Located in the South Pacific, the archipelago of Fiji lies about two-thirds of the distance from Hawaii (2,775 miles / 4,450 km southwest of Honolulu) to New Zealand (1,100 miles / 1,770 km north). Part of Oceania, The Republic of Fiji's 300-plus islands are of volcanic origin.

The rugged terrain of the islands includes towering peaks as high as 4,000 feet / 1,200 meters. Lushly forested, the islands are blessed with great natural beauty.

Offshore, Fiji is ringed with brilliant soft corals of unprecedented beauty and has great diversity of marine organisms. Divers are likely to encounter sea snakes, stonefish, clown fish, sponges, reef fish, rays, sharks, whales and dolphins.

The climate is mild, with daytime temperatures varying from 68 to 86 degrees F (20 to 30 Celsius). Water temperatures vary by season from an average of 83 degrees F to 78 F, so plan on packing a wetsuit for diving and a sweater for evenings.

So why are the reefs here so significant? Well, there are five key ingredients in the perfect coral reef recipe -- all of them found in central Fiji region:

1. Temperature & Climate - coral reefs require warm tropical water and sunlight.
   
2. Salinity, Nutrients & Food - Central Fiji's reefs benefit from the combined effect of nutrient-rich run-off and deep-ocean upwelling. Encouraged by prevailing southeast trade winds, the clean food-laden ocean water is funneled into and along the deep channel between Fiji's two main islands, Viti Levi and Vanua Levu. And a balancing nutrient load comes down from those two high islands out onto the barrier reefs and into the same central channel.
   
3. Circulation - tidal and wind-driven currents are intensified through Fiji's center. They play a crucially important role in circulating cleansing water flow, removing sediment and moving food back and forth throughout the reef system. These same currents aid in the daily mixing of broadcast spawn from fish and invertebrates.
   
   
4. Protection - coral reefs need shelter to truly thrive. Open ocean atolls are usually not so luxuriant and abundant as they must develop amid the constant pounding of ocean swells and storm surf. Central Fiji's maze of barrier reefs provides ideal protection without compromising the important water movement.
   
   
5. New Recruits - Central Fiji is a nexus for spawn from coral reef animals that have traveled thousands of miles looking for a place to mingle and colonize. This spawn, carried over the open sea surface from all over the Tropical Pacific, finds in Fiji a perfect stop-off point at which to stop, settle and grow. Fiji is the first major barrier for spawn that has traveled across the Pacific with the southeast trades. Like other food and nutrients, this spawn is concentrated in Central Fiji waters, by the topography of the barrier reefs, the deep Bligh Water channel and the life-breathing currents.

   
   

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