Beqa Island Diving

The Three Nuns

Just outside of Yanuca Island on the outskirts of Beqa Lagoon lie 3 huge bommies fairly close to each other and covered in colourful soft coral. The dominant colours are the yellow of the leather corals and violet from the warty finger corals.

There are also numerous table corals, especially on the shallow sections of the bommies as they need plenty of sunlight to allow for photosynthesis, and large red gorgonian fans that are home to a myriad of different fish species.

The dive boat will usually moor up at the southern bommie where you begin and end the dive. The best way to enjoy this Beqa Island dive site and see as much as possible is to slowly circle around each pinnacle.

There's a good chance of seeing some great macro life such as colourful nudibranchs and different sized sea dragons, but you'll also notice hundreds of anthias and butterflyfish, particularly Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish, swimming around the table corals.

Coral hawkfish are very common here and you can easily take a photo as they rest on the coral, but be careful not to get too close and scare them off. More difficult to spot are the longnose hawkfish. Look in the crevices of the walls of the bommies for the giant moray eels that live here. You may even see one swimming free if you're lucky.

It's a good idea to keep an eye on the sea bed during your dive, as the site is not very far from the shark feeding area and you might spot a whitetip reef shark resting on the sandy bottom.

Once you reach the last pinnacle, take your time as you double back to the first bommie where the dive boat is moored right above you. The top of the pinnacle is the perfect spot for your safety stop as it is just 5m below the surface. It is covered in a carpet of anemones that provide cover for fire clownfish and boxing shrimps.

The shallow depth makes the dive site the perfect choice as the 3rd dive of the day after the 2 shark dives in Pacific Harbour. It's also a good site for those learning to dive at Beqa Island.

The Three Nuns Reef Basics: Coral bommies
Depth: 5 - 20m
Visibility: 10 - 30m
Currents: Gentle to moderate
Surface conditions: Can be choppy
Water temperature: 25 - 29°C
Experience level: Beginner - intermediate
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving season: All year round
Distance: 15 km from Pacific Harbour on mainland Viti Levu, 1 km from Yanuca Island
Access: Viti Levu and Beqa Island dive resorts

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