Scuba Diving in Taveuni

The Stairs

Just a 10 minute boat ride from the Paradise Taveuni Resort is Vuna Reef, a beautiful reef system that is dived exclusively by the resort. A C-shaped reef wall jutting off the south-western tip of Taveuni Island, Vuna Reef offers sheltered lagoon dives for beginner divers and exciting wall dives for the more advanced.

A big favourite with the Pro Dive Taveuni team is a site known as 'The Stairs', situated midway around the reef. As you descend, the first impression is of the sheer scale of the walls stretching away in all directions and covered with hard and soft corals. On reaching 28 metres you are met by a swimthrough and overhang covered in the soft white corals that Taveuni is famous for - and with the current flowing past this point, the corals are fully extended to feed on the passing nutrients.

Moving on, divers enter the shelter of the wall and reach the bottom of 'The Stairs' - a set of swimthroughs that spiral up the reef like a staircase. Large enough to accommodate several divers at once, the ambient light reveals sponges and corals encrusting the walls.

After you wind your way up the 'stairs' you will exit out onto a plateau in 12-14 metres, home to a sudden profusion of anthias, fusiliers and parrotfish. It's hard not to linger long here. Another series of swim-throughs back down the wall will see you pass a vast gorgonian fan. Whitetip reef sharks are often seen here, cruising silhouetted in the exits of these stunning archways, and leopard sharks can be found relaxing in the sand.

The dive does not end here, however. Depending on the rise and flow of current, it is possible to progress along the wall of Vuna Reef and encounter some of its other residents - butterflyfish, moorish idols, trumpetfish and Maori wrasse are all here, along with Spanish mackerel and trevally. Gradually you will ascend the reef wall until reaching your safety stop when you can spend the last few minutes of their dive along the top of the reef, enjoying your last glimpses of the marine life.

The Stairs Reef Basics: Walls and swim-throughs
Depth: 5 - 30m
Visibility: 20 - 40m
Currents: Gentle
Surface conditions: Calm
Water temperature: 22 - 30°C
Experience level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: 2
Diving season: All year round
Distance: 1 km from Paradise Taveuni Resort
Access: Taveuni scuba diving resorts

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