Fiji Ultimate 10-night Soft Coral Wide-Angle Liveaboard Trip 2027

Fiji Ultimate 10-night Soft Coral Wide-Angle Liveaboard Trip 2027

Explore Fiji, the soft coral capital of the world, aboard the Nai'a Liveaboard with Bluewater's Photo Workshop in October 2027.

Why Join This Trip

• Experience the absolute best of Fiji’s huge soft corals, sharks, and giant schools of fish on one of the world’s best liveaboards, the Nai'a
• 10 nights at the best of the best dive sites including Bligh Waters, with FREE nitrox
• Learn from one of Bluewater’s most experienced photo instructors
• Easy direct flights from the USA
• Diver to Guide ratio is 6:1
• Fully refundable deposit until 18 months from departure
• 25% discount on rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo

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Trip Overview

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

The gorgeous, lush, color-splashed images of Fiji that you see in dive publications are courtesy of a soft coral called dendronephthya. Few other places in the world offer such an abundance of this coral, nor the wide spectrum of colors ranging from pink and purple to orange, yellow and fiery red. Dendronephthya soft coral needs current; with little current present, the soft corals are muted, but as the current increases, they inflate with water and their color really begins to glow. As the current picks up, planktivores such as beautifully colored scalefin anthias spring up off the reef in polarized schools. Together, this forms a rich pageantry of color. Underwater photographers will want to shoot when some current is present, making a dramatic difference in the color of underwater imagery.

The best places for soft coral in Fiji are the Bligh Waters between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu where there are numerous reefs and pinnacles, the Somosomo Strait between Taveuni and Vanua Levu, and Namena Island, with its marine protected area. The 10-night trip includes a visit to Fiji's Rainbow Reef, one of the area's best-known dive sites which gets its name from the spectacular array of colors because of the abundance of soft corals, leather corals, sea fans and sea anemones - not to mention the fish!

Read about our 2025 trip to Fiji.

Marine Life To Photograph

Fiji is home to an amazing variety of fish life, including colorful angelfish, anemone fish, anthias, frogfish, hawkfish, moray eels, ghost pipefish, and countless other photogenic species.

Blue ribbon eels are also fantastic subjects. The yellow and blue males are full of personality and if you search hard, you can find the female (all yellow) and juvenile (black with a yellow stripe). The black juveniles are notoriously difficult to photograph.

There are sharks in Fiji, though they are generally not found on every dive. Beqa Island is the one exception to this rule, as sharks are seen there daily. The most common species of sharks in Fiji are grey reef, white tip reef, silvertip, and hammerhead. Sharks always make great subjects, but reef sharks are difficult to get close to. For real shark action, do the shark dive in Beqa Lagoon, where youll see up to 8 different species of sharks numbering in the dozens, including very large bull sharks and a massive tiger shark that makes semi-regular appearances.

Other fun subjects include banded sea snakes, several species of turtles, and pelagics like tuna, barracuda, and occasionally manta rays.

There are also plenty of macro opportunities. While diversity is not as great as Southeast Asia's coral triangle, there is still a wide range of species here, including mantis shrimp, decorator crabs, bobtail squid, and many different nudibranchs.

Camera and lens tips: Youll definitely want two strobes to get full light coverage in your frame. Use as much strobe power as possible to illuminate the soft corals and really make them shine. Fortunately, soft corals dont move, so you can get as close as you want. Bracket and really work on your blue backgrounds. Get close to the soft coral with a fisheye lens. Fiji is a great place to get close to the coral and practice your wide-angle technique. Take your time, put your strobes on manual, and get your exposures right.

Experience level needed for this trip: Most of the divers who come onboard a very experienced diver but they do take all levels of experience, but all levels are welcome and accommodated. Their friendly and experienced Fijian crew will look after you if you're a beginner.

Read the reviews on diving Fiji here.

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Itinerary Overview

Please see the map below to get an idea on the place you will visit on the trip.

Here is the daily onboard routine:

* This schedule may vary at several locations where tighter coordination of dive times is required due to the site, tide and/or weather. Additional dives are generally available in between scheduled dives.

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Diving Conditions

June through October is the dry season. During that time, the water is clearest with visibility often reaching 100 feet or more, but it can be windy and water temperatures can drop into the mid-70s. Most 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)
• Currents: We can, and regularly do, encounter medium to strong current

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 our photo instructors and will include 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 on topics including equipment type and selection, the concept of underwater photography, lighting and composition techniques, and post-processing. Additional topics relevant to the location and your experience will also be included.
• In-water support – Where possible, each dive group will spend time underwater with the photo instructor, receiving guidance on shooting techniques. Participants may also request in-water assistance, and the instructor will do their best to accommodate all requests.
• Consecutive days of practice & review – Each day provides the opportunity to practice techniques and skills learned in previous tutorials. New underwater photographers often see significant improvement within just a few days.
• Daily photo image reviews – Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop or thumb drive to edit and submit images for review by both the instructor and peers. These sessions are interactive and designed to support continuous improvement throughout the trip.
• Quality time with fellow photographers – Both new and experienced photographers consistently highlight the value of sharing a trip with like-minded divers who share a passion for underwater photography.
• Suitable for everyone – These workshops welcome both new and experienced photographers. Participants can build foundational skills, gain confidence in capturing strong underwater images, or refine specific techniques. Non-photographers are also encouraged to join, as many enjoy the reviews and learning process, with some later returning equipped with an underwater camera system.

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

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Inclusions

• All meals and accommodation on board, all non-alcoholic beverages, complimentary wine served with dinner
• Free Nitrox
• Return transfers to the ship from the airport or hotels in the Nadi area
• Tanks, weights, and unlimited air refills

Exclusions

• Fijian Tax ($942 per person, invoiced in advance)
• Gratuities
• Alcoholic beverages (other than the house wine served at dinner)
• Gear or camera rentals
• Personal purchases from the ship's store
• Fuel Surcharge $35 (subject to change)

* Onboard charges and fees are subject to change

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Accommodation

About The Nai'a

The main salon & sundeck

The camera room & dive deck

Nai'a is setting a new standard in world-class liveaboard scuba diving expeditions. The ship is beautifully appointed, incredibly spacious and boasts a dive-savvy Fijian crew famous for their dedicated service. Nai'a has accommodation for 18 passengers in 9 air-conditioned staterooms with private ensuite heads. All the staterooms are larger than those on most dive vessels, with plenty of storage for gear, and they are bright, airy, and comfortable.

Read the reviews of the Nai'a here.

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Fiji Trip Extensions

Want to extend your trip? We can help with that! See more of Fiji before or after your trip with Bluewater. Learn more about the packages here.

Read More.

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Trip Leader

Nirupam Nigam

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo & Video - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head.

You can get in touch with him at nirupam@uwphotographyguide.com or through his website www.photosfromthesea.com.

Read more about Nirupam Nigam.

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How To Get There

Flight Information

There are direct flights from LAX and SFO in and out of Nadi international Airport (NAN) in Fiji. Flights from the US arrive into Nadi early in the morning and guests may wish to book a hotel room from the night before with late check-out so they can rest. Otherwise, we recommend guests make their way to the Fiji Gateway Hotel where they can wait in the lobby area.

Pick up will start at 1pm on Oct 23 from Nadi Airport and hotels within the Nadi area for transfer to the boat. The Nai'a is scheduled to depart at 2 pm.

At the end of the trip, transport is arranged to depart the boat at 8 am on Nov 2 and transfer guests back to Nadi Airport and hotels within the Nadi area. As the flights to the US depart in the evening, guests may wish to book a hotel room for the day.

The Nai'a can help arrange a 2nd checked bag with Fiji Airways for only $75 each way; e-mail us for details.

Flight Package

Our group trips attract guests from all over the globe and many of our 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 our group trip packages.

However, we are more than happy to work with you to find the best travel itinerary for your trip and will gladly give suggestions and advice, even if you make the final booking. We will check through your 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 you would like us to book flights and transit hotels for domestic and/or international travel on your behalf, we are also happy to arrange this. Contact Us for more information.

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Payment Schedule

• Deposit: $2,000 to book your spot
• Payment 2: $2,400 due 1 September 2026
• Balance: due on 1 March 2027

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