Liveaboard Diving in Nigali Passage
What to expect on a Nigali Passage Liveaboard
Liveaboards to Nigali Passage will usually visit here as part of a multi-stop Fijian dive itinerary. It is one of the dive sites of Gau Island, which is the 5th largest island of Fiji. Gau island is also significant for the Coral Triangle which is the global epicenter of marine biodiversity and a global priority for conservation. It is also referred to as the Amazon of the seas. In 2005 a marine research facility was established on Naviavia beach on the western coast of Gau.
Gau Island is one of best places of biodiversity within the South-West Pacific Priority Place; one of the most important locations for conservation in the world, according to WWF.
Nigali Passage liveaboards dive this small cut in the reef that has a 3-hour window optimum in which you can dive. Outside of this window, the visibility is poor and the current can exceed 4 knots.
What you can see
The incoming and outgoing currents attract schools of pelagic fish. You can often see barracuda and trevally jacks at the channel mouth and several grey reef sharks form schools at just 18m depth.
Your dive here from your liveaboard cruise will start with a drop in to the top of the current that rushes through the reef, which looks like a sandy road of approximately 20 meters long, and finally ends into a lagoon. You go along the drift and spend most of the time in the channel and just watch the action around and beneath you. On your drift you will be accompanied by three varieties of schools of barracuda, schools of jack fish, snappers, malabar groupers, an occasional eagle ray, manta ray, hammerhead shark and of course many white tip reef sharks and grey reef sharks.
You sail along the drift until you arrive at a small coral ledge on the right side which looks across the sandy driveway. This is your lookout point. You will see the curious sharks keeping an eye on you. Near the wall you can also see jew fishes, large groupers, snapper and sea snakes. After a while you can let go and join all the sharks and barracuda and cross to the other side to go with the current into to the lagoon. Once arrived in the lagoon, you will have slowed down and entered a big field with many green cabbage corals in healthy condition where the dive will be ended.
Getting to Nigali Passage
Flights from all around the world arrive at Nadi International Airport on Viti Levu. There are several domestic flights leaving from Nadi to Suva from where some of our Fijian liveaboard cruises depart and usually include Nigali Passage on their itinerary.
