The diving at Savusavu is known to be among Fiji’s best, but Vanua Levu – Fiji’s second largest island – holds two of Fiji’s best kept secrets as far as scuba diving is concerned. These are the Great Sea Reef and the Namena Marine Park and we’re guessing you’ve heard of neither.
The Great Sea Reef is the third longest barrier reef in the world, and arcs 200 km from the top of Vanua Levu towards the tip of the Yasawa Islands. [hyp] After fish populations declined due to commercial fishing, a series of Marine Protected Areas have been created and fish populations are bouncing back. You can dive the end of the Great Sea Reef from a resort on the north of Vanua Levu.
The other secret is the Namena Marine Reserve. Think of it as Fiji’s Sipadan, an island surrounded by a tongue of reef that extends 20 km south from Vanua Levu into the deeper Koro Sea. This isolated island sits almost on the middle of a line drawn between Rainbow Reef and Vatu-I-Ra. Since TC Winston, there is no resort on the island, but Namena MPA is accessible from the Savusavu dive resorts.
