Taveuni diving recommendations

I have dove Fiji several times, but will be heading to Taveuni for the first time. I am looking for feedback regarding:

1) Is it best to dive Taveuni via land-based operation or via a liveaboard?

2) Based on your above answer, which land-based operations or liveaboards would you recommend in order to hit the "hot diving spots" of Taveuni?

Thanks!

Was on Taveuni a few yrs ago. There no liveaboards leaving from there at that time and not familiar with any working their reefs. All diving was on Rainbow Reef from land based locations. The closest to the reef was Garden Island Resort (GIR) but I did not stay there...stayed at Maravu, which is mostly honeymooners and no divers. GIR is a former Super 8 style bldg and you can see that immediately from the structure. GIR is not close to anything else so its a cab ride to anyplace else. rainbow reef diving was nice with large tidal currents. Local guides follow the tides so you always are diving on the leeward side and had little current during the dive. Safety stops are from a reef hook/rope and you blow in the breeze of the current for the 3 minutes.

Many others had reviews of GIR and seemed to like it overall. They have a gravel/rock shore line but a nice view. GIR was a divers spot so its culture was more dive oriented compared to our honeymoon culture.

Maravu was high priced but picked it for making the wife happy while I was off diving and she liked it a lot. The Matei point area has several places to eat and stay. We liked that area a lot and would stay there again if we visited again but I might pick Coconut grove for the lower price.

The dive shop I used closed the next yr.

All diving, last I knew, was on ~24 ft open boats which are quite windy for commuting. A wind breaker designed for salt water would be quite useful...I loved having mine.

The waterfalls are worth the trip.

There is a pizza place near Matei pointe that had great food and great views. I watched them cut the newly caught fish to make curry for me.

The slightly longer commute to the reef was worth staying in the Matei point area for me and would do it again. Trip advisor has reports on places there along with one from me on Maravu from that time.

Sorry I cannot be more specific in answering your questions but things have changed since I was there.

It's been years since I've been to Taveuni so I can't recommend a dive operator, but I'd advise making reservations ahead of time wherever you end up going. When I was there the two dive operators filled up fast - we couldn't just walk off the street and expect to dive that day (or the next day). Also, most restaurants wouldn't take walk-ins without reservations. Things may have changed since then but it wouldn't hurt to plan ahead.

-Gina

I stayed at Garden Island Resort a ferw years ago. The resort at the time was very quiet. I believe there was like 5 guests there including myself and only a couple of people diving. With the small number of guests we recieved excellent service and we were treated more like family than paying guests.

I was on a budget trip and would go to the little cafe which is attached to the store next to the resort for lunch. Very cheap fresh meals. The money I saved on lunch went to buying lobster at the resort for dinner. Which was around $25 fijian at the time. The girls in the kitchen told me what they had on offer for dinner and most times I had local fresh lobster.

The dive shop was relaxed as they didnt have many divers. The dive shop asked the divers what they wanted to do the next day and plan it from there. Everything was on Fiji time and very relaxed. Guess this might be different if you are in a large group and not used to the term fiji time.

Regards Mark

+1 for the GIR. They ran a great boat, they were friendly and courteous. They knew how to properly handle camera equipment. The hotel was plain but clean and comfortable with good food in the restaurant. The staff was friendly and good natured. If you're there to dive, dive, dive you can do so easily and comfortably. *caveat: I went in 2003 so it was a while ago.