Superb diving that is also among the most affordable!
For 16 years, NAI'A's lavish reefs and unique crew have given their all to provide a truly great diving vacation. When I travel to dive shows or scan the dive travel forums, I am gratified to hear complements from so many people who say that NAI’A is among the very best live-aboard experiences in the world. However, I am also surprised by the gross misconception that NAI'A is among the most expensive of live-aboards! Allow me – no allow the numbers – to set this record straight: NAI'A’s Fiji is one of the most cost-effective world-class dive adventures you can choose.
Experienced dive travelers know of Fiji's remarkable coral reef combination of diversity, abundance, endemism and vivid wild color. These elements, along with the cultural charisma of Fijian people - especially our crew - place NAI'A’s Fiji consistently at the top ranks of the planet's diving destinations. Dive travelers also know that live-aboard diving vessels are the most efficient and comfortable way to achieve the vastly higher quality and quantity of diving that makes the increased effort and cost of air travel worthwhile. Always, but especially now, our bank balances shape our travel decisions. So, I'd like to prove to you that aboard NAI'A you can have your cake and eat it too - superb diving that is also among the most affordable!
Travel Time & Baggage Fees
Fiji is a ten-hour nonstop flight from LA. We collect you from the airport or nearby hotels in a bus for the 30 minute transfer to the harbour, so there is no requirement to lug your heavy dive gear aboard a small airplane for a flight to a remote airstrip somewhere – and there are no extra transfer costs.
The other Fiji liveaboards start their charters in Suva, a four-hour drive or a small plane flight from the international airport. This additional dollar and time cost must be considered when pricing a trip. Domestic airlines in Fiji charge excess baggage fees on luggage more than 20 kilos: currently F$1.20/per kilo to Suva. And the airlines do not guarantee that excess baggage will be sent on the same plane with you!
None of the other world-class Indo-Pacific destinations can be reached non-stop and none are cheap to fly to. Travel time to parts of Indonesia or Papua New Guinea, for instance, can be several days each way.
Taxes and Extra Charges
Because some operations collect tax, park fees, fuel surcharge, and other items aboard the ship, you need to be careful when comparing the listed price of a charter.
NAI'A includes in the listed price all transfers and government taxes and we pay the Marine Park fee for you, although we do charge a modest fuel surcharge onboard. Once aboard NAI'A you pay only for optional items such as Nitrox, alcohol (although we serve complimentary drinks with dinner), trip videos and rental equipment.
The Fiji Aggressor and Peter Hughes Island Dancer II collect onboard a "cruise tax", Marine Park fees and VAT on purchases and services, adding an unlisted $400-500 (or more depending on your habits) to your charter cost.
Charter Length
In Fiji, a "seven-day" charter with the Fiji Aggressor includes seven nights but only 5 full dive days plus one dive on the sixth day (and you are asked to go ashore for dinner on the final night). Peter Hughes advertises 5 and a half dive days on a 7-day trip and 8 and half dive days on a 10-day trip. By contrast, a NAI’A seven-day charter has seven nights and 6 full dive days plus a dive on the first afternoon aboard. Our 10-day trips schedule 9 dive days plus the first afternoon dive. A much more accurate assessment of the value of a trip is to consider the cost per dive day.
The chart below compares some of the best boats in some of the best locations. The charter costs were taken from their websites in October 2008 and the cost of air was the best price available on Expedia or directly through the airline(s) serving the destinations for April, 2009.
