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Explore the beaches, corals and culture of the stunning Pacific nation of Fiji while contributing to valuable conservation work and training to become a qualified scuba diver. Based on one of the world’s most beautiful archipelagos, this 6-week trip of a lifetime is packed full of breathtaking activities that will live long in the memory.
This is a great programme for scuba diving enthusiasts, beginner or qualified, looking to develop their skills and use their diving experience to help with marine protection work. At the same time, you will gain a unique insight into Fijian culture and take time out to top up your tan on Fiji’s world-famous beaches!
The Programme
This 6-week programme is divided into 3 main sections – Cultural Experiences, Scuba Diving and Conservation, while the programme concludes with several days of relaxation on one of Fiji’s most popular beaches.
Scuba Diving Course
The first two weeks will be devoted to scuba diving training, which will enable you to join the conservation programme and take part in subsequent dives. Your training will require you to complete 1 scuba course – either the PADI Open Water Course, the Advanced Open Water Course or the Rescue Diver Course –dependent on your current dive experience.
Please Note: If you are already qualified to Rescue Diver level or beyond, there are different options available to you. These include a number of PADI speciality courses that would greatly benefit your volunteer work, such as fish identification and coral conservation courses. If you are to achieve your Rescue Diver qualification, you will need to complete the Emergency First Response Course. This can be carried out prior to arrival or arranged locally at a reasonable cost.
This is a really exciting part of the programme, especially for first time divers. You will learn all of the basic theory of scuba diving in classes before putting the principles you have learnt into practice in a controlled environment. After passing your exams, you will need to complete your first open water dives to receive your Open Water Certification. This will enable you to get your PADI card and official log-book! The other qualifications from this programme are outlined below.
Scuba Qualifications
There are different ranges of diving qualifications, some of which must be achieved prior to tackling the next level of diving. The main qualifications are outlined below:
- PADI Open Water – this 5-day course gives you your basic licence to dive anywhere in the world to a maximum depth of 18 metres. It involves studying 5 academic modules, with 6 confined dives and 4 open water dives.
- Advanced Open Water – this course takes 5 days to complete, with certification allowing you to dive to 30 metres. You need to complete 10 dives, choosing from night dive, deep dive, underwater photography, underwater videography and more.
- Emergency First Response – this non-diving qualification is a pre-requisite course for all divers looking to go beyond Advanced Open Water Level. It teaches you both primary and secondary care, which involves learning how to resuscitate someone, develop CPR skills, identify how to treat someone etc. This is a very important qualification to possess and takes two and a half days to complete.
- Rescue Diver – this 4-day programme requires you to complete 5 academic modules that enable you to become a competent rescue diver. You learn emergency management, how to identify equipment problems, ways of identifying diver stress and panic, and how to administer diver first aid.
Scuba Instruction
All diving is supervised by a fully qualified Scuba Instructor and all of the equipment and resources necessary to complete each course is provided. All examination fees are also included in the programme.
The Koro Sun Dive Centre itself is based on the island of Vanua Levu, one of the largest islands in Fiji, located Northeast of the main island of Viti Levu. The centre has been running for a number of years and is located at the Koro Sun Resort.
Cultural Experiences
While you are completing your scuba course you will be staying in village style accommodation and immersing yourself in the culture of these incredibly friendly people. You will spend half of your time on the scuba courses, with the remainder of your time spent interacting with the village people and getting to know their day-to-day routine. This is one of the most memorable parts of the programme and the time in which participants really get to know the true Fiji.
What will I experience?
This part of the programme is deliberately a lot less structured, to reflect daily Fijian life. You will be welcomed to the Island with a typical “Bula” and take part in age-old rituals such as the “Sevusevu” ceremony, where the famous kava drink is shared!
Conservation Project
Our Marine Researcher, who is an employee of one of Fiji’s most prestigious Resorts, is the director of this project. This resort is an eco-tourism award winner, a leader in establishing the current Savusavu MPA and has connections with one of the world’s leading research centres. There will be opportunities during your stay to attend conservation lectures that are given by Marine Scientists, so when you are diving and working alongside the underwater eco-systems, you’ll have a reasonable knowledge of them.
Through your involvement, the project aims to support the existing 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 free of human intervention. This is an especially difficult challenge in a country like Fiji, where natural weather events impact on reef health and the people live a largely subsistent lifestyle and rely on the sea to provide them with food and an income. As a result, fish populations have declined and eco-systems are being threatened.
As a volunteer, you will gather base-line data to provide evidence of reef health in unprotected areas. Once collated, this information will be analysed and will ultimately provide valuable research material, which may be published with a view to establishing an additional MPA.
However, villages have traditionally selected areas where they limit or stop fishing and gathering, in order to allow species to regenerate. Although this custom has slowed in recent years, the project aims to gain the support of local communities and encourage the development of some underwater areas to host the breeding stock for re-population of the reef ecosystem.
In the medium term the project is looking to establish a database of information on non-MPA dive sites, to support the established MPA and rebuild the eco systems through the following volunteer activities:
- Reef surveying
- Fish identification
- Artificial reef construction
- Harbour/Reef clean-ups.
Conservation Training and Coordination
All the required training for the volunteer project i.e. reef building and surveying techniques will be conducted by our local Marine Scientist and project leader. They will make you aware of the most important considerations, ensuring you understand the goals of the project and the importance of accuracy when carrying out your work.
Dive Sites and Recreational Dives
Throughout the programme you will take part in a number of dives – both purposeful dives for the project and diving course and recreational dives to explore the abundant marine life and corals. Most dives will take place around the Koro Sun and Savusavu Bay areas.
During the programme, you should expect to complete up to 30 dives, which includes the PADI Course dives and those on the conservation project. Please note, however, that weather and unforeseen illness may affect this.
Group excursion
On days 33-34 there will be an overnight group excursion (transport, accommodation, breakfast and dinner included on the trip). Where you go and what you do varies according to the time of year, weather and the wishes of the group. There’s every chance that the trip you undertake may not be decided until you arrive. However, a few of the possible options include:
- Taveuni Island - Known as the “Garden Island”, Taveuni is the third largest island in Fiji. The island is covered in tropical rainforests and boasts 3 well known waterfalls within easy trekking distance.
- Natewa Bay – This is the largest deepwater bay in the South Pacific. It has stunning panoramic views and outstanding snorkeling. There is a hidden lake, which is connected to the Koro Sea and a salt lake surrounded by rainforest and coconut plantations.
- Labasa Town and the surrounding area – the town itself is an excellent example of a destination which fuses Indian and Fijian cultures. There are many ethnic craft shops to visit and the town comes alive in November when the local Hindu people celebrate Diwali. In the surrounding area, there are archaeological ruins, beautiful beaches and even a floating island!
Relaxation week
Your final 4 days of the programme will be spent relaxing on the exotic Coral Coast at one of the top backpacker resorts. This is your opportunity to do exactly as you please, with opportunities to snorkel, go diving or simply top up your tan.
Accommodation is provided in a dorm-style lodge. Breakfast is included, but you will need to allow for around £6 each day for lunch and dinner.
Programme Age Limit
The participants on this programme may be of a broad age range. Maximum age decided on potential participants’ health.
Programme Requirement
To be in reasonable health for scuba diving
Accommodation and meals
- While Living in the Village
During your time in the village, you will stay with a local family. Some of their homes are rudimentary, hut-like buildings, with no power or running water, while others are basic, concrete houses with running water. There will be 1-3 people in each room. Living in these rustic conditions adds to your authentic Fiji experience and will prove to be a rewarding and enlightening part of your trip.
All of your meals during this leg of the programme will be provided and are included in the overall cost. They will be prepared using locally sourced products, such as fish, rice and root vegetables. Some meals will be prepared on a group participatory basis, giving you the chance to learn the Fijian way of cooking. It can be difficult to accommodate special dietary needs, as it is only possible to eat the foods available in the local area.
Please Note: Conditions in the village are very basic. A generator provides some electricity, but this is only available for up to 3 hours in the evenings. Showers are also rudimentary – and many villagers improvise by using buckets with holes in to shower!
- While on the Conservation Project
During the first week of the conservation programme (week 2), you will stay in a small family-style backpackers near Savusavu. You will share a room with fellow volunteers, based on a mixed or single-sex basis, determined by the group itself.
Two meals a day are provided as part of the programme (breakfast and dinner). These will be prepared using locally sourced ingredients, however, different diets can be catered for. Volunteers will need to purchase their own lunch each day, which can be done en-route to the dive site each morning. You should budget around £2 each day for this.
Accommodation during weeks 3 to 4 is in comfortable rental accommodation located nearby the Koro Sun Dive Centre. Here you can relax and take advantage of the modern amenities to prepare wholesome meals for you, your fellow volunteers and even local friends. All meals are included during these weeks.
For your final week on Vanua Levu, you will return to a backpackers lodge near Savusavu town (with breakfast and dinner included). This will give you the chance to visit different dive sites and leaves you well situated to catch the overnight ferry to Suva on day 37. During this week you will also have the opportunity to go on a two day, overnight group excursion.
Programme Support
Throughout your programme, you will receive the support and supervision of our Scuba Instructors, conservation researchers and coordinators. Each are fully qualified and experienced, and are able to provide you with all the instructional and safety support necessary on a programme like this. They will be on hand to answer your questions and offer any advice you may need during your stay. The coordinators and programme staff will be available throughout the day if you have any serious problems or emergencies.
In addition, we will provide you with a 24 hour emergency contact number before you depart, so that you can contact one of our UK staff at any time should you need to.
Orientation
At the start of your programme you will receive a local orientation to accompany your pre-departure handbook. This orientation will be conducted by one of our programme coordinators, one of the village elders and your Dive Instructor, and will cover the following areas:
- Scuba Course Outline and Criteria: You will be briefed on the course requirements and what is expected of you at the assessment stage of each qualification.
- Programme Outline: What to expect at each stage of the programme and some more information about the conservation project.
- Safety: How to keep safe in the local area and how to ensure everyone’s safety whilst on the programme.
- Expected Behaviour: How to ensure you respect the local people and the environment.
- Questions/Answers Session: An opportunity for you to ask any further questions.
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