Taveuni Waiyevo Anchorage

About This Anchorage

Taveuni is Fiji's third-largest island — known as 'the Garden Island' for its extraordinary biodiversity and lush rainforest. The Waiyevo anchorage on the west coast provides access to Taveuni's main facilities and to the world-famous diving of the Somosomo Strait. Taveuni sits astride the 180° dateline — a line on the road marks the date boundary (with some historical inaccuracy). The island is notable for the Bouma National Heritage Park (80% of the island is national park), the Tagimaucia flower (found only on Taveuni, emblazoned on the Fijian dollar), and the rainbow-coloured soft coral of the Rainbow Reef in the Somosomo Strait. The Great White Wall dive is considered one of the best dive sites in the world — a vertical coral wall covered in white soft coral that turns purple at depth. The anchorage at Waiyevo is deep and exposed to the west but provides the necessary staging. Dive operators (Garden Island Resort) can arrange all dives in the Strait.

Hazards

• !Deep and exposed anchorage — 8–25m with west exposure; monitor conditions and set large alarm radius
• !Somosomo Strait tidal currents — up to 4 knots in the strait; time passage for slack water
• !Coral on the bottom — use 7:1 scope and snorkel to find sand before anchoring
• !180° dateline timezone — change clocks and date on crossing

Skipper's Tips

• →The Great White Wall in the Somosomo Strait is one of the world's best dives — book with Garden Island Resort dive operators
• →The 180° dateline marker on the road at Waiyevo is a notable stop — cross from one day to another by foot
• →Bouma National Heritage Park offers outstanding waterfall hikes and birdwatching — the silktail (endemic) is found only here
• →Time the Somosomo Strait passage for slack water — the current runs hard but divides predictably at springs
• →The Tagimaucia flower blooms September–December in Lake Tagimaucia — the island's most famous natural treasure

Nearby Anchorages