21 – 28 April, 2012

9 – 16 June, 2012

22 – 29 September, 2012

(if these dates don’t suit you, please contact us; we are often able to arrange small groups at other times)

A fantastic week of snorkelling, learning and exploring in Fiji

8 Days / 7 Nights

The reefs around Vanua Levu provide some of the most rewarding snorkelling in the world. If you don’t want to dive the reefs, this week will give you the chance to see sharks, rays, turtles and many species of reef fish and corals.

In the evenings, an experienced marine biologist will give talks on the marine environment and brief you on the next day’s snorkel. He will come with you to guide the snorkel and point out some of the wonders of the ocean on an all-day field trip.

Below the water is definitely the centre of the week, but we’ll also show you a lot of Fiji above the water. Visits to schools, farms and villages are included.

Marine Biologist Johnny Singh studied at the University of the South Pacific in Suva. He has worked in Savusavu for the past 6 years and knows the reefs and marine life of the area intimately. He is a keen underwater photographer and illustrates his talks with his own wonderful photos and videos. He is a passionate conservatioist, and his enthusiasm for ocean life is contagious.

Itinerary at a Glance

The course runs for 7 days; the last day is a travel day.

You should book your flights to arrive in Savusavu on the first flight from Nadi at 7.00am on Saturday – and you are welcome to arrive earlier in the week or stay on later – we’ll just charge you at regular room rates less 15% if you’re on the course.

Saturday
Introductory lecture and field trip with Johnnie Singh.

Sunday
Field trip day with Johnnie Singh.

Monday
Morning: Field trip.
Afternoon: Town Visit.
Evening: Lecture on Conceptual Coral Reefs

Tuesday
Morning: Filed trip.
Afternoon:Pearl farm visit.
Tapa demonstration.

Wednesday
Morning: Field trip.
Picnic lunch and boat / beach trip.
Evening : Lecture on ‘Cities under the sea’

Thursday
Morning: Field trip.
Afternoon: Excursion tolocal village.
Evening dinner in town.

Friday
Morning: Field trip.
Afternoon: Free
Evening: Lecture on Coral Critters

Saturday
Leaving Ceremony and departure to Nadi.

Cost: F$1665 twin share. F$1615 is approx AUD$1050 / US$850 – we take payment in Fiji dollars and your bank will advise you the rates they charge. Single supplement F$400.

Includes accommodation, all meals, excursions, equipment. Does not include travel – but we are happy to advise.

» » Make a booking

21 – 28 April, 2012

9 – 16 June, 2012

22 – 29 September, 2012

(if these dates don’t suit you, please contact us; we are often able to arrange small groups at other times)

A fantastic week of snorkelling, learning and exploring in Fiji

8 Days / 7 Nights

The reefs around Vanua Levu provide some of the most rewarding snorkelling in the world. If you don’t want to dive the reefs, this week will give you the chance to see sharks, rays, turtles and many species of reef fish and corals.

In the evenings, an experienced marine biologist will give talks on the marine environment and brief you on the next day’s snorkel. He will come with you to guide the snorkel and point out some of the wonders of the ocean on an all-day field trip.

Below the water is definitely the centre of the week, but we’ll also show you a lot of Fiji above the water. Visits to schools, farms and villages are included.

Marine Biologist Johnny Singh studied at the University of the South Pacific in Suva. He has worked in Savusavu for the past 6 years and knows the reefs and marine life of the area intimately. He is a keen underwater photographer and illustrates his talks with his own wonderful photos and videos. He is a passionate conservatioist, and his enthusiasm for ocean life is contagious.

Itinerary at a Glance

The course runs for 7 days; the last day is a travel day.

You should book your flights to arrive in Savusavu on the first flight from Nadi at 7.00am on Saturday – and you are welcome to arrive earlier in the week or stay on later – we’ll just charge you at regular room rates less 15% if you’re on the course.

Saturday
Introductory lecture and field trip with Johnnie Singh.

Sunday
Field trip day with Johnnie Singh.

Monday
Morning: Field trip.
Afternoon: Town Visit.
Evening: Lecture on Conceptual Coral Reefs

Tuesday
Morning: Filed trip.
Afternoon:Pearl farm visit.
Tapa demonstration.

Wednesday
Morning: Field trip.
Picnic lunch and boat / beach trip.
Evening : Lecture on ‘Cities under the sea’

Thursday
Morning: Field trip.
Afternoon: Excursion tolocal village.
Evening dinner in town.

Friday
Morning: Field trip.
Afternoon: Free
Evening: Lecture on Coral Critters

Saturday
Leaving Ceremony and departure to Nadi.

Cost: F$1665 twin share. F$1615 is approx AUD$1050 / US$850 – we take payment in Fiji dollars and your bank will advise you the rates they charge. Single supplement F$400.

Includes accommodation, all meals, excursions, equipment. Does not include travel – but we are happy to advise.

» » Make a booking

Marine Photography with Daniel Schwartz and Jean-Michel Cousteau L’Aventure

Under the guidance of skilled underwater photographer, Daniel Schwartz, we’re offering two very special weeks of diving and photography in Savusavu, Fiji.

Diving will be at the famed Namena Marine Reserve and the magnificent reefs around the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort.

Daniel will lead daily dives (with cameras!) and guide you to the best photo opportunities. After the dive, you will show each other your work and discuss what has worked and what hasn’t; how to improve your shots; what you might have missed – and why some shots just stand out from the rest.

You will need your own photographic equipment and a USB stick for viewing the photos on a laptop.

Daniel Schwartz lives in Oakland, California. He has been a keen diver since 1996 and his stunning photographs of the underwater world can be seen at his website www.seawindows.org. He has become increasingly involved in working to protect the marine environment: he is a volunteer with the The Marine Mammal Center in their Rehabilitation and Water Rescue Departments, and is certified as a Specialty Diver for Reef Check California where they monitor the local ecosystem – surveying indicator species’ diversity and abundance.

It will be a wonderful week for both the experienced and novice photographer.

Details of the dive sites can be seen below.

Cost: FJ$ 3200 /US$ 1820

Includes:

• all diving (10 dives)
• dive equipment
• tuition
• 7 nights accommodation at Daku Resort
• meals
• airport transfers from Savusavu airport

Not included: Travel – but we are happy to advise.

Dive sites visited by Jean-Michel Costeau L’Aventure (as described by them):

Namena Island
This small island 20 miles to the south of Savusavu is surrounded by mile after mile of unexplored reefs. Seemingly bottomless drop-offs, multi-colored soft corals and perfect coral gardens support an abundance of marine life. This is the place to see the big fish cruising in from the depths of the Koro Sea. Barracuda, spanish mackerel, dog-tooth tuna, mantas and large sharks regularly patrol these reefs.

(Note: Jean-Michel rates Namena as the best dive spot in Fiji, and one of the 10 best in the world. We are one of the only diving resorts in Fiji that visits Namena on a regular basis. Weather permitting, we visit Namena 1-2 times per week.)

Canyons
Swim through beautiful grottos of hard coral extending into vast unexplored underwater canyons. See Reef Sharks resting in the grottos.

Shark Alley
A maze of swim-throughs, overhangs and chambers hide white tip reef sharks resting on sandy bottoms. Giant Mouri wrasse and grouper can be found hiding around the next corner.

Nuggets
The nuggets are two coral heads. One is a myriad of soft corals surrounded by schools of fairy basslets, masked banner fish, leaf fish, with jacks and barracuda circling. The second is covered in golden soft corals. Lionfish, scorpion fish, nesting trigger fish and moray eels are abundant.

Goldilocks
This site is a favorite because you can swim completely around the edge of the reef. It offers great diversity of hard and soft corals, with a very abundant reef fish population.

Jacksons
This spectacular wall features gigantic sea fans at depths of 90 feet. Divers finish among luxurious purple soft corals at 40-60 ft.

Fingers
This site is known for a beautiful spur and groove reef system, jutting fingers of hard coral alternating with high flow grooves., plus painted crayfish, giant tridacna clams, and eagle rays.

Light House
This is a good, deep dive — 100 feet — with a large aggregation of fish, such as groupers and snappers, and octopus. This is an active spawning site of both these large fish and smaller reef fish.

Mystery Reef
This isolated reef is scattered with coral heads covered in multi-colored soft corals, spanish mackerel, coral trout and unicorn fish.

Hole in the Wall
This vertical drop off supports huge gorgonian fans. Large tuna, spotted sweetlips, mackerel, barracuda, with bronze whalers lurk in the depths below.

Big Blue
This spectacular drop off features giant gorgonians covered with feather stars. It’s a perfect place to watch for sea turtles and large fish.

Alice in Wonderland
This site is an open water large patch reef, where small reef sharks often lurk underneath large mushroom-shaped corals. The upcurrent end has good flow and huge aggregations of reef fish and larger pelagic life.

Nsonisoni Pass
This is a drift dive along a wall covered with every variety of pristine hard and soft corals imaginable. Divers can swim across the passage to the purple bommies, a mass of purple soft corals fed by the nutrient-rich Koro Sea waters. Large barracuda, circling gray reef sharks and white tips cruise everywhere.

Barracuda Point
Beginning on a reef wall just off the coast of the resort, this dive involves swimming along a hard-coral reef finger to join a school of 50-60 resident barracuda. Be on the lookout for hammerheads and schools of batfish as well.

Dreadlocks
In the middle of Savusavu Bay, this site is home to a lavish array of multicolored hard and soft coral