News
Volivoli Beach Resort in Fiji joins the Best Boutique Collection
Volivoli Beach Resort has become the fourth member of the Best Boutique Collection, a new representation company for stylish boutique resorts and lodges.
The Fijian dive resort is run by the Darling family in third generation and has been completely renovated after cyclone Winston left huge damage in 2016.
Volivoli Beach Resort is located on the Northern tip of Viti Levu Image credit: © Volivoli Beach Resort
With its rich and colourful underwater world, abundantly blessed with soft corals, it is no wonder that Jean-Michel Cousteau named Fiji the “Soft Coral Capital of the World”. Volivoli Beach Resort is located at the Northern tip of Viti Levu in Rakiraki with direct access to the Bligh Water Passage where the majority of the dive sites are at a depth between 20 and 40 metres.
Besides soft and hard corals, divers can expect to see large gorgonian fans, small caverns, lobsters, sepia, as well as schools of barracuda and jackfish. At certain times of the year, it is also possible to see hammerhead sharks and eagle rays. At the dive sites closer to the resort, macro and critters including the rare ornate ghost pipefish as well as two wrecks offer diverse dives. The PADI and SSI dive centre “Ra Divers”, directly located in the resort, runs courses up to instructor level.
This rare ghost pipefish species likes to hide in corals Image credit: © Volivoli Beach Resort
After hurricane Winston erased a large part of the resort in 2016, the Darling family decided to take this as a chance and upgrade the resort. Along with the renovation, new Luxury Ocean Front Villas were introduced, each with two bedrooms, a private swimming pool and a spacious outdoor covered living area. In total, Volivoli Beach Resort offers 33 rooms and villas in five different categories.
Thursday is “Fijian Night“ at the resort. Image credit: © Volivoli Beach Resort
Local Fijian customs such as Meke (traditional style of dance and singing performance), Lovo (earth oven prepared food) and Kava (traditional ceremonial drink) are performed weekly, typically on a Thursday night at the Ra Bar in the resort. For further exploration of Fijis stunning landscape, nature and culture, guests can choose from a variety of excursions such as a guided cultural village tour, a waterfall adventure tour, regional trekking, Standup Paddle Boarding River Adventure and a sunset cruise.
“We are very excited to welcome more guests from Europe in Fiji through our new partnership with Best Boutique Collection. While Fiji is certainly on the bucket list of many divers there, the time difference makes it difficult for us to efficiently communicate with the tour operators. On the consumer level, we need to address the prejudices that a vacation in Fiji is pretty expensive and that it is very tedious to get here,” says owner and General Manager Nick Darling.
The best travel time for Fiji is between April and December. Fiji is easily accessible from Europe with only one stop in Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, Los Angeles or San Francisco, hence offering multiple options for an interesting city break on the way to paradise. The nearest airport to Volivoli Resort is Nadi International (NAN) and the transfer time from the airport to the resort takes about 2.5 hours.
For more information on Volivoli Beach Resort, please visit www.volivoli.com or
www.best-boutique-collection.eu/en/volivoli-beach-resort-viti-levu-fiji
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Cozy and warm in cold water.
It’s drysuit season all year round. With the new RS series premium drysuits from DYNAMICNORD, divers are perfectly equipped for all cold waters.
The sophisticated cut of the RS drysuits allows complete freedom of movement, providing maximum comfort. The high-quality 350 g/m² ripstop material with double ripstop zones on the elbows, knees, and crotch protect ensures extreme robustness as well as long life.
The suit’s features leave nothing to be desired: A high-quality TiZip zipper, easily adjustable inlet and outlet valves, upgradeable with electrically heated underwear, HP bottleneck cuffs made of high-strength latex on the wrists, a 3mm neoprene neck cuff for maximum comfort, a 7mm hood with air outlet and 3mm boots made of double-sided, cross-layered neoprene with ankle straps and fin strap stoppers and a protective but very flexible sole.
Noteworthy is the Molle fastening system, which can be used in a variable and compatible manner. This way, the two detachable leg pockets can be attached easily, safely and comfortably.
Alterations of boots to a different shoe size or adjustments to neck or wrist cuffs are done free of charge at the own DYNAMICNORD service centre in Germany in only a couple of days.
The matching Dynaskins made with high-quality Polartec® technology are available in various designs. As an undersuit under the drysuit, as a single suit in warm waters or as a two-piece suit. Polartec® technology’s main features are neutral buoyancy, breathablilty and quick-drying.
Dynaskins are made largely from recycled plastic bottles.
The drysuit RS-351 for men and RS-352 for women are now available at your DYNAMICNORD dealer and in the online store.
Colors men and women: Black-Blue and Black-Burgundy
Sizes men: XS-4XL incl. intermediate sizes MS, MT, MLS, MLT, LS, LT, XLS, XLT, 2XLS, 3XLS, 4XLS
Sizes Women: XS-XL incl. intermediate sizes MS, MT, LS, XLS
DYNAMICNORD – Your Outdoor Companion.
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