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Old 01-06-2011, 01:25 PM   #1
Spearosaurus
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Fiji advice needed: SCUBA & freediving

I got lucky this winter and was able to add a 10 day vacation in Fiji on to the end of a business trip for only ~$400. I arrive on Feb 10th and depart on the 20th.

I am 26, I am on a low budget (hopefully ~$1500 for backpacker's lodging and as much diving as I can afford to do), and I am traveling solo. I do not have a lot of SCUBA experience (~20 dives on the US East Coast and 5 on Maui) but I am an experienced freediver/spearfisher and plan to spend as much time in the water as possible, day and night. I'd like to find a cheap operation where I can do 2-tank morning dives and then go freediving from the shoreline to catch my dinner in the afternoon. I'd also be interested in a budget liveaboard (<$200/day), but I don't think those exist in Fiji.

I will not go freediving alone, so I'm wondering if there is a local club that I could get in touch with. I understand that local permission is needed to fish in Fiji and that there are many preserves. I only spearfish to provide my dinner. Fish is the only meat I eat and I only eat it if I trust that it was caught responsibly and sustainably. That said, I'd be happy doing a few days at one location with great scuba diving and another with good shorediving/spearfishing.

As for accommodations, I'm a backpacker with a tent who can thrive off of granola bars, coconuts, and a fish or lobster here and there, but I'd prefer having a kitchen to prep the fish in.

Any locations with access to rock climbing would also be cool to hear about.

So what do you recommend?
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Old 01-06-2011, 08:15 PM   #2
freedivehunt131
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Re: Fiji advice needed: SCUBA & freediving

I dont know about fiji. But i do know about mixing freediving and scuba. From my experiance and friends, when we freedove after scuba in the past we felt like dog shit afterwards for a few days. No matter if your diving 20 ft or 90ft. They say not to mix the two. But we have found that freediving before scuba has been alright for us. Good luck on your trip you should have a great time.
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Old 01-06-2011, 08:35 PM   #3
Turyturbo
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Re: Fiji advice needed: SCUBA & freediving

From my experience when I was on Matangi Islands, there is a small native village nearby will accept few cashes for one night with plain meals unless you caught some fish for them to prepare for you at no charge as long as you provide them some meats. No beds, just wooden floor though. I just slept on the beach with blankets over me to keep bugs off me. That would save you some money. I hope you like to drink kava. My lips got numbed after drinking a couple of kava.

Yes, freedivehunt131 is correct. Scuba then freedive = yucky. When I was freediving, the visibility is over 200ft. Dolphins everywhere. Tunas everywhere. Wahoo everywhere. It was in the month of July, though.
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