Mellow Yellow is a two-pinnacle site in the Vatu-i-Ra water off Rakiraki, known for its profusion of soft yellow corals. The larger pinnacle starts at 3 m and the smaller at 12 m, both covered in soft coral, and the ground around them drops away to 40 m. It can be dived at any state of the water, though stronger current is what brings out the best in it.
Where it is and how deep
17.2765° S, 178.4709° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is two pinnacles rather than one. The larger tops out at 3 m and the smaller at 12 m, both of them covered in soft coral, and the ground around them falls away to 40 m. The dive is worked around and between the two, with the shallow top of the larger pinnacle saved for the end so the last minutes and the safety stop are spent in the coral rather than in open water.
The name is the coral. Mellow Yellow is known for a profusion of soft yellow corals, and the colour rather than any single animal or structure is what divers come back for. The site can be dived at any state of the water, but stronger current brings out the best in it, so a slot with some flow running is the one worth asking for.
Marine life and season
- Pristine corals
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Bligh Water & Vatu-i-Ra: Apr–Oct is the dry season with the best visibility; Nov–Mar is warmer but brings cyclone risk and rougher crossings.
Know before you go
- The site shows best when the current is running, so expect to be dropped upcurrent and to hold position on the pinnacles rather than swim against the flow.
Photos from Mellow Yellow
q phia · CC BY 2.0
q phia · CC BY 2.0
q.phia · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Scuba Diving Fiji October 2025 Mellow Yellow Vivid · Nicole Peterson on YouTube
Fiji Day 3 Dive Compilation Mellow Yellow in HD · mike g on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Mellow Yellow?+
The larger of the two pinnacles starts at 3 m and the smaller at 12 m, and the ground around them drops away to 40 m, so the dive can be kept shallow on the coral or run deeper off the sides.
Sources
- Mellow Yellow — Scubago
- Rakiraki Dive Sites, Fiji — Dive The World
Photo credits
- A yellow reef fish with a black eye-stripe rests among coral polyps and thin red coral fronds. by q phia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Clusters of pale soft coral polyps with a small orange fish nestled among them. by q phia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- An orange anemonefish with a white head-band peers out from pale anemone tentacles. by q phia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bright yellow crinoid arms curl outward against a dark background. by q.phia, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
More dive sites in Bligh Water & Vatu-i-Ra
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A pinnacle on a reef ridge, best on the change of tide
Seamount
A pinnacle climbing 900 m to within a metre of the surface
Coral heads from 3 m to 36 m, with swim-throughs and undercuts
Seamount
A Chironephthya soft-coral wall on a 2,000 m seamount
Similar dives elsewhere
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Two gorgonian-clad pinnacles with a giant archway next door