Fiji Ultimate 10-night Soft Coral & Shark Liveaboard Trip Oct 2025

Trip Overview

In Fiji, it’s all about the corals. The colors are so incredibly vibrant and the anthias so plentiful that it’s 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 2022 trip to Fiji.

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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 you’ll 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: You’ll 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 don’t 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.

(L) Colorful Reef By Paul Gruner. (L) Clown Fish By Dan Bishop

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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 ($895 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)

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TRIP TYPE

This trip is a PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP. It will be 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, but not limited to, equipment type and selection, the concept of underwater photography, lighting and composition techniques, and post-processing. They will also include topics relevant to the location and your experience such as wide-angle, and macro-specific workshops and assignments.
• In-water support - Where possible, each dive group will spend time underwater with the photo instructor, receiving in-water support and guidance on their shooting techniques.  Participants can also request in-water assistance during the workshop and the photo instructor will do his or her best to accommodate all requests. 
• Consecutive days of practice & review - Each day you will have the opportunity to practice the techniques and skills learned in the previous day’s tutorials. If you are new to underwater photography you will likely see a vast improvement in just a few days.
• Daily photo image reviews - You are strongly encouraged to bring your laptop, a thumb drive, edit your photos, and submit your shots for review from both the instructor and your peers. These are fun and interactive sessions encouraging you to improve throughout the trip.
• Quality time with fellow photographers - Both new and experienced photographers from past workshops have expressed the advantages of joining a trip with like-minded divers with a passion for underwater photography.
• Suitable for everyone - New and experienced photographers are welcome on all our trips. Gain the necessary skills to start shooting great photos, increase your confidence in finding the best underwater shots, or hone specific skills. We also encourage non-photographers to join, as many of them really enjoy the daily photo reviews, learning about underwater photography, and some have even returned to a photo workshop with an underwater camera setup!

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

TRIP SYLLABUS

• Day 1 - Equipment preparation, checkout dive 
• Day 2 - Presentation: Introduction to U/W Photography - How light behaves underwater, special challenges of shooting u/w, equipment considerations, choosing appropriate exposure settings, using histograms, secondary effects of exposure settings and lens perspectives.    
• Day 3 - Mini-session between dives 1 & 2: Demonstration on strobe positioning and edge lighting. Presentation: Maximizing Your Macro – Adjusting your diving style, learning about intended subjects, equipment considerations, choosing appropriate settings, lighting, using snoots, depth of field, blackwater diving, and photo etiquette.  Choose a couple images for next day’s image review. 
• Day 4 - Presentation: Wide-angle Underwater Photography, including a review of appropriate camera, lens and strobe settings, exposure strategy and equipment considerations. After dinner:  Image Review - Friendly critique and discussion about participants’ images from previous day.   
• Day 5 - Presentation: Composition for Underwater Photography I, including elements that attract the viewer’s eye, depth of field, eye contact, working with models, visual storytelling. Choose a couple images for next day’s image review. 
• Day 6 - Presentation: Composition for Underwater Photography II, including anticipation / preparation for special moments, shooting angles & perspectives, subject placement, nose room, rule of thirds, natural framing, leading lines, geometric patterns, reflections, direction of travel.  After dinner:  Image Review - Friendly critique and discussion about participants’ images from previous day.   
• Day 7 - Presentation: Introduction to Digital Workflow – General principles and best practices + individual help as needed 
• Day 8 - Presentation: Introduction to Adobe Lightroom – General principles, strategies and best practices, plus examples of typical workflow and basic editing techniques + individual help as needed 
• Day 9 - Presentation: Up Close and Personal – Tips for Approaching Shy Marine Life - Whether you’re into capturing marine life with a camera or simply observing, there’s no substitute for being physically close. From tiny gobies to massive whales, many animals are inherently shy, making close interaction difficult. When approached properly, however, most sea creatures are surprisingly tolerant of divers. Learn how to turn fleeting glimpses into relaxed, intimate encounters, approach shy animals, gain their trust, and get close without scaring them away, making every dive a more enjoyable and rewarding experience.  
• Day 10 - Choose 2 images for Friday’s photo contest and maximum 10 images for guest slide show.  This is always a very popular aspect of the trip, and showcases how much each participant’s images have improved over the course of the workshop.  In addition, we’ll also have a little photo contest, where everyone is welcome to submit a favorite photo or two to share with the group.  Winners will not only be recognized, but may even be rewarded with a cool prize!  
• Day 11 – Disembark 

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. 

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

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The main salon & sundeck

The camera room & dive deck

About the Nai'a

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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Flight Information

You will fly in and out of Nadi international airport (NAN). Pick up will start at 1 pm on Oct 4 from Nadi airport and hotels within the Nadi area for transfer to the boat. The Nai’a is scheduled to depart at 2 pm if all goes well with the transfer. After the charter, transport is arranged to pick everyone up from the boat at 8 am on Oct 14 and transfer back to Nadi airport and hotels within the Nadi area.

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, hotels, and transfers for your domestic and/or international travel on your behalf, we are also happy to arrange this. Please be advised that there is a 10% fee for this service to cover our booking and administration costs. 

Contact Us for more information.

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ABOUT THE TRIP LEADER 

Mark Strickland

Mark Strickland’s life-long interest in the sea has included over 10,000 dives and careers as a lifeguard, boat captain, and scuba instructor. His passion for underwater photography has led him to many top dive locales, including the Virgin Islands, Australia, and Thailand, where he spent 17 years as Cruise Director on a series of liveaboards. Mark now resides in Ventura County, California.

An avid marine naturalist, Mark has discovered several nudibranch species. He is co-author and principal photographer for Lonely Planet’s award-winning book, “Diving and Snorkeling Thailand”, and his work appears in many magazines, books, and displays around the world. Currently, Mark leads several dive trips each year to his favorite destinations, while working on a career-spanning large-format pictorial book.

 Mark's photos and articles have appeared in magazines and books around the world, including Action Asia, BBC Wildlife, National Geographic World, Natural History, Scuba Diving, Skin Diver, Sport Diver, Sportdiving, Unterwasser, and many others.

Read more about Mark here.

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Recommended Scuba Gear

• 3mm wetsuit. Browse Wetsuits at Bluewater Photo
• SMB. The Mares Dive Marker Buoy is our choice!
• Skins. Check out these sharkskins. 
• Snorkel gear. We recommend the Cressi ZS1 & Corsica Snorkeling Package
• Travel BCD. Read our Best Travel BCD Article
• Travel regulator. We suggest Mares Ultra 62X Dive Regulator 

Payment Schedule  

Deposit: $2000 

Payment 2: $2,400 due on September 1, 2024

Balance: $2,458 due on March 1, 2025

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WANT TO EXTEND YOUR TRIP?

We can help with that! See more of Fiji before or after your workshop with Bluewater by staying at the Volivoli Beach Resort, one of our Preferred Partners. Learn more about the packages below.

*Rates are subject to change at any time; please contact us for the most updated pricing.  

optional land extension at volivoli beach resort rates

Rates are per person and in USD. These rates are only applicable to those participating in the Bluewater Travel Underwater Photo Workshop aboard the N'aia from October 4 - 14, 2025.

Standard Ocean View Room (L) & Deluxe Ocean View Room (R)

Premium Ocean View Villa (L) & 2 Bedroom Family Villa (R)

inclusions

• Round trip Nadi airport/resort transfers
• Accommodations
• Welcome drink on arrival
• Full meal plan – 3 meals daily with juice, milk, rain water, coffee, and tea at breakfast.
• Beach BBQ
• Free use of kayaks and participation in a variety of complimentary resort activities
• Resort and Government taxes
• 3 Night Diver Package also includes: 1 day of 3-tank diving including tanks, weights, and dive guide. Unlimited shore diving on dive days (reserve tanks 24 hours prior)
• 5 Night Diver Package also includes: 2 days of 2-tank plus 1 day of 3-tank diving including tanks, weights, and dive guide. Unlimited shore diving on dive days (reserve tanks 24 hours prior)

Exclusions

• Nitrox ($50 for 3 day trip; $80 for 5 day trip)
• Beverages other than tea, coffee, and rain water
• Lobster and Crab menu items (Market price)
• Personal dive equipment
• Dive Courses
• Excursions
• Dive and Travel Insurance (diving insurance is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED)

Payment Schedule

$100 per person deposit to confirm at the time of booking

100% Payment due 45 days prior to arrival date

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Photo Gallery 

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