Simon Mustoe

The northern division of Fiji is a great place to snorkel but it's really hard to find anything online about where to go and what to expect. In the hope it might help you with your visit, we wrote this guide after a month exploring southern Vanua Levu and Taveuni in August 2023. This book is the perfect accompaniment to your trip to the region. You will no doubt hear about cyclone Winston that had a devastating effect on the reefs in 2016. Recovery has been extraordinary and not everywhere was equally affected. There are places where the coral might even be more abundant with unusual wildlife now, than before. This is no reason not to visit. As you will see, there is still plenty of reef in good condition. Despite a reputation for being diving's poor-cousin you will see more snorkelling than diving, and mostly in only a few tens-of-centimetres of water. We travelled with the late Neville Coleman's book Fiji Islands: World of Water Wildlife Guide which illustrates 512 species. We saw 224, of which 207 were while snorkelling. Many are prized sightings by divers but were common on the inshore shallow reefs, especially at night. For native Fijians the ocean is their life and almost everyone knows something about the sea. Many people you meet will have swum, snorkelled or even dived, in nearby locations. The gateway to this region is the sleepy town of Savusavu. Away from the hustle of the major cities, it is a charming mix of visitors and locals, keen to help you with your stay. Savusavu is a peaceful and well-serviced harbour where you can walk the full length of the high street in less than ten minutes. There are well-stocked supermarkets, a range of eateries and a pleasant harbourside park and marina. But it's essentially a South Pacific Island. Don't expect to find well-developed tourism. If you have limited time, plan your trip before you go.

In this book there are entire chapters devoted to the most widely used bird counting techniques, and attempts to amalgamate other counting methodologies into major groups were made. Examples of the use of methods are provided wherever possible and the relative value of various approaches for answering specific questions is also addressed.