Rakiraki and Vatu-i-Ra / Bligh Water

Dive with operators who brief current, pickup procedure, maximum depth, lost-buddy procedure, and SMB use. Carry an SMB and audible signal on every boat dive. Stay close to the guide on pinnacles, avoid gloves that encourage contact, secure gauges and cameras, and maintain neutral buoyancy before photographing soft corals. If you feel under-skilled for strong current, ask for sheltered sites, training dives, or house reef time rather than pushing into Vatu-i-Ra.

For suspected decompression illness or serious dive injury, place the diver on oxygen, activate local emergency support, and contact the nearest appropriate medical team. Fiji dive emergency guidance points operators toward CWM Hospital in Suva for chamber alert via the on-duty hyperbaric doctor, with Western Division hyperbaric support also available through Pacific Specialist Healthcare Hospital in Nadi. Evacuation decisions should be coordinated by medical professionals, not improvised by a boat crew after surfacing.

Vatu-i-Ra management includes no-take marine zones, catch-and-release areas, no-take island habitat, seabird protection, and visitor contributions. Do not fish, collect shells or coral, chase turtles, feed fish, stand on reef, or land on Vatu-i-Ra Island without approval. Use operators who brief good environmental practice, use moorings where possible, manage rubbish carefully, and teach snorkelers and divers to keep fins, cameras, and gauges away from living coral.