Catching the Fijian Fever | Official Website of 10 Magazine Asia

One of the reasons why people travel to Fiji year in and year out are the magnificent scuba dive sites located all over the islands. Even if you’ve never taken one breath underwater, there has never been a better time to start. Choose between simple (and often complimentary) pool dives to get accustomed to life underwater or opt for a full licensed PADI Open Water Course available at many certified training facilities around the island.

In fact, it’s far more cost-effective to take PADI training in Fiji than in many other countries. This is especially true if you head to the Beqa Adventure Divers office in Pacific Harbour (contact info below). The instructors at this surprisingly affordable course somehow manage to make holding your breath fun.

Once you feel comfortable in the water, move on to the world famous shark dive that the company offers four times a week. You can swim with tiger sharks, bull sharks, and a whole host of brightly-coloured aquatic life, and it is actually a lot safer than it sounds. Experienced divers can of course skip the course and jump right into ancient shipwreck dives, witness an abundance of coral splendour, and explore mysterious underwater caves. Plus, the water around Fiji is always warm enough for a deep ocean dive.

Best Dive Sites in Fiji

• Great Astrolabe Reef (Near Kadavu)

This great reef may not be as well-known as the Great Barrier in Australia, but it does attract a lot of manta rays and the soft coral is pleasing to the eye.

Magical Islands
Kadavu

One of the best preserved areas in all of Fiji. The area lacks a lot of the predators that prowl the main islands, allowing native wildlife to roam free and delight tourists. Kadavu also offers the perfect starting point for a dive along the Great Astrolabe Reef.

Catching the Fijian Fever | Official Website of 10 Magazine Asia

Scuba Diving Magazine - Fiji

Fiji

Brilliant soft corals may be Fiji's signature dive attraction, but there's much more to the underwater story here. With more than 320 islands to choose from, divers never run out of options. The largest island of Viti Levu offers easy access to the widest range of sites (including the world-famous Beqa Lagoon and the shark encounters off Pacific Harbour) and has the most extensive diving infrastructure. Vanua Levu and Taveuni, to the north, feature otherworldly walls of snowy soft coral. And the smaller islands of the Yasawas, the Lau Group, the Mamanucas, the Lomaivitis and Kadavu each have a distinct underwater appeal. Acres of plate and staghorn corals have colonized the Yasawas and Mamanucas, considered to have some of the best vis in all Fiji. The bommies off the outer Lomaivitis are known for pelagics drawn to their shoals of baitfish, and the Great Astrolabe Reef of Kadavu is a top spot for big animal encounters.


Dive In

Weather: Temps stay in the low 80s most of the year and dip to about 75 degrees from May to October. The best conditions occur from March to December.

Average Water Temp: Anywhere from the mid-70s in cool months (May to October) to the mid-80s in January and February.

Average Visibility: Excellent--in the triple digits most of the year, although plankton blooms and rainfall can lower the vis during the rainy season.

Currency: Fijian dollar (F$).

Time: Fiji is 20 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.

Direct Dial Code: 011-679.

Language: Fijian, though English is widely spoken and understood.

Electricity: 240 volts, 50 cycles. Larger hotels also have 110-volt razor sockets.

Entry Documents: U.S. citizens need a passport and a return ticket.

Departure Tax: F$30.

For More Info: Fiji Visitors Bureau, www.bulafiji.com.
Scuba Diving Magazine - Fiji

Sport Diver Magazine USA Oct 2008 article on on Fiji

Second Edition of Diving Adventure Magazine Available NOW!

SDI, TDI & ERDI released the second issue of the highly awaited Diving Adventure Magazine.

Issue one of Diving Adventure was off-press just in time to be previewed during DEMA last November, and has now been distributed to all active SDI, TDI and ERDI members in North America as part of their membership perks while mailing has gone out to more than 15,000 recently certified SDI, TDI and ERDI divers.

Issue two will exceed those numbers as subscriptions have increased as well as SDI/TDI/ERDI members. This second edition which is 75 pages and includes articles written by Stan Waterman, Bret Gilliam, Brian Carney and Flemming Elleboe on fish feeding and its effect on wild marine life, diving the B-17 Jack Black, resting in the south pacific at 150 ft and exploring Cocos Island – by submarine!! Along with these interesting and greatly educative articles are fantastic photo shoots by world’s renowned underwater photographers Mauricio Handler with a wonderful portfolio of underwater pictures and Rod Klein, who shares his amazing shots of the Dwarf Minke Whales off of The Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

“We feel the second issue raised the bar for a quality diving magazine,” commented Steve Lewis, director of product development for International Training and Editor of Diving Adventure Magazine. “This isn’t a magazine that you get in the mail, flip through once or twice and never pick up again like so many publications out there. You can actually sit down and read the articles, learn a little on the way from the scientific or historic side and be blown away with the photography within.”

Issue three of Dive Adventure Magazine will hit the stands just in time for the DEMA show this year. “It will be our ‘DEMA Issue’,” stated Cris Merz, Advertising Manager for Diving Adventure Magazine. “We are already working hard on it and want to unveil it during the show.”

Diving Adventure is available by subscription for $15 for two issues or $25 for four issues. Subscription inquiries can be directed to info@divingadventuremag.com.

For information about advertising in Diving Adventure Magazine, contact David Burroughs or Cris Merz at sales@divingadventuremag.com or 1-207-729-4201.

Please visit us at www.divingadventuremag.com.

For more information about SDI, TDI or ERDI visit: www.tdisdi.com

X-RAY MAG Issue No. 18 is published and ready for download

Popular online magazine continues to generate interest with great stories and information.

The September 2007 issue number 18 of X-RAY International Dive Magazine has been released. This late summer issue contains 94 spreads of dive news, travel stories, feature articles and underwater photography. Download of the current issue, archive issues and yearly subscriptions to X-RAY MAG is free.

In the current issue, divers and dive professionals will find comprehensive travel articles on Socorro Island off Mexico’s California peninsula, with text and photos by Barb Roy; Stunning images by Wolfgang Leander and Roger Horrocks freediving with Tiger sharks off South Africa.

Those with technical minds will find Cedric Verdier’s series on rebreathers – this time the subject is “Solo Diving with Rebreathers.” A bit provocative, perhaps? Well, give it a read and see for yourself

The photo and video section of the magazine is this time contributed by Swiss master photographer Kurt Amsler who generously shares his insights into strobe photography- Following a comprehensive news section full of current and compelling news from around the world on diving, divers, travel, education, ocean conservation, shipwrecks, giant squid and marine life, the new equipment and trends in the industry we have a short report on the latest events in Malaysia, the MIDE expo in Kuala Lumpur and Tioman MegaDive. And we tried and tested Scuba & Spa.

Last but not nearly least, we present the stunning underwater sculptures by Jason Taylor

To subscribe or download the current issue of X-RAY MAG free of charge, go to: www.xray-mag.com