Sightings

Animal encounters at dive sites etc

Links

Announcements

• Sea Squirts

  Ella Lewis, Alex Heanly and James Bamford all completed the confined water and theory sessions for their Junior Open Water Course at Nananu-i-Ra recently, with Ella and Alex both going on to complete their open water dives too - some of the youngest people ever to dive the Bligh Waters without doubt! Well done. Ella's little sis Tess got in on the action too...

  
  
  

  

Shark

• 2m Nurse Shark

  Although Liz didn't see a turtle on her open water dive this morning she and her fellow student Tessa did spot a sleeping nurse shark at Golden Dreams with two big male mauri wrasse and a huge school of Spanish mackerel. What a great first open water dive!

  

Cetaceans (Whales & Dolphins)

• 100+ Dolphins...

  ... spotted WHILST DIVING in Savusavu Bay! Theunis reckons there was about 150 and apparently gabbled and gibbered for a good few hours after the dive!

  

MantaMeter

• MantaMeter Update

  High tide at about 4pm and 8 rays swimming in the channel.

  

Shipwrecks

• The Salamanda

  The ex-MV Salamanda is a decomssioned Blue Lagoon Cruise vessel that was purpose sunk for divers over 10 years ago. It lies upright in around thirty meters of water between Beachcomber and Vomo Islands in the Mamanuca group and has been stripped back so that you can safely penetrate the interior of the three-storey hull. Although there is only minimal coral growth on the superstructure there is plentifull fish life and the vis is normally good enough to get a clear view of the entire wreck, some 40m plus in length. We took our first trip out there a couple of days ago...

  

  

  

  

  

Nananu-i-Ra

• Black Magic in the Vatu-i-Ra Passage

  The full moon here usually brings calmer weather so we took the opportunity to snaffle Captain Meki for the day to take us way out into the Bligh Waters to the fmaous Vatu-i-Ra passage where we dived Black Magic Mountain, Pot Luck and The Garden of Eden.

  

  

  

  

  

Leaving

• Nananu DiveCons Leaving & Joining

  We're in the middle of something like a change of the guard here at Nananu Island Lodge right now, with several newly certified DiveCons moving on and new trainees starting.

  

  Congratulations are in order for Andy Vandale (2nd from right) our very own Buzz Lightyear, Adrian Brumen (left) a geek of the highest order and Ronen Barkan (3rd from right) ball twiddler extraordinair. Andy is hanging around for a bit, to be joined by new trainee Slippery Mick Fuss (right), whilst Adrian and Ronen are leaving with our love.

  

Diving-related

• Dive Site Directory
• One Whale
• Shark Research Institute

Courses

• Ray Lidgate

  Greetings from Scotland. I completed my open water course last November with James at Mantaray, awesome..... what I'd like to know is how can I aquire a Reef Safari shirt???? It'll be the envy of all my dive club here in the Borders!!!! Cheers, Ray.

  
• William Watson

  I went diving with you guys at Mantaray Island Resort in Mid-June. James took me for an open water course and it was really great. Just emailing to say thanks, I had a great time and have been very inspired to go on with more diving.

  You will be happy to know that I am now doing an advanced course in Victoria where I live (not as nice as Mantaray and a LOT colder but still pretty fun, there is lots of wrecks!).

  Thanks again, I will have to contact you guys again when I come back, maybe I will try one of your other dive sites.

  Cheers,

  Wil

  

Cert Diving

• Amy

  Have had a fantastic dive experience with really experienced instructors with fantastic knowledge of the underwater world. The open water dives were amazing, saw lots of corals, fish and even a turtle! Great times, geat people.

  Thankyou very much.

  
• Katie, London

  What a lovely time! This is the best dive place in the world. Fabulous diving location and very very good diving staff who give a wondeful service.

  Must return and repeat the experience before I die as nothing else will ever possibly top this.

  Saw sharks for the first time ever and lots of beautiful stuff.

  Lovely times!

  

Cert Diving Nananu

• Cindy & Eliot Lebsack

  Rick & All, Thanks for the wondeful dives. Best we've ever done. Too bad we missed the 2-tanks today and tomorrow. I guess we'll have to come back for those.

  Fiji is great, we'll send all of our Boston Reefer friends down to see you. You'll learn all of those Latin names for the fish and coral eventually

  Love

  
• Dale

  Great warm dive. Garden of soft and hard corals, sea snake, Spanish Dancer. Very professional all round.

  Thanks Jim and Chris.

  
• Elina

  Thank you guys for some great dives. Wish there was more time! All the best, good luck and be careful of the rats. Sharks are nothing compared to those buggers.

  Moce

  
• Jen

  Lads!

  It's been emotional haha. Loved every second underwater here. Shark Junction rocks. Missing the craic in the diveshop already. Hey keep those bonfires at the top going.

  XXX

  
• Karen

  Well, Mark wrote words for me but here are my own. What an awesome week of diving! As well as having lovely things to look at... your team is great. Thanks so much (esp Mick for diving at night and in the rain and Ariel for putting up with me so often!). Kristin and Rick - what a team! Get better soon Andy. Catch you sometime probably at some other great dive sites somewhere in the world!

  
• Karla & Dan, Melbourne, Australia

  We wish we had found this place earlier. Amazing diving!!! Will be back for sure. Had a ball, thanks you guys.

  

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