Kadavu & the Great Astrolabe Reef · Fiji · Channel & pass · Wall · Drift
Naiqoro Passage
Potato cod gather here in numbers to breed, inside a 2018 marine reserve
Naiqoro Passage is a cut through the Great Astrolabe barrier and one of the main thoroughfares for large fish moving between the lagoon and the open ocean. One side of it is a vertical wall with its base at around 21 metres, below which a sandy slope falls away to a floor at 36 metres. It was recognised as a marine reserve in 2018 to protect the fish spawning aggregation that gathers here.
Also known as Naigoro Passage.
Where it is and how deep
19.0131° S, 178.4989° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The passage is narrow, so the dive is planned around the tide rather than the other way round. You drop onto the wall that forms the side of the channel and follow it down: the face runs vertically to a base at around 21 metres, where a sandy slope takes over and grades away to the floor at 36 metres. When the current is at or near its strongest this becomes a fast ride rather than a dive you steer, and the sensible plan is to go with it and stay close to the reef.
The wall itself is the reason to come. Anemones and soft corals cover the face, and it is the colour that divers remember: red and orange are well represented, and there is an unusual amount of purple across the rock. Sheltered pockets and the top of the slope repay slowing down when the flow allows it, though on a running tide most of the dive passes at whatever pace the water sets for you.
It is worth looking at a fish book before you get in. Many varieties of snapper and sweetlips hold on the passage, close enough in shape and marking that telling them apart underwater takes some study. Potato cod also accumulate here in large numbers to breed, which is the reason the channel carries formal protection, and the cut works as a thoroughfare for large fish crossing the barrier.
Background
The Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations surveyed the area in 2011 as part of a Grouper Survey and Tagging Project, working on the spawning aggregation that uses the channel. In 2018 the Ministry of Fisheries officially recognised the site as a marine reserve, under the formal designation "Fisheries (Naiqoro Passage Spawning Aggregation Marine Reserve) Regulations 2018", which closed it to fishing.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- 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 Kadavu & the Great Astrolabe Reef: Apr–Oct is the dry season with the best visibility; Nov–Mar brings cyclone risk and rain, though the water is warmest then.
Know before you go
- The channel is narrow and the tidal current running through it can be strong; dives are timed on the tide, and when it is running hard you drift with it rather than swim against it.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Naiqoro Passage?+
The wall forming the side of the channel has its base at around 21 metres, and below that a sandy slope falls away to a floor at 36 metres. Most of the dive is spent on the wall rather than down on the bottom.
Do you need to be an advanced diver for Naiqoro Passage?+
The passage is a narrow channel and the tidal current through it is often strong, so it is run as a drift and suits divers with current experience rather than the newly certified. Dives are timed on the tide.
Is Naiqoro Passage protected?+
Yes. Fiji's Ministry of Fisheries recognised it as a marine reserve in 2018 under regulations protecting its fish spawning aggregation, and parts of the Great Astrolabe Reef are closed to fishing and require entry fees.
Sources
- Naiqoro Passage — Wikipedia
- Great Astrolabe Reef — Wikipedia
- Fiji Kadavu dive sites — Dive The World
In The Logbook
- When does coral spawn? The moon's calendarBig animals · 10 min read
- When is slack water? Tides for diversOcean science · 7 min read
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