Undersea Fiji - Viwa

A Garden of Coral, Viwa Fiji, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

Read Part IV: Little Viwa →

As I described in my last post, the Island of Viwa is an isolated place, situated on the extreme Western edge of the Yasawa group of the Fijian Islands. It’s a long boat ride from anywhere, so I recommend the short 25 minute float-plane/chopper flight from Nadi rather than the ferry-boat transfer option. Crossing the choppy seas in a small vessel can be daunting for some, and eats up most of a day you’d rather spend on the beach or beneath the waves.

So, let’s dive right in, shall we?

Eagle rays patrol the edge of the reef. Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing.

The first adventure of every Viwa dive excursion is crossing its barrier reef. There’s a small gap forming a channel about a hundred meters off-shore that the boat has to blast through in order to get to the deeper waters beyond. Because of the shape and location of the gap, it inevitably meant jumping some big waves whilst passing quite close to the rusting wreck of a vessel that didn’t quite get it right. Yikes. Once through the gap the sea is your oyster and a myriad of potential dive sites awaits you.

Clownfish and it’s Anemone, Olympus Tough TG3, Macro setting, Dive Housing

Clownfish guarding eggs, Olympus Tough TG3, Macro setting, Dive Housing

Unlike the Rainbow Reef where my focus was on the smaller denizens of the sea, in the waters surrounding Viwa it was some of the larger creatures and vistas that caught my gaze and lens. That’s not to say there weren’t plenty of the little guys around (as you see above), but there were certainly an abundance of larger fish one simply couldn’t ignore.

The Viwa dive sites we visited (The Zoo, Coral Garden and Fantasea) were all characterized by a fairly deep dive profile and rolling coral mounts that dropped off into the vanishing deep blue of the open ocean. We would slowly dive along the edge of these precipices, splitting our attention between the corals and rocks on one side, and the vast blue nothing on the other - waiting for something to appear.

Bilo leading the way, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

I was fortunate to be the only diver at Viwa that week and so was able to enjoy the solitude of the sea with just Bilo, the dive leader, to guide me to his favorite spots. He always seemed to know where to stop and wait for the magic to happen, and he clearly liked the pelagic fish most of all.

Giant Trevally swims in from the blue, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

Schools of Barracuda and Rainbow Runners crossing paths, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

Barred Mackerel gets close, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

One of the neat things about stopping to observe the fish is the opportunity to note behavior you might not have noticed before. Bilo and I hovered motionless in one spot for about 10 minutes just watching the world swim by and noting how the fish reacted (or didn’t) to our presence. A glint of sunlight in my peripheral vision attracted me to one interesting and unexpected display. A pair of Dogtooth Tuna were playing around in the open water, one swimming just above the other but tilted so that it was swimming on it’s side, and smacking the tuna bellow it with it’s tail as it went. I literally laughed into my regulator watching this playtime unfold before us, imagining one to be the older sibling mercilessly teasing the other. Not what I was expecting to see from a fish that can reach nearly 2.5m in length and 150kg.

Dogtooth Tuna Playing around. Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing.

At the dive site known as “The Zoo”, the sheer volume of fish on display can not be understated. At any moment any of the above would show up, plus a variety of Turtles, Rays and yes, Sharks, including a mismatched pair of Black Tip and White Tip Reef Sharks that together seemed to be patrolling the zone between reef and the deep.

Black Tip Reef Shark, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

Eagle Ray Pair, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

Looking for the EAC? Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

Lone Barracuda follows me around for a bit. Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

White Tip gets real close, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

For snorkelers, the area immediately off the beach is a bit barren, but venturing closer to the barrier reef quickly produces more interesting sites and varieties of fish to see. You probably want to do this with a buddy, as it requires getting a bit far from shore and the outbound current can be strong depending on the tides. I challenge you to find the garden of colorful giant clams, it’s hidden in plain sight straight off shore from the resort’s gear hut. I also highly recommend the guided snorkeling tour, which takes you by boat to a site not otherwise reachable from the resort. There we saw more sharks (including a leopard shark! - no photo I’m afraid) and more varieties of coral and fish.

Resting Grouper, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing.

You could probably spend your entire Viwa dive trip at “The Zoo” and not get bored (we went twice), but there’s plenty to see at all the sites and plenty of sites I didn’t yet see! I’m often curious how dive operators in these places discover and plot-out the dive sites they’ll take visitors to. Is it by trial and error, general local knowledge, or perhaps leveraging past research? If you have some ideas I’d love to hear from you in the comments section down bellow.

School of Trevally, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

Regardless which site you dive, seeing Viwa from beneath the waves is a must. You can plunge right into the wild and be back at the resort in time for lunch. It's hidden treasure trove of natural beauty forming the perfect compliment to your relaxing beach-time topside.

Continue to the next Adventure: Japan - Prologue →

Bilo leads back out of the cave, Olympus Tough TG3, Dive Housing

Little Viwa

Viwa Island Resort, Viwa Fiji, DJI Mavic Air, Freewell Polarizing Filter

Read Part IV: Undersea Fiji - Rainbow Reef →

Viwa is the westernmost of Fiji’s 330 islands. Sitting 23 kilometers from it’s nearest neighbor and surrounded by it’s own barrier reef, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re a long way from nowhere out here. Our original plan was to take a float plane over from Nadi, thus saving the half day boat trip over seas that can occasionally be a bit rough. Unfortunately, we received notice a few days before the trip that the plane was out of commission; luckily the airline had an alternative for us…

Flying over Waya on the way to Viwa, Fiji, Nikon FE, 20mm Nikkor lens, Kodak Ektar 100

With the float-plane out of commission and the airline committed to getting us to our destination, they offered us a ride over in their little helicopter. Talk about making a grand entrance to the resort! This was a first for me, and I loved the experience. On the way to Viwa you have to fly over the Mamanuca Island chain, famous for it’s picture-perfect tiny islands and the exclusive resorts tucked inside them. Our pilot was something of a hot-shot who loved getting low to the islands, and up close to the mountain tops and cliffs we passed along the way. From the water you wouldn’t see much more than the island shores, so this bonus sight-seeing again validated our decision to fly. In a short 25 minutes we were over Viwa and landing on the soft grass helipad behind the resort with smiles and waves from the staff greeting us to our home for the next week.

Tivua Island, Fiji, NIkon FE, 20mm Nikkor Lens, Kodak Ektar 100

Approach to Viwa, Fiji, DJI Mavic Air, Freewell Polarizing Filter

In stark contrast to the mountainous landscapes of eastern Vanua Levu, Viwa is flat as a pancake, rising just a few meters above sea level and nestled within an encircling barrier reef. Our home for this week would be the Viwa Island Resort, located on the eastern shore of the island. There are three villages on the island, which are home to most of the staff here. The resort itself is simple, with about a dozen small private villas just a few meters up from the beach, each with it’s own thatched umbrellas and sun-beds out front on the sand. The main pavilion serves as restaurant, bar and activity center. We quickly settled into a rhythm that was focused on relaxation, soaking up some sun, and (in my case) snorkeling and diving. Compared to The Remote Resort, I’d say the feel here was a bit more spartan and laissez-faire, with most of your time spent on the beach with a good book or drink (or both) in hand. There are a few guided activities, and aside from snorkeling I’d say fishing from a little boat by hand-reel (like the locals do) was one of my favorites. Turns out i’m no better at that than I am with a fishing rod in hand.

Divers take note: While the resort offers scuba diving, the dive leader is not a full time resident of the resort. Call or email in advance to ensure they’ve scheduled him to be there for your visit, thus avoiding disappointment! And yes it’s worth diving here, as you’ll see in this post!

Viwa Island Resort Beach from Cabin 7, Nikon FE, 20mm Nikkor Lens, Kodak Ektar 100

Viwa Island Resort Beach Walk, Nikon FE, 20mm Nikkor Lens, Kodak Ektar 100

A lovely place to read, Nikon FE, 20mm Nikkor Lens, Kodak Ektar 100

The reef here is not quite as healthy as those we experienced off Vanua Levu, but the snorkeling is still a treat, especially with the many turtles, parrot fish and trigger fish that call the waters right off the resort home. We even spotted a blacktip reef shark and a sleeping leopard shark while enjoying the guided snorkeling in the deeper waters further south on the island. The sandy beach here is amazing and really the star of the show on Viwa. Soft-white and stretching the length of the resort, I could walk end to end all day long (and did, when I wanted to get another drink or snack!) and just enjoy the feeling of it beneath my toes.

The food for the resort is harvested right on site for the most part, either from the sea or the extensive gardens tucked behind the villa area. I highly recommend asking for a quick tour of the facility as it’s really well thought-out, right down to the solar power cells that provide the power and heat for hot water. At a site like this, sustainability is survivability -both economically and environmentally- when considering the delicate ecosystems in play and the distances from alternative suppliers.

Visiting the vegetable growing fields behind the resort. Nikon FE, 20mm Nikkor Lens, Kodak Ektar 100.

Viwa Veggies, Nikon FE, 20mm Nikkor Lens, Kodak Ektar 100

Viwa was a lovely spot for a break. Perhaps not as adventurous in feel as I would normally seek-out (though the diving took care of that) but nonetheless a great place to just chill and take in the beauty of the sea and the warmth of the sand. As with many such places, the opportunity to make friends is there at meal time and happy hour, but the setup is really ideally suited for couples; and allows a sufficient feel of seclusion for you to enjoy each-others company without having to step through walls of tourists to find a spot to relax.

When it came time to leave Viwa, we received word that our float plane was still broken, and now so-to was the helicopter (yikes?). The boat trip back reaffirmed what a good idea it was to try to fly in and out of this little island paradise. A quick evening storm the night before and the ensuing winds whipped up waves that made the trip feel more like an obstacle course than anything else. That said, running the gauntlet of waves at the lone narrow break in the barrier reef is experience enough to get most thrill-seekers grinning ear to ear, so if you dig that then give it a go! You’ll have to anyway, if you’re going to reach the dives sites beyond.

Continue to Part V: Undersea Fiji - Viwa →

Viwa and the Sea, Fiji, DJI Mavic Air, Freewell Polarizing Filter

Planning my dive with Bilo, DJI Mavic Air, Freewell Polarizing Filter.