Mai Dive Resort
Located on the Ono Island, 1.5 hours boat ride from the Kadavu Airport (runway with a tiny "terminal") Mai Dive Resort is the only dive operation on this island adjacent to the amazing Great Astrolabe Reef, the world's fourth largest. In two weeks of staying there we only once saw a dive boat, the Aggressor liveaboard.
Ono means six in Fijian hence there are 6 villages on Ono Island. No roads, no tourists, no cars...just real Fiji. It is an eco resort where vegetables comes to your table from their garden, a generator used to charge the batteries and run the compressor. Resort is built on the family land and the owner Joe is always there to welcome and greet you. When we had a problem with connecting flight to Kadavu, a phone call to Joe from Nadi Airport had it all fixed in no time. Joe's son Jason is the mind behind dive operation. Both father and son lived for a long time in Australia before coming back to build and run this resort.
Mai Dive accommodates only 16 guests, so it is never crowded on their boats. It is not only about diving however: there are walks, waterfalls, secluded beaches, kayaks, spectacular sunrises and of course hammocks.
Accommodations are rather simple, but very clean and comfortable, with flowers found on your bed every day. Plenty of hot water in the shower. Food is plentiful and delicious. Since the resort is so small and all staff is local, we quickly became friends with them.
Now about diving:
in 25 years of diving mostly top Caribbean Destinations needless to say we were overwhelmed by underwater environment. The remoteness of Astrolabe Reef definitely makes it even more spectacular. There is a reason why Fiji called the coral capital of the world, but snorkeling in 15 feet of water with mantas and close encounters with white and black tip sharks on regular basis was our firsts.
We found the best dive sites to the north of the island that require more time to get to. If you are there just ask, and you will be accommodated. Surface intervals were on the beaches of uninhibited tiny islands with plenty of food and drink (unlike a slice of orange offered on the "fancy" Grand Cayman dive boat last December).
I know people paying a lot of attention to dive boats. My wife and I dove from outrigger canoes, boston whalers and had no issues with that. Mai Dive has 3 boats, small, bigger and big. They all equipped as dive boat should be equipped and they deliver you to fantastic dive sites. Dive master/guide is always with you in the water and boatman is with the boat ready to pick you up the minute you surfaced.
As you may suspect, my wife and I really liked it there. So much so that we recommended Mai Dive to a couple of our long time diving friends. We were told that leaving Mai Dive was so sad for them that HE even shed a tear.
The only negative is that diving nearby Caribbean has never been the same after that trip.
There is a gallery my pictures on http://michaelzphoto.smugmug.com/Travel/Mai-Dive-Ono-Island-Fiji/i-F9Mvmpq
