Bligh Waters, Fiji

The Bligh Waters lie between Fiji’s two largest islands. Many divers base along Viti Levu’s quieter Suncoast near Rakiraki, a landscape of cane fields, villages, mountain ridges, and wide views across the channel.

Oceanic current is forced through channels and over submerged pinnacles, feeding spectacular soft corals and huge numbers of fish. Sites around the Vatu-i-Ra Passage can bring anthias-filled coral scenes, schooling barracuda, humphead wrasse, bumphead parrotfish, reef sharks, turtles, mantas, and passing dolphins; humpback whales are a seasonal possibility. The estimate includes the flight to Nadi and the roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive to the Suncoast, with longer itineraries possible for liveaboards.