Page 141 - Melanesia
P. 141
Taveuni - Somosomo Straight/Rainbow Passage
T his striking environment is the product of a rare phenomenon tide, when there is no current and the wall has been fed with nu-
of a large volume of seawater forced through the narrow, trients for seven hours,” says Jon Piepkorn, an instructor at Taveuni
shallow passage that is the Somosomo Strait. The pressure cre- Dive. “It’s the reason they call this place the soft-coral capital of the
ates strong currents filled with nutrients to be consumed by the world.” In the translucent blue waters separating Vanua Levu and
marine life, in particular the soft corals, which expand to their most Taveuni — the second and third largest islands of Fiji — lies the
enchanting at feeding time. “The best time to dive it is at low slack Rainbow Reef.
