Taveuni Diving

Cabbage Patch

Back-rolling into the clear waters of the Somosomo Strait, which does much to justify Fiji's claim to be the soft coral capital of the world, you might expect to be met with impressive views of soft coral on every dive.

However on sites like this the soft coral presence is no more than normal. What is impressive in this spot is the vast field of cabbage coral which stretches well beyond the area of sight. There seem to be layers and layers of pristine yet fragile plates of coral, bedecking the Taveuni seabed, as it slopes from a sandy floor at around 30 metres up to the shallows of 8 to 10 metres.

But there is more for you to marvel at than the coral itself. You should look out for unicornfish, arc-eye hawkfish, Achilles tangs and scalefin anthias; and the occasional banded sea krait, to name but a few. When you're diving in Taveuni you may, if you are in luck, come across the bicolor fang blenny. This is a long yellow blenny which is endemic to Fiji and can be seen striking out at other small fish that enter its territory.

On the sandy areas watch out for pairs of fire dartfish, shrimp and goby partnerships, and sea cucumbers such as Thelnota anax and Bohadschia graeffei (the one with the black frilly tubercles stretching out from its front end on to the sea floor).

Cabbage Patch Reef Basics: Sloping wall
Depth: 5 - 28m
Visibility: 10 - 25m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Calm but can be rough
Water Temperature: 22 - 30°C
Experience Level: Intermediate
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving Season: All year round
Distance: 6 km from Garden Island Resort
Access: Taveuni diving resorts and liveaboards

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