Taveuni Dive Sites
Jerry's Jelly
At some stage on your Taveuni dive holiday a helpful guide will explain to you that 2 deep and wide bodies of water move tidally through the narrow and shallow passage that is the Somosomo Strait. This volume of water movement in such a small channel is why the current picks up. At some stage when you are diving in the Somosomo Strait those words will echo in your ears. This site could be one of those times.
You are likely to begin your dive by dropping down to around 18 metres with the reef on your left shoulder. If the current is of medium strength you can cover a reasonable distance along this reef, finning only gently to maintain your position. Innumerable garden eels rise up from their burrows to feast on the nutrient rich water rushing past their front doors, and dropping back inside only if you venture too close for comfort.
As you continue your drift, keep a look out for Spanish mackerel, dog-tooth tuna and white tip reef sharks as well as smaller but no less impressive nudibranchs in big numbers. At some stage you will come to a point which involves crossing over a reef flat before dropping down on the other side of the reef into the lee of the current. You may find the speed of the crossing breathtaking, and as you career over the flat you will see the reef crossing beneath your body at an exhilarating rate.
Then as you edge slowly back into shallower water, the current will again make itself felt. The very top of the reef is at about 6 metres so it's slightly too shallow for safety stop purposes. This means that the safety stop begins when all the divers in your group, who will be holding on to some rocky part of the reef and with their bodies (and bubbles!) horizontal, simply letting go and allowing the current to pull them along as they off-gas for 3 or 4 minutes and reflect on the excitement of this Taveuni dive, whose conditions you are sure to encounter on at least a few occasions in the Somosomo Strait.
Jerry's Jelly Reef Basics: Drift diving
Depth: 10 - >40m
Visibility: 15 - 40m
Currents: Gentle to very strong
Surface conditions: Mainly calm but can be choppy
Water temperature: 22 - 30°C
Experience level: Intermediate - Advanced
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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