When is the best time for the Beqa shark dive?

The dive runs year-round, and bull sharks turn up in all seasons. Their numbers are highest in the first half of the year, start to fall in August and reach a low around November, when pregnant females leave to give birth in the rivers. Rain can cloud the water near the coast, so visibility varies from week to week. If the shark dive is the main reason for your trip, the first half of the year gives you the best odds of a big gathering.

How do I get to Pacific Harbour?

It's about an hour's drive from Suva and two and a half to three hours from Nadi along the Queens Road. Airport transfers run the route, as do express buses. Coming from the Coral Coast, it's an easy onward drive, so a few nights on the Coral Coast followed by Pacific Harbour makes a good route towards Suva.

What is the weather like around Suva?

Wetter than the west. The trade winds drop much of their rain on this side of Viti Levu, so showers are common in any month and heavier from about November to April. Pack a light rain jacket and shoes that can get muddy. Colo-i-Suva closes when heavy rain makes its tracks unsafe, so check it's open before you go.

How long should I spend in the southeast?

Three or four nights at Pacific Harbour covers the shark dive, a river day in the Upper Navua gorge and a surf or reef dive, with a spare morning for weather. Add a night or two in Suva for the city and a morning in the forest behind it. Moon Reef and the Namosi highlands each take a full day, so give yourself a week if you want to see it all.

Things to do in Suva & southeast Viti Levu

Overview

The southeast of Viti Levu catches the rain that the trade winds carry in off the sea, and it shows in the green hills and the big rivers that drain them. Suva, the capital, sits on a peninsula between its harbour and Laucala Bay. It's a working city with a large produce market, a seawall promenade and the Fiji Museum in Thurston Gardens. Pacific Harbour, about an hour west along the Queens Road, is the base for diving and river trips. Nausori Airport, half an hour northeast of the city, handles many of the domestic flights to the outer islands.

The coast, the rivers and the highlands

Serua holds Pacific Harbour and Deuba beach. From here, boats run about 15 minutes out to Shark Reef in the Beqa Passage for Fiji's signature shark dive. Rafting trips head the other way, into the Upper Navua gorge, where the river runs between black volcanic walls fringed with ferns and waterfalls. Beqa island itself, home of the Sawau firewalkers, belongs to Rewa, along with central Suva and the Rewa delta. Behind the city, Naitasiri has the forest trails and pools of Colo-i-Suva, about half an hour from town. In Namosi, you can paddle the Luva river by kayak after a sevusevu at Nakavika village. North of Suva, Tailevu follows the Kings Road to Moon Reef, where a resident pod of spinner dolphins rests by day.

Getting there and where to stay

Pacific Harbour is two and a half to three hours' drive from Nadi along the Queens Road, and it makes the best base for the shark dive, Frigates Passage and the river gorge. Allow three or four nights there so a rough morning doesn't cost you the dive. Suva suits a night or two for the museum and markets, day trips into Naitasiri and Namosi, and early flights from Nausori. The Moon Reef coast is a long day out from Suva, or a relaxed night at a village lodge.

Booking on adventuro

Trips here centre on Pacific Harbour, with shark dives, reef dives and river days, and there are guided walks near Suva too. Use the Book here tab to see live dates and prices from local centres.

Overview

The coast, the rivers and the highlands

Getting there and where to stay

Booking on adventuro

Trips here centre on Pacific Harbour, with shark dives, reef dives and river days, and there are guided walks near Suva too. Use the Book here tab to see live dates and prices from local centres.