Fiji Dive, Culture and Conservation Programme

Fiji Dive, Culture and Conservation Programme

This programme is perfectly suited to scuba diving enthusiasts, beginner or qualified, looking to further their skills and use their diving experience to give something back. At the same time, you will learn all about Fijian culture and be able to relax on the numerous beaches that Fiji is renowned for.

The Programme

This 6-week programme is split into 3 main sections – Cultural Experiences, Scuba Diving and Conservation. However, the programme finishes with a few days relaxing on one of Fiji’s most popular beaches, so you have a holiday week too.

Scuba Diving Course
During the first 2 weeks you will receive your scuba diving training, which will enable you to join the conservation programme and partake in the diving at other points during the programme.

Your training will require you to complete 1 scuba course – either the PADI Open Water Course or the Advanced Open Water Course. If you have already completed these qualifications, you have options for other courses or extra dives instead.

Culture Experience
Also during the first 2 weeks, you will stay with a traditional Fijian village and learn all about the way of life of these amazing friendly people. You will spend half of your time on the scuba courses, with the remainder of your time spent with the village people, in a complete cultural immersion programme.

Conservation Project
The project aims to build an MPA (Marine Protected Area) in Savusavu Bay, Vanua Levu Island. A marine protected area is a place where corals, fish and other marine eco-systems are allowed to flourish without risk of being altered or harmed by man. The research you undertake will support the work of the infamous Jean Michelle Cousteau MPA located nearby.

Location

Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji (locations will vary according to schedule). Fiji is a tropical Island Nation situated in the South of the Pacific Ocean.

Accommodation and Meals

During the programme, you will be accommodated in a mixture of different forms of accommodation, from hostels to a private rented house. Please see further information for more details. Rooms will be shared, based on a mixed or single-sex basis (group determines who they wish to share with.)

Most meals are included during the programme, however, please check the full itinerary for further details. During the conservation programme, volunteers will need to purchase their own lunch each day, which can be done on the way to the dive site each morning. You should budget £2 approximately each day for this.

Relaxation week
The final 4 days of the programme are spent relaxing on the Coral Coast at one of the top backpacker resorts. Accommodation is provided, with up to 6 volunteers staying in a dorm-style lodge.

Meals are not provided during these last few days, so you will need to budget about £6 each day.

This programme is perfectly suited to scuba diving enthusiasts, beginner or qualified, looking to further their skills and use their diving experience to give something back. At the same time, you will learn all about Fijian culture and be able to relax on the numerous beaches that Fiji is renowned for.

The Programme
This 6-week programme is split into 3 main sections – Cultural Experiences, Scuba Diving and Conservation. However, the programme finishes with a few days relaxing on one of Fiji’s most popular beaches, so you have a holiday week too.

Scuba Diving Course
During the first 2 weeks you will receive your scuba diving training, which will enable you to join the conservation programme and partake in the diving at other points during the programme.

Your training will require you to complete 1 scuba course – either the PADI Open Water Course or the Advanced Open Water Course. If you have already completed these qualifications, you have options for other courses or extra dives instead.

http://www.realgap.co.uk/Fiji%20Dive,%20Culture%20and%20Conservation%20Programme

Matava Astrolabe Hideaway Matava Astrolabe Hideaway

Matava Astrolabe Hideaway is located in the lush tropical surroundings of Kadavu Island by the Great Astrolabe Reef. Matava is a small and intimate getaway that was designed to blend with its natural environment and offer comfortable and economical accommodations, world-class scuba diving and superb meals. There are no roads, towns or power lines—this true hideaway is reached only by boat! There are nine traditional Fijian bures nestled in the rainforest. All bures have polished timber floors, four-poster beds and private decks. Solar power lighting and gas-heated water make your stay comfortable. The Oceanview Bures offer spectacular panoramas of the Great Astrolabe Reef and surrounding islands, and the Waterfront Bures are by the shore, enclosed in beautiful tropical gardens.

© copyright Matava Astrolabe Hideaway Meals at Matava are an imaginative blend of local and international cuisines. The menu takes advantage of local seasonal delicacies and the day`s fresh produce, incorporating locally grown organic tropical fruit and vegetables, home-style freshly baked breads and reef-caught seafood like coral trout, trevally, lobster and walu. Also, enjoy scrumptious lovo feasts, the traditional Fijian meals cooked over hot stones. Matava features a fully-stocked bar with selection of local and imported beers, wines and spirits.

© copyright Matava Astrolabe Hideaway If you are into fishing, you can catch your own dinner and maybe even enough to share with others. Regular catches include yellow fin and skipjack tuna, walu, barracuda, trevally and sometimes even sailfish. Scuba diving the Great Astrolabe Reef, Fiji’s largest living structure and one of the world`s premier dive locations, is the focus here. The reef offers great diversity of both soft and hard corals, and abundance of marine life. The resident dive shop will take you the best sites around the reef and dazzle even the most experienced and well-traveled diver! All levels of diving is offered, including beginner courses.

© copyright Matava Astrolabe Hideaway Apart from fabulous diving, Matava offers an extensive list of fun activities. Snorkeling here is excellent, surfers will love the five passages on the reef producing long barreling waves from two to ten feet tall, and guided half day to three-day kayaking trips around the islands are a magnificent way to see the real Fiji. Matava has also established a portfolio of treks and guided walks to take advantage of the stunning scenery. And you can, of course, just relax and take in the tranquil atmosphere of the islands—stargazing is particularly good here!

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