simply a case of,grab a full tank, waddle down the beach and blow somebubbles. Water temperature was 27°C (in midwinter no less!)and visibility was reasonable at 12 – 15 metres, thoughnothing compared to the deep blue of the outer reef. The shorediving at BLR is very good, with large colonies of Clown Fish;a healthy reef slope with several Butterflyfish and Angelfishspecies and the occasional Trevally and Long Tom. The reefterraces off into 15 metres or so and I spent most afternoonstreating novices to introductory dives down the reef wall.

“

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Fiji is well respected for its fine soft corals and “Circus Circus” exceedseven the superb colours of the Bligh Waters at Raki Raki or the brilliance ofNaigani – this dive was a religious experience (and I’m not even religious!)

I was lucky enough to lead a group of 47 Peninsula Schoolstudents, families and friends to this superb island getawaysituated off the south coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island.Access couldn’t really be easier; from Nadi airport, a 2 hourcoach trip weaves along the coral coast past Sigatoka, providingglimpses of the sea gently fizzing against the barrier reef.

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divesites ºBLR is a “full service” (read as “You will get spoilt rotten”)

dive resort – where everything is pretty much done for you,that is, unless you have some anal obsession with carryingtanks and fitting up gear! Each morning we would simply suitup and board the boat, only to find our tanks fully kitted upwith mask and fins neatly tucked in a mesh bag all set to go!Surface intervals were spent at Picnic Island – the kids wouldjump ship and swim to shore or snorkel in the crystallineshallows, while Delana and the dive staff changed tanks as werelived the dive.

Beqa was one of the first areas dived in Fiji and has a host ofwell known dive sites – the range was most impressive, withshipwrecks; corals reef walls and pinnacles and offshoreseamounts to investigate. Soft corals were abundant in riotouscolour and fish life literally teemed in a variety of shapes andsizes. Schools of Barracuda, Fusiliers and giant Black Rays;swarms of Rainbow Runner – it was difficult to know whichway to look. There are over 35 dive sites regularly dived fromBLR – most are within 40 minutes, but there are some otherexciting options further offshore. The dive boats are sensational– a fleet of 3 ex-cray boats from Western Australia that havebeen fully fitted up for diving and have a head on board (nosmelly wetsuits!) and a sundeck level above. I have rarelyenjoyed such a complete diving experience in one trip – we had12 brilliant dives that varied greatly yet were all of a very highstandard. Some of our favourite sites included–

“Joe’s Best” – a 30 metre dive where one huge coral head has agiant swim-through punching through from one side to theother, carpeted with sea whips and gorgonians LeafScorpionfish; various nudibranchs and Blue Ribbons Eelsdecorated the substrate, while far above, schools of Bannerfishorbited the sun while predatory Blue Trevally hunted on thereef crest, trying to single out one baitfish from millions. Weagreed with Joe – this was the best! Well, that was at least,until we dived “Circus Circus” – a curious name that remainsunexplained. This is a “must do” dive site, that is the equal ofany soft coral dive we have ever done – the assortment ofcolours and their density was intense. Fiji is well respected forits fine soft corals and “Circus Circus” exceeds even the superbcolours of the Bligh Waters at Raki Raki or the brilliance ofNaigani – this dive was a religious experience (and I’m noteven religious!) At this stage of the trip I decided that I had anew favourite dive in Fiji.

“Carpet Cove” offers something unusual in Fiji – a wreck! OK,it’s no President Coolidge, rather a 25 metre Chinese Trawlerat 30 metres, but combined with the brilliant coral reef nearby,this was a very interesting and entertaining dive. In the shadowof the wreck we found forests of swaying Garden Eels and FireGobies twitching over their burrows, while a fat White TipShark cruised by in the distant blue of 30 metre visibility.“Gee’s Rock” was the scene for a quite bizarre sight – ourfriendly Fijian dive guide, Delana sidled up to a coral ledge,removed his regulator, opened wide… and allowed a pair ofbow-legged cleaner shrimp to give him a free dental treatment– a bit of a clean and scale if you don’t mind! No wonder hispearly whites were in such great shape! With the job done,they returned to a more conventional customer – a small CoralTrout that waited patiently, next in line.

One standout dive day was when we headed out west ofYanuca to dive “John’s Tunnel”. Here a wreck sits at 30 metres,

next to a spectacular coral bommie which is penetrated with a10 metre long tunnel 2-3 metres wide and lined with soft coral.A glorious Painted Flutemouth posed next to a goldengorgonian rising from the deck, while below in the hold of theship, a trio of Lion fish propped in the rigging. The wreck isgreat in itself – but is only part of the story, as the divecontinues to explore a bommie topped with a dazzling confettiof the friendliest Butterflyfish and Golden Damsels we haveever encountered.

Approaching the mooring for “Fantasea”, the current was reallyripping, but Delana assured us that this was a dive we just hadto experience. And we were not disappointed. Finning hard(really hard!) through forests of crimson gorgonian fans wefinally reached the “windward” corner of the bommie wherePainted Surgeons and masses of electric blue and gold Fusiliersglided in amongst thousands of Red Toothed Trigger Fish. Onecould just hang on, dig in and watch the endless parade of lifego past. Drifting down into the lee, we found a coral cleftwhere Leaf Scorpionfish and Nudibranchs literally crowdedtogether while, out in the blue, Barracuda streamed past likesilver daggers. Superlatives will never do this dive justice – the

crowning glory was the school of Rainbow Runner thatescorted us back up to the anchor line to dive boat, millingaround us at the safety stop. Just bloody unreal!

One superb day we headed out to an offshore seamount – alocation never before dived. Here we found forests of hugegorgonian fans 3-4 metres wide and Turtles in numbers rarelyseen these days. We had the honour of naming the site “TurtleCanyons”. In between dives we trolled lures and managed tooutsmart a 28 kilogram Wahoo – the fastest fish in the sea. Onour return, the fish was presented to the village, after a sizeablechunk was carved off for the triumphant fishermen!

BLR has long had a reputation for fine dining and weanticipated each meal with delight – superb seafood choicessuch as Swordfish steaks with macadamia sauce were followedby feather-light chocolate soufflés. I’ve never been anywherebefore where guests photographed their meals beforereluctantly destroying the fine presentation! One night chefLaniana was introduced to the group and received a standingovation. Each evening we were entertained by Fijian bands ordancers and we also witnessed a firewalking demonstration by

some of the young men from a nearby village – Beqa is thehome of the firewalkers and the ritual is taken very seriously,and with steaming hot rocks measured at 650° celsius, itremains something of a mystery! We also visited Ravi RaviVillage school where our students relished mixing with theFijian kids, playing volleyball and teaching them how to playnetball – this type of cultural interchange is priceless and is abig part of what makes Beqa special. And the resort staff is thefriendliest and most helpful we have ever met – led by MarkPropert, the aussie manager who is hospitality trained andoozes warmth and approachability – this guy can just never doenough to help!

Beqa is the total Fijian experience – a superb resort in awonderful location. We had great diving, and yet had to bailout on the famous shark dive experience, due to unseasonallyrough conditions. And this is not a dive to be missed – with noless than 8 species of sharks on the menu – including BullSharks; Lemon and Leopard Sharks and a 15 foot Tiger Sharkcalled “Grandma”! Add this into the mix and you have a trulymind-blowing trip. This is but one reason why I can’t wait untilwe return next year.

Ben Hall and Mitch Watson, Year 9students at The Peninsula School,enjoy their first wreck dive at “Carpet Cove”, Beqa Lagoon Resort.

“Gee’s Rock” was the scene for a quite bizarre sight – our friendly Fijian dive guide, Delana sidled up to a coral ledge,removed his regulator, opened wide… and allowed a pair of bow-legged cleaner shrimp to give him a free dentaltreatment – a bit of a clean and scale if you don’t mind! No wonder his pearly whites were in such great shape! With thejob done, they returned to a more conventional customer – a small Coral Trout that waited patiently, next in line.

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CLIMATE: Beqa is 18 degrees south of the equator. Summer(Oct-Mar) has days up to 35 degrees and humid nights. Winter(Apr-Sept) brings warm fine days up to 28 degrees with coolnights.DIVING FACILITIES: Beqa has a fleet of 3 huge diesel poweredex-cray boats that easily take up to 20 divers each. Head; sundeck; and camera storage in the lounge area. A good range ofhire equipment is available, as are all PADI dive courses. A fullservice facility.POWER: 240 volt Australian-style plugs. The generator runs24/7.PASSPORT: Current passport – no visa required.OTHER ACTIVITIES: Diving is the mainstay of the resort.Snorkelling gear is available as are sea kayaks. Village tours,jungle walks and waterfall treks are all part of the package.Firewalking; warrior dances; Fijian bands and choirs help to fillin the evenings. The pool; the resort grounds and the maindining room are all quite impressive.GETTING THERE: Ex Nadi; BLR has their own coach for the 2hour trip to Pacific Harbour. Dive Boats then transfer guests.WHAT TO BRING: Apart from diving and snorkelling requisites,sunscreen is a must. Also bring a small gift for the village kids –crayons; coloured pencils or a t-shirt are warmly received. FINAL TIP: Try to organise the Shark dive early in your trip toallow a back-up day should the weather blow up (unlikely – butit happened to us!).

BEQA ISLAND FACT FILE

The lucky group:47 Peninsula School students, families and friends.

divesites º

Stop PressAllways Dive Expeditions have vacancies in a groupdeparture September 21-30, $2269 (non-diver tripleshare 8 nights). All meals (gourmet 5 star), airfares &transfers (airfares ex Melbourne, other ports availableon price request), plus dive package only $200 for 11boat dives. Contact Ian Lockwood on 9885-8863 forfurther details: allwaysdive@allwaystravelservice.com

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