Kadavu Scuba Diving Sites

Naiqoro Passage

This site is part of the Great Astrolabe Reef just off the south east coast of Kadavu Island. The passage is often visited by serious current as it forms a narrow channel. When the current is at, or near its strongest, you had better hold on to your hats because it can be a really exciting ride. Naiqoro Passage is now also a recognised marine sanctuary.

As you stride in off the boat at the start of this Kadavu dive, which you will next see quite a distance from where you enter the water, you will see before you a vertical wall with a base at around 21 metres, from where a sandy slope gradually falls down to the 36 metre floor. As you drop through the shallows the colours of the anemones, and predominantly soft corals is quite breathtaking. Red and orange is well represented but Prince himself couldn't imagine how much purple there is here. Many varieties of snapper and sweetlips seem to enjoy Naiqoro Passage and you would be well advised to consult your fish books before this dive so you can distinguish between them. Potato cod also accumulate here in large numbers to breed.

At full depth here you can enjoy the enormous soft coral trees that blanket the floor, sprouting seemingly everywhere and wafting in the current. As you make your way back up, the sessile feast continues as more purple soft corals, large sea fans and whip corals all compete for space and for the endless supply of passing nutrients that the currents bring. Naiqoro Passage can be a very rewarding site but is one that should not be blindly undertaken. Consult with your dive guide about conditions, the dive plan and any concerns you may have with diving in current. Done correctly there is no reason why Naiqoro Passage will not rank highly in your diving memories of Kadavu.

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Naiqoro Passage Reef Basics: Wall diving
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 15 - 50m
Currents: Can be very strong
Surface Conditions: Can be choppy
Water Temperature: 24 - 30°C
Experience Level: Advanced
Number of dive sites: 3
Diving Season: All year round
Distance: 4 km from Matasawalevu, or 35 km south and east from Vunisea
Access: Kadavu scuba diving resorts and liveaboards

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