Fiji Soft Coral & Shark Bonanza Photo Workshop Oct 2026

Explore Fiji's world-class soft corals and thrilling shark encounters with Bluewater Travel's Photo Workshop at Waidroka Bay Resort and Volivoli Beach Resort.

October 14 - 24, 2026

Trip Leader: Mark Hatter

Photography Workshop

10 Nights From $4,109 per person

Prices are per person, based on double-occupancy.

Why Join This Trip?

Dive the world's best shark dive in South Fiji and explore some of Fiji's best soft corals in the Bligh Waters
Learn from one of Bluewater's top photo instructors, Mark Hatter
Enjoy easy travel from the USA and stay at two of Fiji's best dive resorts
Bring non-divers to experience some of the world's best snorkeling at Volivoli Beach Resort
Diver to Guide ratio is 6:1
Fully refundable deposit until 12 months from departure
25% discount on rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo

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Trip Overview

Start off your Fijian adventure with a day of reef diving followed by two days of exhilarating shark diving in the Pacific Harbor area. Divers have the opportunity to observe and photograph several species of sharks, including bull sharks, silvertip sharks, lemon sharks, and the occasional tiger shark. There is also an opportunity to explore hard coral reefs and massive sea fan gardens in the southern part of Viti Levu.

In Fiji, it's all about the corals. The colors are incredibly vibrant and the anthias are so plentiful that it is hard to ever look away. Around every corner is the next world-class image. One of the main draws of diving Fiji is the spectacular reef scenery.

The gorgeous, lush, color-splashed images of Fiji that appear in dive publications are often courtesy of a soft coral called dendronephthya. Few other places in the world offer such an abundance of this coral or such a wide spectrum of colors, ranging from pink, purple, and orange to yellow and fiery red.

Dendronephthya soft coral needs a brisk current to really look its best. With little current present, the soft coral colors are muted, but as the current increases, they inflate with water and their colors begin to glow. As the current picks up, planktivores such as beautifully colored scale-fin anthias spring up off the reef in polarized schools. Together, this forms a rich pageantry of color that is ideal for underwater photography.

One of the best places for soft coral in Fiji is the Bligh Waters between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, where there are numerous reefs and pinnacles. The reefs in the surrounding Bligh Waters, also known as the Vatu-I-Ra Passage, are some of the healthiest in the world, with very little pollution and few boats. Divers can encounter an array of marine life including anemonefish, turtles, colorful soft coral, and reef sharks.

Read the trip recap from our Fiji Trip Report here.

Marine Life To Photograph

Expect some of the healthiest soft coral in the world and more colors than you can imagine. Rare macro creatures may include ornate ghost pipefish, orangutan crabs, frogfish, nudibranchs, and seahorses. Divers may also encounter turtles, moray eels, schools of barracuda and trevally, giant groupers, gray, blacktip, and whitetip reef sharks, and the occasional tiger shark.

Clown Fish By Dan Bishop & Sharks By Cindy

Read the reviews on diving Fiji here.

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Important Information

No. of dives: 2 days of 2-tank shark dives and 1 day of 2-tank reef dives at Pacific Harbour, plus 3 days of 2-tank boat diving and 3 days of 3-tank boat diving at Volivoli Beach Resort
Included with diving: Tanks, weights, and dive guide
Wetsuit needed: 3–5mm full-length wetsuit recommended

Diving Conditions

June through October is the dry season in Fiji. During this period, the water is generally clearest, with visibility often reaching 100 feet or more. Conditions can be windy and water temperatures can drop into the mid-70s. Likely marine life sightings during this season include sharks, eagle rays, whales, and turtles.

Water temperature: 79°F (26°C)
Visibility: 50–100 feet (15–30m)
Depth range: 20–100 feet (6–30m)
Topside temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C) in October
Currents: Medium to strong currents are regularly encountered
Required skill: Beginner to advanced

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Recommended Scuba Gear

Download our full scuba gear guide to Fiji. Bluewater Travel guests receive 10% OFF!

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Trip Type

This is a PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP. Led by one of Bluewater's photo instructors. The workshop includes daily underwater photography tutorials, in-water photography support, and one-to-one advice and guidance as required.

What to Expect From Our Photo Workshops

Daily photo workshops - Your photo instructor will schedule seminars each day covering topics including equipment type and selection, underwater photography concepts, lighting and composition techniques, post-processing, and additional topics relevant to the location and your experience.
In-water support - Where possible, each dive group will spend time underwater with the photo instructor, receiving support and guidance on shooting techniques. Participants can also request in-water assistance during the workshop.
Consecutive days of practice & review - Each day provides an opportunity to practice techniques learned during previous tutorials. New underwater photographers can see significant improvement over the course of the trip.
Daily photo image reviews - Guests are strongly encouraged to bring a laptop and thumb drive, edit their photos, and submit images for review from the instructor and fellow participants.
Quality time with fellow photographers - Meet like-minded divers and photographers who share a passion for underwater photography.
Suitable for everyone - New and experienced photographers are welcome. Participants can gain the skills needed to start shooting great photos, increase confidence, or hone specific techniques. Non-photographers are also welcome.

Enjoy free, unlimited access to a wealth of knowledge and advice from your photo instructor.

Want to learn more about our Underwater Photography Workshops? Check out this video!

Trip Syllabus

This workshop is an opportunity to hone underwater photography skills while shooting both wide-angle and macro imagery. The workshops consist of six sessions of 45 minutes each of formal instruction during the trip. In addition, there will be a one-hour introduction to underwater photography via Zoom one to three weeks before departure.

Workshops and tutorials will include PowerPoint presentations, informal group discussions, one-to-one training, streaming live demonstrations using programs such as Lightroom, and underwater assistance. Informal one-to-one instruction will also be available above and below water as needed.

Beginner Topics: Introduction to underwater photography, wide-angle photography, macro photography, and as much one-to-one teaching as necessary
Intermediate Topics: Wide-angle shooting and natural-light shooting for distant subjects such as schooling sharks
Advanced Topics: Using Lightroom local adjustment tools for balance of light in gradient images

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Trip Inclusions

3 nights accommodation at Waidroka Bay Resort
7 nights accommodation at Volivoli Beach Resort
Full meal plan with 3 meals daily, including juice, milk, rainwater, coffee, and tea at breakfast
FREE daily underwater photography tutorials and workshops
Round-trip Nadi Airport/resort transfers
Transfer between Waidroka Bay Resort and Volivoli Beach Resort
1 day of 2-tank reef diving at Waidroka Bay
2 days of 2-tank shark diving at Pacific Harbour
3 days of 2-tank boat diving and 3 days of 3-tank boat diving at Volivoli Beach Resort
Unlimited shore diving at Volivoli on dive days; reserve tanks 24 hours prior
Tanks, weights, and dive guide
Complimentary WiFi at Volivoli on 2 devices per person
Welcome drink on arrival
Beach BBQ
Traditional Meke performance
Hosted group event on the last night
Free use of kayaks and participation in a variety of complimentary resort activities
Dolphin Safari at Volivoli Beach Resort
Resort and government taxes

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Trip Exclusions

Nitrox ($125 - must be pre-booked; only available at Volivoli Beach Resort)
Marine Park Fees ($20 FJD per day)
Beverages other than tea, coffee, and rainwater
Lobster and crab menu items at market price
Personal dive equipment
Dive courses
Extra dives at Volivoli ($78 per tank)
Night dives at Volivoli (minimum 6 divers; $125 per tank)
Excursions
Dive and travel insurance; diving insurance is strongly recommended
Fuel surcharge

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Accommodation

About Waidroka Bay Resort

Waidroka Bay Resort offers world-class scuba diving with amazing variety, some of Fiji's finest soft corals, and access to the famous Fiji Shark Dive in Beqa Lagoon. Guests can expect comfortable accommodations, great services, and excellent value for money.

Check out our walkthrough video of the resort!

Waidroka Bay Resort Features

On-site full-service dive center
Restaurant and bar
Internet available throughout the resort; surcharges apply depending on the option selected
Laundry service available at $15 FJD per load

Waidroka Bay Resort Restaurant & Bar

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner available around the clock at the resort, freshly prepared using local produce
Outside pool bar with a daily happy hour. Wines, beer, cocktails, and soft drinks available

Read more about Waidroka Bay Resort here.

About Volivoli Beach Resort

Volivoli Beach Resort is a diving paradise in Fiji for beginners and advanced divers alike, located in one of Fiji's best diving destinations. The resort offers 32 comfortable rooms with panoramic beach and ocean views.

Volivoli Beach Resort has a brand new camera room that can accommodate up to 14 people. It comes complete with international and USB charging ports and individual air guns at each workstation.

Resort Amenities

2 licensed restaurants and 3 bars
Large swimming pool with swim-up bar
Onsite dive operation RA Divers
Airport transfer service
Multiple happy hours
Large screen TV for sports events
Hammocks
Poolside furniture
Day spa
Beachside bar
Beach towels
Beachfront location
Lush tropical gardens
24-hour main grid power
Onsite backup generator
Reception and day room facilities
All-tide swimming beach
Weekly beach BBQ

Read more about Volivoli Beach Resort here.

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Trip Leader

Mark Hatter

Mark Hatter is an international award-winning photojournalist who has had over one hundred feature articles with many hundreds of images published in more than three dozen diving and fly fishing publications over the last three decades. His most recent destination features have appeared in Ocean Geographic and Asian Diver magazines.

Mark has traveled the world in pursuit of new underwater photography challenges, including cold-water destinations such as British Columbia and Antarctica.

Mark has been shooting underwater since the early 1980s and has worked in both film and digital mediums in his photojournalism pursuits. In 35 years of diving, Mark has logged over 2,500 hours, much of it doing underwater photography. Currently, he teaches underwater photography classes locally at Seminole Scuba in Lake Mary, Florida and works for Aggressor Adventures as a commercial photographer and writer.

How To Get There

Flight Information

Guests should fly into and out of Nadi International Airport (NAN). Direct flights from the US land in Fiji early in the morning and depart late in the evening. Guests should plan to arrive on the morning of October 14th and depart on the evening of October 24th.

Please note that flights from the US cross the international date line, so flights will likely depart the US on October 12th.

Bluewater will arrange a transfer to pick guests up from the airport on arrival and will do its best to have rooms ready for early check-in. However, early check-in may not always be possible if the resort is fully booked the night before.

On departure day, transport will leave Volivoli around 3pm for the transfer back to Nadi to catch the evening flight. Guests can request a late check-out for an additional fee or use the resort facilities during the day until the transfer departs.

Flight Package

Our group trips attract guests from all over the globe and many customers prefer to book their own flights to take advantage of mileage points or credit card discounts. For these reasons, flights are not included in the group trip packages.

Bluewater is happy to work with guests to find the best travel itinerary and will gladly give suggestions and advice, even if guests make the final booking. Bluewater can check travel reservations at any time to ensure they fit with the trip schedule and can give recommendations on transit hotels and day tours where needed.

If guests would like Bluewater to book flights and transit hotels for domestic and/or international travel on their behalf, Bluewater can arrange this. Contact Us for more information.

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Fiji Trip Extensions

Want to extend your trip? Bluewater can help you see more of Fiji before or after your workshop. Learn more about some of the packages that can be added to your booking. Read More.

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