| Dive area / region : Yasawas - See the map |
 
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| Best diving season : April • May • June • July • August • September • October | |||||||||||||||||||
| Recommended number of days to stay : From 2 to 4 days | |||||||||||||||||||
| Number of dive sites : 6 to 10 Dive Sites | |||||||||||||||||||
| Water temperature and wetsuit advice : 26C-… : Shorty or Thin Wetsuit | |||||||||||||||||||
| Average visibility : 30 meters plus | |||||||||||||||||||
| Average dives depth : 25 Meters | |||||||||||||||||||
| Type of currents : Medium level currents | |||||||||||||||||||
| Months when these currents are present : N/A | |||||||||||||||||||
| General surface conditions : Medium conditions | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wreck types : Old wooden ship • Recent world ships • Artificial wrecks |
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| Type of marine life : Barracuda • Jacks • Reef Fish • Shark - Reef shark • Softcoral • Turtles • Whales | |||||||||||||||||||
| Presence of caves / caverns : Yes - Semiclosed | |||||||||||||||||||
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Scuba Diving in the Yasawas
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Description
The Yasawa Group is undoubtedly the most appealing of the Fiji Islands for beach lovers and water enthusiasts. The stunning chain of islands extends from the Mamanuca Group. Snorkelling is fantastic and scuba diving is good, more so for marine life than for the soft corals.
Sailing charters are also available and award winning Blue Lagoon Cruises offer several small ship luxury cruises along the islands for 2-, 3- and 7-days. The further out you go, the more traditional the islands become with the islands of the Yasawa chain being home to lots of small traditional fishing villages with thatch homes. The furthest island from Nadi takes about 2 hours by fast catamaran.
Because they sit in the lee of Viti Levu, the Yasawas are dry and sunny with crystal clear waters. It was from the north end of the Yasawas that two canoe-loads of cannibals appeared in 1789 and gave Captain William Bligh and his 18 companions a chase, less than a week after the famous mutiny. Two centuries later, cruise ships ply the island chain and its waters, while more and more luxury resorts dot the islands foreshores. The islands of the group are Waya Island, the highest in the Yasawas, Tavewa Island a strikingly beautiful small island about two kilometres long, Turtle Island which has the ultimate resort owned by Richard Evanson who bought the island in 1972, Yasawa Island, Sawa-i-Lau Island with its large limestone cave illuminated by a crevice at the top, Naviti Island which is the largest of the Yasawas and Viwa, the most remote, squatting alone 25km northwest of Waya. From a distance they suggest a string of emerald beads lying on the horizon. Up close they are precipitous, with long stretches of sandy beaches fringed by azure waters. The beauty of Yasawa has lured the tourist dollar, which is fortuitous for villagers: arable land is limited, and some crops are difficult or even impossible to grow. The islands are a major attraction for cruise vessels originating in Lautoka, and in the last several years several backpacker and high-end accommodations have opened up on Waya.
Sailing charters are also available and award winning Blue Lagoon Cruises offer several small ship luxury cruises along the islands for 2-, 3- and 7-days. The further out you go, the more traditional the islands become with the islands of the Yasawa chain being home to lots of small traditional fishing villages with thatch homes. The furthest island from Nadi takes about 2 hours by fast catamaran.
Because they sit in the lee of Viti Levu, the Yasawas are dry and sunny with crystal clear waters. It was from the north end of the Yasawas that two canoe-loads of cannibals appeared in 1789 and gave Captain William Bligh and his 18 companions a chase, less than a week after the famous mutiny. Two centuries later, cruise ships ply the island chain and its waters, while more and more luxury resorts dot the islands foreshores. The islands of the group are Waya Island, the highest in the Yasawas, Tavewa Island a strikingly beautiful small island about two kilometres long, Turtle Island which has the ultimate resort owned by Richard Evanson who bought the island in 1972, Yasawa Island, Sawa-i-Lau Island with its large limestone cave illuminated by a crevice at the top, Naviti Island which is the largest of the Yasawas and Viwa, the most remote, squatting alone 25km northwest of Waya. From a distance they suggest a string of emerald beads lying on the horizon. Up close they are precipitous, with long stretches of sandy beaches fringed by azure waters. The beauty of Yasawa has lured the tourist dollar, which is fortuitous for villagers: arable land is limited, and some crops are difficult or even impossible to grow. The islands are a major attraction for cruise vessels originating in Lautoka, and in the last several years several backpacker and high-end accommodations have opened up on Waya.
The Yasawa group of islands are a string of volcanic islands with steep mountains and gorgeous beaches. The Yasawas are the ideal backpackers destination with twelve large islands to visit and as many traditionally owned backpacker resorts.
Kuata Island point has a deep lagoon which, like most of the Yasawa islands, offers excellent snorkelling. The rocky coastline of northern Kuata Island beneath which a splendid fine white sand beach and traditional resort lie beside a deep lagoon. Walking trails meander throughout Kuata's steep ridges.
Waya Island is the most dramatic of the Yasawa islands and offers great hiking trails as well as sandy beaches. The beach at Botaira Beach Resort offers fine white sand, tropical vegetation and a deep lagoon offshore ideal for swimming and snorkelling. Botaira Beach Resort on the western side of Naviti Island, is the ideal escape with traditional bures with private facilities and cheaper dorm style bures with shared bathrooms.
Tavewa is a low lying island with grassy hills. It is possible to walk around the island in a few hours, most of the way on sand. Snorkelling offshore is excellent. The island was the original backpacker destination in the Yasawas and is the most commercial of the Yasawa islands with no traditional villages or landowners and half a dozen small resorts, most aimed at backpackers.
Sawa-i-Lau island is famous for its underwater caves. Yasawa Island is a long narrow and flat island with coastal cliffs, bays and sandy beaches. There are often good beach waves on the west coast of Yasawa making it fun for frolicking. The beach front at Yasawa Island Resort, one of the most upmarket resorts in Fiji, stretches for over a kilometre.
Yasawa has many traditional fishing villages including Teci Village with mostly thatch houses. Of all the Fiji islands the Yasawa (pronounced Yah-sow-wah) Group is the most archetypically `South Pacific'. Perhaps that is why both versions of Blue Lagoon were shot on location in the Yasawas. There are about 20 islands of volcanic origin which lie in a chain just off the northwest coast of Viti Levu. The island chain begins about 40 kilometers northwest of Lautoka and stretch for approximately 80 kilometers. The group was romanticised in the movie 'The Blue Lagoon' twice, once in 1949 with Jean Simmons and again in 1980 with Brooke Shields. These islands are special because of their beautiful, isolated beaches, cliffs, bays and reefs, unspoiled by much tourist development.
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