Underwater Photography

Vast, Unexplored Reefs 

Fiji’s turquoise waters boast an approximate 10,000 kmº of coral reef - including two of the world’s largest reefs, the Great Sea Reef to the north and the Great Astrolabe Reef to the south of the archipelago. With such a vast area of coral reef, expect incredible reef topography – including isolated sea pinnacles teeming in lyre tail anthias, swim throughs and hard coral walls. 

Something For Everyone 

Fiji’s rich marine biodiversity and stunning reefs make it the perfect ‘all-rounder’ dive destination for underwater photographers. From seasonal pelagics like humpback whales and dolphins to tiny nudibranchs and shrimp living in anemones, there’s heaps to see and inspire creativity.  

The Bligh Water and the Great Astrolabe often host large marine mammals like pilot whales and dolphins, sometimes even on your safety stop! Macro fans will love Fiji’s colourful nudibranchs, glass shrimps and goby-covered sea whips, crabs and molluscs. Perfect for a fascinating night dive!  
 

Image credit: Waterlust Underwater Photography
 

Year-Round Suitability

Cooler winter waters from May to November (25-27°C) offer slightly better visibility while summer brings flatter seas when the south easterly trade winds subside. Though hotter and humid with some brief afternoon rain showers, summer’s calm seas allow for easier handling of photography gear and exploration of remoter reefs.  These calm, warmer seas create wonderful opportunities for wide angle shots, capturing the mirror effect of flat waters and layers on sunlight. Plus summer gives you the chance to grab all the best low season deals at dive resorts.  

Image credit: Waterlust Underwater Photography

Fantastic Visibility

Good ‘viz’ is the life blood of easy underwater photography - just position your strobes and press the shutter without working out to deal with ‘backscatter’ - the dreaded waterborne particles that create those ugly dots all over your images. Fiji has many dive sites nearly always graced with crystal clear blue water. The further you dive from land is generally the key to ocean clarity. Murky water provides a challenge for underwater photographers however, clever use of your ISO triangle and lighting can create stunning results. Think black backgrounds! 

Image credit: Waterlust Underwater Photography

Explore The World’s Soft Coral Capital!

The father of ‘SCUBA’ and world-renowned oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau, was so enamoured with the soft coral forests billowing in the current that he called Fiji the ‘soft coral capital of the world’. Fiji’s signature Dendronepthya coral coats reefs in vivid purples, pink, yellows and reds while radiant Melithaeidae and photogenic gorgonians add vibrant splashes of colour. Add a diver or a shark for perspective and you’re in underwater photography heaven! 

Image credit: Waterlust Underwater Photography
 

Fiji’s Bucket Lister Dive Sites!

If you had to choose a site to photograph, world famous ‘must-dives’ include Fiji’s ‘Great White Wall’ in the Somosomo Strait between Taveuni and Vanua Levu and Mellow Yellow in the Bligh Water. Both sites are dripping in Dendronepthya sp. coral yet in vastly different colourations. The Great White Wall, a vertical wall descending to 100 metres, glows lilac in ocean blues while Yellow Mellow’s tangerine decorated bommies sparkle with orange lyre tails and feature a fantastic 5-metre safety stop. 

Image credit: Waterlust Underwater Photography
 

You And Your Camera Rig Are In The Safest Hands!

Fiji may be a tiny volcanic dot in the middle of the South Pacific but top-notch scuba resorts and dive operators are easy to find. Many Fiji dive resorts even have camera rooms where you can rinse your housing, strobes and torches as well as charge your batteries and jet dry your gear. Dive staff are also second to none so don’t expect to do anything yourself - just breathe out, descend and enjoy the dive! 

Image credit: Waterlust Underwater Photography

For The Macro Lover!

Got sharp eyes? For the macro lover Fiji offers a wealth of bizarre unique and highly adapted critters nuzzled into the tentacles of crinoids, anemones, corals and camouflaged on the seabed. Symbiotic relationships provide fabulous opportunities for creative macro. Dive staff are expert spotters carefully revealing the cutest little critters, holding your snoot and helping you find your focus. Think bokeh, black backgrounds, slow shutter speeds and even composite images! Macro is all about the eyes - theirs and yours! 
 

Join A Fiji Underwater Photography Workshop 

Waterlust underwater photography workshops are the perfect way to enjoy Fiji’s reefs and improve your camera skills. You can also test new gear, meet other photographers and grab heaps of inspiration. Alison, author of the dive book, Blue Bubbles Underwater Fiji, holds two 10-day underwater photographer trips to Fiji each year focusing on soft corals and sharks. The first 7 days are spent diving the Bligh Water mastering wide angle canvases, colour exposures, strobe positioning, buoyancy skills and many other techniques. The trip wraps up with 3 days of shark photography in the Beqa Lagoon. 
 

Image credit: Waterlust Underwater Photography

Photograph The Big Stuff 

Fiji is world renowned for both its steely apex predators and gentle manta rays. Beqa Lagoon (Pacific Harbour) and Kuata Island (Yasawas) offer world-class shark dives and are the perfect opportunity for shark photographers to capture the adrenaline fuelled intensity of 20+ bull sharks performing a ‘shark-nado’. Gentle manta rays can also be found consistently at several spots around Fiji particularly in the Yasawa Islands, Kadavu, Wakaya and Rabi Island on the edge of the Rainbow reef. 



Image credit: Waterlust Underwater Photography