There are only a few truly magical places left in the world, and most of them are not easy to reach. The Fiji Islands are the exception to the rule, a tropical paradise at the hub of the South Pacific. Ever since intrepid divers first began exploring the world's wild reefs 25 years ago, Fiji has been recognized as a first-class diving destination. Direct jet service from major Pacific Rim countries makes it easy to get here, and NAI'A provides convenient access to the very best diving in the region.
The finest diving deserves the finest diving service, and the luxury live-aboard NAI'A has set new standards in every way.
A ship built for the express purpose of carrying a few discerning divers in utmost comfort, NAI'A was designed by famed architect W. de Vries Lentsch and constructed by skilled Dutch craftsmen. NAI'A was completely refit in 1993 with the latest technology to make live-aboard diving convenient, safe and fun. Most of NAI'A's innovative design features are invisible to passengers: details that ensure your showers are always hot, your toilets always flush, and your stateroom is always fresh and cool. But NAI'A's huge wing mast is difficult to overlook -a state-of-the-art rotating spar designed especially for the ship. The sophisticated mast and sails give NAI'A the range and comfort to explore the remote reefs and atolls for which the South Pacific is famous.
Three things set Fiji apart from other world-class dive destinations. Fiji is Fun. Fijian people are the nicest people anywhere, and a diver who comes to our shores is treated as an honored guest, not just another tourist. Fiji is Safe. There is no malaria here, or other dangerous diseases. Fiji's ocean and rainforests are the most user-friendly in the world: no box jellyfish, no mosquito-borne disease, no leeches. Just nature at her best. Fiji is Easy. Direct international flights make getting here a snap, and a NAI'A representative will help get you and your heavy gear to the ship without the hassle of connecting flights on dubious little aircraft.
Professional photographers have long ranked Fiji among the few pristine dive locations left in the world. Fiji's three hundred islands and uncounted reefs harbor a diversity of species unrivaled outside the tropical Western Pacific. Here you will see wildlife ranging from tiny ghost pipefish to magnificent schools of sharks. Fiji is the intelligent diver's destination. The crew of NAI'A are working with scientists from the University of the South Pacific and the World Wildlife Fund to document and protect Fiji's pristine reefs. Several research projects that utilize the intelligent observations of diving passengers are running concurrently with NAI'A's formal diving charters.
NAI'A CRUISES FIJI is a family-run business created and managed by Rob Barrel and his sister and brother-in-law, Alex and Todd Edwards. Rob and Alex grew up swimming, diving, and sailing in Hawaii, so the move to Fiji was a logical choice for them: an equally beautiful tropical paradise not yet spoiled by over-development. Rob spent 15 years running various yachts in the tropical Pacific before choosing Fiji as the best base for his dream ship, NAI'A. While there were other locals that feature good diving, there is nowhere else in the world so fine as Fiji, with its wonderful people and hundreds of unspoiled islands and reefs. The NAI'A family includes the Fijian crew on the ship, 12 of the friendliest and most accommodating people you will ever meet. You will arrive aboard NAI'A as a welcome guest and leave as a close friend of the family. And when you return again, as many of our clients do, you'll feel as if you never left....
Fiji is probably best known for its soft coral, which is second-to-none in the world over. But until NAI'A opened up entirely new dive sites, few people had ever experienced the diversity of diving that Fiji has to offer. Rob and the NAI'A crew have dived on nearly every promising reef or passage in the country. "We know where to find exotic creatures such as blue-ribbon eels and a rufous pipefish. We know when and where to swim with feeding mantas, and we can always find sharks for you to photograph. When you know where to look for them, Fiji is full of sharks, and not only white-tips ?which are ubiquitous in these waters. We regularly dive with a group of up to 20 female gray reef sharks. We usually see both individual and schooling hammerheads, and often we get to see large silver-tip sharks." Whatever your favorite sea creature, NAI'A can probably find it in Fiji.
NAI'A uses two custom skiffs designed especially for Fijian waters to combine the best features of unlimited live-aboard diving with the convenience unique to skiff-based drift diving. NAI'A's crew can drop you in exactly the right place, and pick you up wherever you choose to surface. Diving is truly unlimited, computers are encouraged, and NAI'A's diving protocol is tailored to the needs of experienced and independent divers.
Since Fiji's pristine diving so often attracts professional and serious amateur photographers, NAI'A is configured for your needs. Forward of the dive deck is a dedicated camera room for storage, servicing and charging (110V/220V) of camera equipment. The ship is equipped with rental video and still cameras, E-6 processing, a slide projector, light table, and video editing facilities.
NAI'A: Fiji's Finest Diving. Treat yourself to an unforgettable dive vacation but beware: NAI'A's Fiji can be addicting. You may never want to dive anywhere else again...
THE FIRST TIME, BUT NOT THE LAST
Whether you're an old hand at live-aboard diving, or a first-timer, NAI'A will keep you coming back again and again
The NAI'A was the first live-aboard California-resident Susan Dinwiddie had ever gone on, and admitedly, she was a little nervous at first. That was three years ago, though, and since then Dinwiddie has packed her dive bag and set off each year for an average of five weeks at a stretch.
"Rob really knows what to look for," she said, lauding the NAI'A's captain. "And because I don't take a camera, I see so much." Dinwiddie revels in the abundance of activity she finds with the NAI'A family. She's had dozens of encounters with all kinds of sharks, and is still a little in awe of the ancient creatures.
"On one trip there was a rip-roaring current and activity everywhere," she recalled. "The fish were like birds, all around us. We were frolicking with mantas, and up until then I'd never even seen one." Blue-ribbon eels, an octopus going through all its colors, and the hammerheads which frequent the reef with some regularity are just some of the other memorable sea life she's experienced.
"The crew is very flexible --if we want to stay at a site, we stay. When we want to go, we go." she said.
At the end of a day of diving, Dinwiddie appreciates the convenience the NAI'A offers. There's no dragging all your equipment off the boat, no long drive back to your hotel. Everything you need is right at your fingertips, from your clean, cool stateroom to the gourmet island meals to a refreshing snack of ripe, juicy mangos. And what hotel could provide the sort of ever-changing view from the NAI'A's deck?
"You couldn't ask for a better crew," said Dinwiddie. "They really go out of their way." And it's a good bet Dinwiddie will be going out of her way to head back to the NAI'A and the warm waters of Fiji sometime in the next year.
WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY
"We've concluded that this was the best live-aboard vacation we've had, through a combination of excellent diving with a lot of diversity, interesting things to look for, a well-designed and operated boat and competent crew. We really like what you're doing." --Derry and Charlene Kabcenell
"Best trip I've done in my 16 years of diving!" --Theresa McCanlies
The crew on the NAI'A were wonderful. The cultural experience of the Fijian people that we had access to through Rob, made this a unique and rich trip." --Jane and Ed Orlowski
"I left Fiji feeling like I had been on a vacation, not just away from work for two weeks. I enjoyed the island experiences, the classy NAI'A, the diving and the great crew. I never realized how comfortable and roomy a dive vessel could/should be until our NAI'A experience. The crew members were genuinely eager and willing to lend a hand any time you were in need. Fijians are different anyway. They have a brighter outlook and more accommodating attitude toward tourists. They make you feel like a guest. I guess you can say that there is a unique chemistry on NAI'A. This was a vacation that I would do all over again in a minute." --John Bergan.
NAI'A CRUISES
Address: NAI'A Cruises, P.O. Box 3179, Lami, Fiji Islands
Phone: (011-679) 45-03-82
Fax: (011-679) 45-05-66
Boat: NAI'A, a steel-hulled motor sailor
Length: 120 feet
Beam: 30 feet
Capacity: 18 passengers for nine state rooms (four double, three double/twin, two twin); Crew accommodations for 12.
Bathrooms: Nine private heads with ensuite baths
Number of dives per day: Four
Night Dives: yes
Oxygen on board: yes
Radio on board: yes
Nearest medical sight: Suva, Fiji
Nearest recompression: Suva, Fiji
Rental equipment: yes, including camera and video equipment, and dive computers
Weather: tropical
Water temperature: 78-84 F
Prices: In 1996: $2080 + $110 tax for seven days; $2970 + $130 tax for ten days.
United States Booking Office:
See & Sea Travel
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FIJI FACTS
Time: + 20 hours from Pacific Standard Time
Flying Time: From the west coast of the U.S., about 12 hours
Entry Requirements: American citizens need a passport that extends at least three months beyond date of entry. Visas are given at the airport on arrival. Generally they're good for four months.
Departure Tax: There is a departure tax of $20 Fijian dollars.
Language: English is the official language, but Fijian and Hindustani are also widely spoken.
Currency: Fiji dollars. International credit cards are generally accepted in major cities.
Health: One of the few tropical regions of the Indio-Pacific where you don't have to worry about malaria, Fiji is free from most tropical diseases. Drinking water is safe in cities and resorts.
Interesting Facts: The 300+ islands of Fiji (representing a total land mass of 7,055 square miles) are scattered over 42,000 square miles of water. Fiji declared its independence from Britain in 1970. First settlement of this area is believed to have occurred more than 3,000 years ago by natives of what is today Papua New Guinea.