DESTINATION #05

FIJI

DISCOVER

SHARM EL-SHEIKHA

27°54'44 " N 34°19'47 " E

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“COUSTEAU CALLED
FIJI THE ‘WORLD’S
SOFT CORAL CAPITAL.’”

FIJI

A group of over 300 islands in the South Pacific, Fiji is located around 1,770 kilometres northeast of New Zealand. Despite its remote location, Fiji’s status as the ‘Soft Coral Capital of the World’ means that divers are happy to make the pilgrimage there.

Fiji has 10,000km² of coral reefs with over 350 coral species, 1,200 species of reef fish and five species of sea turtle. Powerful ocean currents bring nutrient-rich waters to feed Fiji’s reefs and their marine life. And because the corals swell and glow as the current increases in intensity, the submarine landscape looks different with every dive.

The best place to enjoy Fiji’s soft corals is the Somosomo Strait, a narrow strait running between Taveuni and Vanua Levu islands. The strait’s more than 20 dive sites include the Great White Wall, a sheer escarpment covered in glowing white corals.

At Beqa Lagoon, Fiji’s first-ever National Marine Park, where you can see eight shark species, including bull sharks and tiger sharks. In an interesting example of eco-tourism, a local dive company pays a levy to two local villages which gave up their fishing rights in return for granting exclusive access to Shark Fin Reef.

* Sources include Tourism Fiji, Tripadvisor, National Institute for Environmental Studies etc.

TRIPADVISOR