Rainbow Reef - Fiji

Some of the best scuba diving in the world is located only 3 minutes from our resort.  The Rainbow Reef is an extremely diverse, yet largely uncatalogued coral reef system. Known for its explosion of "rainbow colors" due to he presence of the soft corals, it was aptly named the soft coral capital of the world.  Imagine a location where the reefs still make you stand (or dive) in awe of the pristine condition of hard and soft corals, along with schools of thousands of small and large reef fish, turtles, sharks and even manta rays. The rainbow reef is truly one of the last true Edens of coral reef systems in the world. ​

 Diving Package

• Welcome drink
• Spa - complimentary foot or shoulder massage
• Sundowner hike with complimentary beer or soda
• 7 nights in Deluxe Oceanfront Bure
• 7 days of meals including cooked breakfast,    2-course lunch, 3-course dinner
• House Reef Snorkeling Tour
• Roundtrip Transfers to/from Matei Airport
• Diving:
• 12 day dives on the Rainbow Reef**
• 1 night dive
• Unlimited shore diving on house reef
  

From $ 2950 per person, double occupancy (USD)

Excl. Tax

Blackwater Diving reveals animals older than dinosaurs and stranger than fiction—creatures that migrate thousands of feet upward every night, only to melt back into darkness before dawn. Hawaiians and Floridians have savored this spectacle for years; now it’s Fiji’s turn, and Sau Bay Resort is your front‑row seat!​​​

Blackwater Diving isn’t about coral heads or reef walls—it’s about the planktonic nursery of the open ocean, where translucent drifters and larval life stages pulse past in kaleidoscopic succession. On a single 60‑minute float you may encounter

• Cnidaria (hydromedusae & siphonophores)Delicate chandeliers such as Beroe jellyfish and meter‑long chains of Physophora
• Ctenophora (comb jellies)Iridescent Venus girdles that ripple neon rainbows along their ciliary combs These animals refract your torch‑light into living prism shows
• Mollusca (pteropods, pelagic nudibranchs, cephalopod paralarvae). Baby blanket octopus unfurling tissue‑thin capes; glassy Carinaria “sea butterflies” that flutter like spacecraft. Many exist only as ethereal juveniles, rarely photographed by divers.
• Arthropoda (decapod & stomatopod larvae). Transparent mantis‑shrimp larvae sporting kaleidoscope eyes; spindly phyllosoma lobster babies.
• Chordata (Tunicates, larval fish, salps) - Pyrosome colonies glowing faint pink; ribbon‑thin eel leptocephali; salp chains pulsing in synchronicity. These fragile organisms drive oceanic carbon cycles yet are almost never seen by day.
• Chaetognatha (Arrow Worms, Sagitta, Eukrohnia) – Slender, torpedo-shaped bodies darting in sudden bursts; raptorial spines flashy against their semi-transparent flanks; paired photoreceptive bands that faintly glow in the deep.
  

A Photographer's Dream

 Our guides are experienced in handling your camera gear. We stagger entry, adjust tether spacing, and angle down‑line lamps to tame backscatter—so you capture crisp portraits instead of snow‑storm silhouettes. 

 Safety comes first:

• Max four divers per excursion—each personally briefed by our PADI‑certified Blackwater specialist.
• Redundant surface support, with captain and line tender/safety diver(s) topside throughout.
• Mandatory orientation covering buoyancy, tether etiquette, and light discipline ensures even first‑time night divers feel at ease.​
  
  Add Blackwater Diving to any of our packages

1 Dive   $250 (min 2 divers)

Sau Bay Resort

Pearl Farming

Sau Bay was originally developed as a small eco-resort in 2006 and then operated as a pearl farm. However, the pearl farm was ultimately dismantled and the resort sold in 2012. Sustainable pearl farming is still active in the vicinity of Sau Bay and we offer special excursions to a local pearl farm (Civa Pearls) where you can learn more about the process of sustainable pearl aquaculture.

​Sau Bay Resort was started as Sau Bay Fiji Retreat in 2012 by Nigel and Carol Douglas, who ran the resort successfully until it was closed due to COVID-19, along with the Fijian tourism industry. In 2022, the resort was purchased with the purpose of continuing to run the resort as a lifestyle business, world class dive locale and sustainable resort catering to small groups and couples looking for that secluded slice of Heaven not offered by many resorts in Fiji. 

The owners, Leo and Jeanne, make Fiji their second home. Leo is an oceanographer by trade and a PADI Divemaster. Jeanne has been a lifelong school teacher. Over their numerous trips to Fiji, Leo and Jeanne have grown to love the country, people, and all that it has to offer in finding one's peace and tranquility.

Leo is committed to running a sustainable and eco-friendly operation, with a focus on marine and coral reef preservation and restoration. His passion is to help local Fijians preserve the environment that they depend on for their long-term prosperity. 

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Jeanne, having spent 26 years teaching young kids in the United States, has a passion for helping local Fijian schools succeed in early childhood education and improving the school environment.

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Over the years visiting various parts of Fiji, Leo and Jeanne decided that they wanted to be more than just another resort owner - they want to truly make a difference to local Fijians by empowering locals and giving back to the community. Recognizing that a truly sustainable resort adheres to the three pillars of sustainability - economic, environmental and social aspects, the ownership is committed to a customer experience that not only is second to none, but one that our guests can feel good about knowing that their money spent at Sau Bay Resort will have lasting impacts on the community and the marine environment.