Five Reasons To Dive The South Pacific

The Pacific Islands is as beautiful under water as it is above. Beyond those palm-fringed white sandy beaches is some of the best diving in the world. From the soft coral wonders and shark dives of Fiji, to the WWII wrecks and untouched reefs of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.

As the Pacific Islands tourism industry recovers from the devastating effect of Coronavirus travel restrictions, now more than ever is a good time to plan your next South Pacific dive holiday. Need another good reason? By supporting the dive industry, you are helping save our oceans.

Dive Tourism Operators help protect our oceans. A percentage of all dive tourism revenue goes towards looking after our precious marine environment – both directly, and indirectly. Directly, many operators manage marine conservation programs such as coral restoration, turtle sanctuaries and marine life monitoring programs.

Indirectly dive centres contribute through donations and fundraisers for organisations such as the Mamanuca Environmental Society.

Here are three more great reasons to plan that dive holiday now:

1. Munda, Solomon Islands

At the eastern tip of the Coral Triangle, the most biodiverse marine habitat on Earth, lies Munda, in Solomon Islands. Munda is one of the most affordable places to dive in the South Pacific, with packages under AU$2000 for diving and accommodation and a choice of over 50 dive sites to explore, including WWII wrecks, beautiful coral walls to drift along and mysterious caverns to explore. Nearby Gizo is a 15-minute flight away, with special offers in beautiful over-water bungalows at Fatboys Resort and Oravae Cottage.

2. Tanna, Santo and Vila, Vanuatu

Less than three hours flight from Australia’s east coast, Vanuatu boasts some of the Pacific’s most famous WWII wrecks including the SS President Coolidge and Million Dollar Point on the island of Espiritu Santo, and incredibly varied diving off the coast of the island nation’s Port Vila. Diving in Vila ranges from the staghorn fields and anemone gardens of Hideaway Island to stunning dives such as the Semele Federesen wreck and the Cathedral sea cavern. And let’s not forget the beautiful caves, swim-throughs and seriously untouched coral (and active volcano) on the island of Tanna.

3. Shark Fest in Beqa Lagoon, Fiji

Fiji now has five shark feeding dives, four in Beqa Lagoon, with perhaps the most famous being The Cathedral, established by Beqa Lagoon Resort, which primarily attracts tiger sharks. It’s an adrenalin-pumped experience as these powerful creatures come in for a tuna-head snack. Other fantastic shark dives in Fiji include The Bistro, managed by Aquatrek, the original Beqa Lagoon Shark Dive, and The Awakening at Barefoot Kuata Resort in the Yasawa Islands, established by shark expert Dr Thomas Vignaud.

Time to book a dive holiday? Contact the team at Diveplanit Travel, your personal dive travel agency. Diveplanit.com