Fiji, which outer islands are the best with house reef for snorkeling & diving?
 

I'm planning to stay at Fiji over the christmas and new year for vacation with my wife and couple of our friends, and heard that the main island (Viti Levu) is not a good place for snorkeling since the water is not the crystal clear water and the corals are not much around.

People from TA suggest staying couple of nights at the outer islands. The problem is that there are too many outer islands to choose from. Does anyone has better suggestion for which outer island to stay and how to get there from Nadi? I don't mind any economical penisons or even any luxury 5* resort as long as it is good for snorkeling and close to the major dive site, so that I can go diving while my wife can snorkel with her friends around the hotel. Thanks for any advice in advance. :)

Can't help you with which outer island but just stayed at Denerau Island for a week at 5* resort which was great and very convenient location 20 min drive from the airport, and can confirm that snorkeling and diving is non-existent there (all the other watersports are available however and great). So you have good advice. Travel within Fiji is not so easy (expect to take a day to get anywhere in each direction), so for a short stay this may be a problem. My impression is that Fiji is OK for diving and snorkeling but those aren't its strong points and other destinations are more likely to be chosen for that purpose. Certainly don't expect anything like Whitsundays/GBR quality.

Having lived in Fiji for 11 years and being an avid diver there - Fiji is a great place to dive/snorkel. Although not the world's greatest place to do such activities, it's still unbelievable!

Head to the island of Kadavu (south of Viti Levu) for some top notch wall dives. There are several places to stay there and it's a great place to indulge/introduce Fijian culture to people. Getting around Kadavu is mostly by boat and one could fly from Viti Levu (Naisori or Nadi) to get to Kadavu.

Another option is Taveuni island (forth largest island in Fiji) for great dives and snorkeling opportunities. There is a Swiss Dive company there that has great deals and top of the line diving equipment. Again, there are many different places to stay there for all levels of budget.

Have fun diving in the Pacific!

Thank you #6 and noooah for the detail information!

Actually I want to find some small islands (you can circle the whole island in 10-15 mins) near nadi and can be easily accessed by boat/catamaran. There are couple of small islands like Treasure Island Resort, Navini Island Resort, Beachcomber and Bounty, etc. It seems Navini is the best but they are full house during christmas and new year. Does anyone has other suggestions?

Cant vouch for the other islands you mentioned, but I have stayed at Treasure Island before but that was 6+ years ago. It was a fun place to stay - although can't remember if the diving was that great there. It's close to many other islands so day-tripping would be no problem. The 'hermit-crab races' on treasure island is fun to see/participate if you stay there! enjoy.