Dive Academy Fiji

We sailed into Viani Bay and came to shore for the happy hour every night and also booked in for dinner one night! The dinner was delicious and the service was amazing! We also did a tour of the reef nearby and had a great time with the lovely guides! – via

I sailed into Viani Bay and dinghied ashore, plenty of places to land.
It’s a super spot, picturesque with some fantastic snorkeling close by. Everyone was helpful and friendly.
Highly recommend a visit. – via

We had an amazing 7 day Stay at the Viani Bay (Dive Academy) Resort. This was one of my most memorable experiences. The whole team at the resort are all Rockstars.

We had an amazing time doing the Discover Scuba dives and a ton of snorkelling experiences. To top it off, we had an amazing day trip and manta ray excursion.

The food was an amazing experience, the ladies had magic in their hand and all the fijian food was amazing.

Jone and Marina have built an amazing place in the midst of heaven. Special thanks and kudos to our wonderful snorkel guide who took some amazing photos. – via

It’s a lovely place and totally feels like the real Fiji. The rooms are delightful and they make a real effort to provide healthy food with a local theme. The White Wall is fabulous. I highly recommend. – via

This dive shop offers an unforgettable experience as you discover The Wall, the Pier, and many other breathtaking dive sites in the Caribbean.

The staff at St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures are simply fantastic. Liz and Joe, in particular, are friendly, experienced, and dedicated guides who will ensure you blend with nature and encounter the most wondrous marine life around the island.

Both shops are conveniently located, surrounded by restaurants, and filled with wonderful people who add to the overall charm of the experience.

St. Croix Pier, one of the most amazing dive sites in the world, is a must-visit highlight that will leave you in awe of its beauty.

In my opinion, St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures is the friendliest dive shop in the world, offering a remarkable journey in an island blessed by the hand of God. – via

What John and Marina have created is very unique and beautiful. They carved a beautiful and magical place in a remote location in the jungle and right on the bay. Their dedication and extraordinary hard work to build this “mini-Resort” by hand is remarkable. I wish I could give them a 5 star review. Here is why I give their efforts, unfortunately, two stars:

My scuba diving certifications are Master Instructor and advanced trimix technical diver. I have 1,000s of dives under my weight belt all around the world. My friend diving with me that day is a very experienced sailor who has sailed and raced in yachts of all sizes all around the world. Combined, we have a pretty good understanding of scuba diving and of the oceans and weather conditions.

Months before my trip, I planned to dive the Great White Wall on the Rainbow Reef. That was the reason I flew there to Vanau Levu and paid a lot of money specifically to Dive Academy to see this site. The plan was to make one dive on the way out to Viani Bay Resort from the location where Marina picked us up, have a snack at her place, and execute the second dive at the Great White Wall. When it was time to plan the second dive after a break at the resort, Marina said she checked the weather and swell on the forecast. and announced that we couldn’t go to the Great White Wall because there was a 7 meter (23 feet) swell at that location.

That day, it was sunny and the ocean was flat (see picture). We couldn’t have dreamed of better conditions. We were diving approx. 5 kilometers (2.7 nm) east from the Great White Wall. I checked the marine forecast for the area during our break and the swell forecast was 0.4m (1.3ft) for the entire day, which is not even noticeable. I had a hard time believing that in such a short distance, 5 km west from where we had been diving (I measured it on the map), we could go from a 7 meter swell to 0.4 meters. I didn’t want to argue the point at the time and we went to another site.

I was so very disappointed. I paid between 2 to 3 time the price of other dive operators on the island (plus car rental and getting to Buca Bay, as well as paying extra for the boat pick up, “convenience fee” and then for three dives with Dive Academy). It is a lot of money.

Marina’s excuse of the extreme swell in the bay at the White Wall just didn’t add up. We checked the swell on the marine weather forecast and later asked another dive operator who dived in the area on the same day if he had seen or heard of a 7 meter swell or “tsunami” exception near to the shore. There wasn’t one. When we asked Marina via email for the link of the website she used for her forecast, she didn’t provide it and came back saying that “she monitors the conditions and that site was not divable”.

Marina could have said there was too much current or that the tide and current was too strong for this dive site, then I could have understood. The swell excuse, sorry but NO. Why did she act like that? If I have to guess it is maybe because she wanted to save on boat fuel and her time. The dive site was 5 km west from where we dove.

I wish i could give a 5 star review for all the special set up they have and their hard work in building it. However, I cannot understand or tolerate people who take advantage of not so “knowledgeable people” of the location or of the ocean and diving. Unfortunately, myself and my friend are knowledgeable and do not agree with what happened and the empty excuses. – via

Nice remote place to dive & stay … you will feel welcome and @home immediately… we recommend this place highly .. – via

Nice remote place to dive & stay … you will feel welcome and @home immediately… we recommend this place highly .. – via

Great dive instructors and absolutely fabulous dive sites on their back doorstop, just a short boat ride away.
We came on our yacht and they were welcoming and friendly and helpful, which can be hard to find when you are a visiting sailboat.
Husband took his Padi Open Water here and the instructors were professional and the equipment was of top standard too.
The bay is gorgeous and the families that live nearby make the experience a true Fijian gem of hospitality.
Recommended for anyone wanting epic diving and professional and fun training. – via

Great dive instructors and absolutely fabulous dive sites on their back doorstop, just a short boat ride away.
We came on our yacht and they were welcoming and friendly and helpful, which can be hard to find when you are a visiting sailboat.
Husband took his Padi Open Water here and the instructors were professional and the equipment was of top standard too.
The bay is gorgeous and the families that live nearby make the experience a true Fijian gem of hospitality.
Recommended for anyone wanting epic diving and professional and fun training. – via

Hey,
When I came my first time to Fiji I knew I would come back, I’ve never been to a place with an intact reef like this. So I was looking for a place a bit away from the main tourists and close to the famous rainbow reef.
I was lucky enough that Marina and Jone had free accommodation so the choice wasn’t hard and I decided to stay there for over a month and do my rescue diver and dive mater there.
The place is remote and if u go there pls don’t expect a super cheap trip or touristy hotel.
BUT u can expect an individual and unique experience in a local and natural environment which is so much better!
It started already with the short flight from Nandi to Taveuni which was just beautiful.
Then my new friends picked me up at the airport and brought me to the final place by boat, which was already the next fantastic experience.
As soon as I arrived I felt super comfortable. Beautiful area in the middle of the nature with your own house reef. It’s located in a small village with beautiful and super friendly people. All of them made me feel like in a big family
The diving in the rainbow reef is amazing and not describeable in words. The variety of fishes, nudibranches and all other sea animals as well as super colorful softcorals and hardcorals is unbelievable.
And if u don’t go diving u can spend the time on your own beach or explore the island. There is lots of stuff to do and to see
The owners took care of everything and if there was sth I needed, I could go with them to Taveuni a few times per week to get it (but to be honest, there was nothing I missed).
I went diving almost every day and couldn’t get enough.
Marina took care of the most of my courses which she did really professional.
When there was time inbeteeen, Jone took me a few times to his coral farms to take care of those (another unique experience).
The quality of the diving equipment, the accommodation and the food was perfect, too.
It was a pity that I had to leave this little paradise but I will come back for sure.
Highly recommend! (but be careful, u will be spoiled )
Thanks a lot for such an amazing time to Marina & Jone and your crew and friends
See u soon, Bernie – via

Hey,
When I came my first time to Fiji I knew I would come back, I’ve never been to a place with an intact reef like this. So I was looking for a place a bit away from the main tourists and close to the famous rainbow reef.
I was lucky enough that Marina and Jone had free accommodation so the choice wasn’t hard and I decided to stay there for over a month and do my rescue diver and dive mater there.
The place is remote and if u go there pls don’t expect a super cheap trip or touristy hotel.
BUT u can expect an individual and unique experience in a local and natural environment which is so much better!
It started already with the short flight from Nandi to Taveuni which was just beautiful.
Then my new friends picked me up at the airport and brought me to the final place by boat, which was already the next fantastic experience.
As soon as I arrived I felt super comfortable. Beautiful area in the middle of the nature with your own house reef. It’s located in a small village with beautiful and super friendly people. All of them made me feel like in a big family
The diving in the rainbow reef is amazing and not describeable in words. The variety of fishes, nudibranches and all other sea animals as well as super colorful softcorals and hardcorals is unbelievable.
And if u don’t go diving u can spend the time on your own beach or explore the island. There is lots of stuff to do and to see
The owners took care of everything and if there was sth I needed, I could go with them to Taveuni a few times per week to get it (but to be honest, there was nothing I missed).
I went diving almost every day and couldn’t get enough.
Marina took care of the most of my courses which she did really professional.
When there was time inbeteeen, Jone took me a few times to his coral farms to take care of those (another unique experience).
The quality of the diving equipment, the accommodation and the food was perfect, too.
It was a pity that I had to leave this little paradise but I will come back for sure.
Highly recommend! (but be careful, u will be spoiled )
Thanks a lot for such an amazing time to Marina & Jone and your crew and friends
See u soon, Bernie – via

(Translated by Google) The dive center Dive Academy Fiji is located in the Viana Bay Resort (You can also find our review here). Arrival is via Taveuni only. The base is located on a secluded palm beach and just a few minutes boat ride from Rainbow Reef and the famous White Wall.

The diving center is run by the German emigrant Marina and Jone and that is exemplary. The equipment is in great condition, the service unbeatable. After checking in on the first day you always have the same equipment and you don’t have to worry about anything. When you get to the boat in the morning, everything is already loaded, changing the tanks between dives and washing out the material is done automatically. Perfect.

Marina does the briefing individually at each dive site after checking the current. From the places where there is no map, the dive site is quickly sketched on a small board.

The breaks between the dives are spent on the resort beach with fresh coffee and snacks. You can enjoy the time instead of lugging bottles.

Under water everything is also very relaxed! The coral and fish world is fantastic… our new number 1 worldwide!! Thanks for 12 great dives!!

(Original)
Die Tauchbasis Dive Academy Fiji befindet sich im Viana Bay Resort (Unsere Bewertung gibt‘s hier auch). Die Anreise erfolgt nur über Taveuni. Die Basis liegt an einem ruhig gelegenen Palmenstrand und nur wenige Minuten Bootsfahrt vom Rainbow Reef und der berühmten White Wall entfernt.

Die Tauchbasis wird von der deutschen Auswanderin Marina und Jone geführt und das vorbildlich. Das Equipment ist in einem super Zustand, der Service unschlagbar. Nach dem Check in am ersten Tag hat man immer das gleiche Equipment und man muss sich um nichts kümmern. Wenn man morgens zum Boot kommt ist schon alles verladen, der Flaschenwechsel zwischen den Tauchgängen wird automatisch erledigt und auch das auswaschen des Materials. Perfekt.

Das Briefing macht Marina individuell an jedem Tauchplatz nachdem sie die Strömung gecheckt hat. Von den Plätzen wo es keine Karte gibt wird der Tauchplatz kurzerhand auf einer kleinen Tafel skizziert.

Die Pausen zwischen den Tauchgängen verbringt man am Strand vom Resort bei frischem Kaffee und Snacks. Man kann die Zeit genießen anstatt Flaschen zu schleppen.

Unter Wasser ist ebenfalls alles sehr entspannt! Die Korallen und Fischwelt ist fantastisch… unsere neue Nummer 1 weltweit!! Danke für 12 tolle Tauchgänge!! – via

Die Tauchbasis Dive Academy Fiji befindet sich im Viana Bay Resort (Unsere Bewertung gibt‘s hier auch). Die Anreise erfolgt nur über Taveuni. Die Basis liegt an einem ruhig gelegenen Palmenstrand und nur wenige Minuten Bootsfahrt vom Rainbow Reef und der berühmten White Wall entfernt.

Die Tauchbasis wird von der deutschen Auswanderin Marina und Jone geführt und das vorbildlich. Das Equipment ist in einem super Zustand, der Service unschlagbar. Nach dem Check in am ersten Tag hat man immer das gleiche Equipment und man muss sich um nichts kümmern. Wenn man morgens zum Boot kommt ist schon alles verladen, der Flaschenwechsel zwischen den Tauchgängen wird automatisch erledigt und auch das auswaschen des Materials. Perfekt.

Das Briefing macht Marina individuell an jedem Tauchplatz nachdem sie die Strömung gecheckt hat. Von den Plätzen wo es keine Karte gibt wird der Tauchplatz kurzerhand auf einer kleinen Tafel skizziert.

Die Pausen zwischen den Tauchgängen verbringt man am Strand vom Resort bei frischem Kaffee und Snacks. Man kann die Zeit genießen anstatt Flaschen zu schleppen.

Unter Wasser ist ebenfalls alles sehr entspannt! Die Korallen und Fischwelt ist fantastisch… unsere neue Nummer 1 weltweit!! Danke für 12 tolle Tauchgänge!! – via

Fantastic company – our Divemaster Jone was awesome and our mornings on the boat were just fun and relaxed. Thanks for showing us the beautiful coral and waters of Fiji! – via