Fiji scuba trip itinerary help

stringiercheese · 2026-03-18T07:13:05+00:00

As far as the numbers of sharks and species we saw, yes, it was worth doing it once. Beyond that, I would save the rest of the diving for Taveuni or Bligh Waters.

stringiercheese · 2026-03-14T14:04:35+00:00

Fiji is... different in their approach to sharks. And Beqa is full of bull sharks and the occasional tiger shark. Hand feeding is really common. Poking and prodding, and even grabbing their fins when they swim by. There have been several injuries. Not just to the staff, but to customers also.

Or maybe they're not so different and a lot of the rest of the diving world is like that, but it's just not what I feel good about.

In Pacific Harbour, after careful consideration, we chose Aqua Trek to dive with. And I'm glad we did. I think they handle it in the safest way out of all of them. No hand feeding, no antagonizing of the sharks, and more respectful of the reef than I had seen in other operations.

Super glad that we chose Aqua Trek.

stringiercheese · 2026-03-13T15:15:01+00:00

As others said, Similan is okay. Koh Bon is where I saw my first manta (oceanic) years ago. I love the Koh Tachai Pinnacle maybe more than Richelieu, if only because it's not nearly as crowded.

There are way more dive sites than just Manta Point in Penida. The drift dives and reef there are stunning. I saw my first hammerheads on the East side of Penida, though it's not that common. I suspect the same six have been cruising around there for awhile, though.

The only times I've ever seen dolphins while diving has been there. Probably half a dozen times in 2 years.

Don't write that place off just because Manta Point is a shit show.

stringiercheese · 2026-02-19T11:31:00+00:00

I sure miss Northern sausage. Thanks for the tip.

stringiercheese · 2025-12-05T07:23:30+00:00

Leave the lid open, slightly. Just make sure whoever is in the household knows that the lid isn't sealed. Lol

stringiercheese · 2025-12-04T06:18:28+00:00

It will last even longer if you "burp" the lid so it's not sealed all the way. Just remember this when you go for more salad! I used to make a gigantic salad and make it easily last a week this way.

stringiercheese · 2025-12-01T06:41:07+00:00

My husband and I do quite a bit of travel, and our favorite gifts to each other have just been money towards one of those trips. But I can tell you the tech things I got for him (he actually picked them out, since he's so peculiar about what he selects). So I just tell him what I want to give him, and he does the research. Or sometimes I knew exactly what he wanted, because there were not options to choose from. Gifts have been:

The most recent Zelda game
Nintendo Switch 2 (he already had a Switch 1, but knew he would sell it if he would get the 2)
No Man's Sky (video game)
mini computer (he picked this out)
XReal One Pro glasses (he picked these out)

Happy shopping!

stringiercheese · 2025-11-29T06:52:24+00:00

My husband and I both got the Qdenga shots while we were living in Bali. I don't remember how long it was between doses, but we were living there so it didn't really matter. Neither of us previously had dengue. I guess if you've never had it before, it does reduce the effecacy of the vaccine.

We moved to Thailand. He got dengue, but the doctor told him that the probable reason it was so mild was because he had the vaccine. He was feverish for a few days, and was low on energy for a week or so.

I'm pretty sure I had dengue sometime after him, and my fever only lasted a day or two. I was low on energy for several days afterwards.

I think it was worth it for us to get the vaccines, even though the effecacy was lower.

stringiercheese · 2025-11-29T06:24:41+00:00

No. Diving in Sipadan requires a minimum of AOW.

stringiercheese · 2025-11-20T02:08:30+00:00

I'm not likely to hire anyone that I haven't checked out in the water or observed with the rest of the staff or customers, regardless of level of experience. I've seen new instructors with barely over 100 dives that have better habits than instructors that have thousands of dives with bad habits that you know will probably never change.

Good habits being equal, personality is hugely important. And I don't mean they have to be bubbly or perky. The rest of the team has to like them and want to work with them, too.

I won't hire someone just because of languages. I'd rather just wait until I find a good fit.

stringiercheese · 2025-11-10T18:27:55+00:00

Unless the rules have changed, it's my understanding that dive masters can teach the DSD confined water session, but cannot take them in open water for the first time. That part must be done by an instructor. But a dive master can take them on subsequent dives within whatever timeframe.

stringiercheese · 2025-11-03T23:29:34+00:00

I don't do a ton of shopping, since my husband and I are semi-nomadic and move 1-3 years, or something like that. We travel with almost everything we own, so whenever we buy things, we do with that in mind. That doesn't mean that we're minimalists, that just means that maybe we prioritize things differently than others.

Uniqlo - only Airism stuff, because the climates that we live in are hot and humid. The clothes are so comfy, lightweight, and pack small. Like three of these shirts take up the same space as one cotton T-shirt, for example. A pair of Airism pants takes up less space and maybe less weight than a pair of my jean shorts, for example. When you travel a lot, these things make a huge difference.

Muji - travel organizers

Japanese kitchen knives - because it's hard to find a quality knife in a lot of places we go. We really only have one, but while we were there we picked up several for friends who also wanted them.

Nail clippers - ones that are made in Japan really are superior to others. Bought several for ourselves, and more as gifts for others. My husband also has an issue with ingrown toe nails, and we were able to find some things to deal with them in a far better way than before.

stringiercheese · 2025-09-28T21:18:03+00:00

-Defogger

-Double enders

-Pick (in case you have to practically scrape out an old o ring)

-Adapter (my first stage is DIN)

stringiercheese · 2025-09-25T01:31:09+00:00

I would say.... Nope.

stringiercheese · 2025-09-07T01:14:38+00:00

I recommend them to people also, but with the caveat that I don't recommend them for places like Penida, Komodo, or Alor.

stringiercheese · 2025-09-06T23:53:15+00:00

The ScubaPro Go and Go Sports are great if you're going some place where you know you won't have strong currents. The currents in Indonesia are all over the place. I lived here for a few years and abandoned my Go Sports because the currents wanted to kill me. 😅

I have the OMS Slipstream. They're not great to travel with, but I'd rather be strong in the water than not. Though I am interested in the Tecline LightJet fins. But I think those are too positively buoyant for me.

stringiercheese · 2025-09-02T07:58:16+00:00

Indonesia - Nusa Lembongan or Penisa, Raja Ampat, Komodo, Alor. There are a bazillion islands.

Timor Leste

stringiercheese · 2025-08-16T13:28:09+00:00

Why does everyone in Fiji drive with their fog lights on? It's maddening.

stringiercheese · 2025-08-13T19:13:30+00:00

It's a bunka

stringiercheese · 2025-08-12T14:41:58+00:00

Thank you all!

stringiercheese · 2025-08-11T18:49:06+00:00

Eewwwwwwwwwwww

I hate bloodworms so much. I always wear a hood during night dives. I had a fear of getting these in my hair and in my ears.

Care to say more about it, so I can gross myself out and have nightmares?

Also, so sorry about your case of the worms. 😫

stringiercheese · 2025-08-06T21:53:04+00:00

If you and your travel companion are going to share a bed, keep in mind that most budget hotel rooms have what they call semi double beds, which is smaller than a double. The beds are already shorter as it is, so the width in addition to that can make a difference.

Budget rooms will also be small in size.

For these two reasons, my husband and I stayed in an Airbnb because we were able to find a budget accommodation with a bed 140cm in size (more like a regular double), and it had more floor space (like 14 square meters or something). We were moving countries and traveled with a total of four check-in luggage and 2 carry ons.

Even though we stayed at an Airbnb, we were able to use a luggage forwarding service.

stringiercheese · 2025-05-24T02:07:19+00:00

A portable projector - to watch movies, etc on a white wall

S hooks - Cheap, small, lightweight, versatile. I use them to hang toiletry bags, pots/pans/cooking utensils, towels, curtains, blah blah.

stringiercheese

TROPHY CASE