Voli Voli Beach Resort Review – Rakiraki, Fiji

Resort & Accommodation

Volivoli Beach Resort sits at the northernmost tip of Viti Levu, about two and a half hours up the coast from Nadi International Airport. It is a boutique, family-owned property whose in-house dive operation, Ra Divers, has been working these waters for years — built around diving first and never straying from that identity.

We flew into Nadi on Fiji Airways from LAX, and once we collected our luggage, the resort transferred us directly to the property — a scenic two-and-a-half-hour drive through the Ra Province along the coast.

For guests who prefer to skip the drive — and have the budget for it — a helicopter transfer lands directly on the property in front of the rooms. We opted for the drive.

I stayed in the Deluxe Ocean View Room, a large and spacious room with two queen beds, a large ensuite bathroom, full air conditioning, a fridge, and enough floor space to spread out a full set of camera gear and dive equipment without the room feeling like a changing room. The private veranda faces the water, and the 180-degree ocean view is exactly what the name promises. Sitting out there with a morning coffee before a dive day is a strong way to start any morning. The room was spotless and well-maintained throughout my stay.

Dining runs across several venues. The main restaurant, Nuku, sits above the pool with open-air seating and unobstructed water views. The kitchen leans into fresh local seafood and Fijian-influenced cooking — the food quality was well above what you typically expect from a dive resort, and the portion sizes were not a problem. The Ra Bar and Grill handles casual beach-side meals and drinks, and a swim-up pool bar covers the in-between hours. The staff across all venues were warm, attentive, and quick — the kind of hospitality that Fiji has a well-earned reputation for. For a look at the resort atmosphere, including a sunset from the bar, see our Sights and Sounds from Fiji post.

The owners are hands-on and present, and it shows throughout the property. Volivoli is well-maintained, thoughtfully run, and feels like a place that genuinely cares about the experience it delivers rather than simply going through the motions.

Dive Operation & Facilities

Ra Divers is the dive operation at Volivoli, a fully certified PADI and SSI dive center. The resort grew around the dive operation, and that DNA is still evident in everything from how the facility is set up to how the staff carry themselves. With years of experience working these waters, a fleet of seven purpose-built dive boats, and access to over 90 sites across the Bligh Water, Ra Divers runs with the confidence of an operation that knows exactly what it is doing.

A typical dive day includes three to four boat dives with shore diving available on top of that. Dive sites range from five minutes off the dock to an hour out, and the longer runs to the far reefs are worth every minute of the boat ride. Nitrox is available for those who want it.

The dive shop itself is purpose-built and sits just steps from the water. For underwater photographers and cinematographers, the dedicated camera room is a serious facility — 14 workstations, 56 international charging points, 28 USB chargers, and 14 air guns. You will not be hunting for adapters or fighting over outlets. Ra Divers also supports CCR, SCR, and sidemount diving, which puts them well ahead of most resort operations.

The dive staff were all friendly, knowledgeable, and patient — particularly with photographers and videographers who need extra time at a subject. They consistently pointed out creatures that most divers would pass right over, which made a real difference in the water. I logged 14 dives over my stay and felt well looked after on every single one. The owners are hands-on and present, and that tone carries through the entire team.

Diving & Marine Life

Volivoli sits at the gateway to the Bligh Water, widely regarded as the soft coral capital of the world, and the diving reflects that reputation fully. The region is home to over 390 species of coral and more than 2,300 species of fish, and that biodiversity is immediately apparent from the moment you drop in. The reefs are colorful and strikingly healthy — the kind of coral coverage that reminds you what a reef is supposed to look like.

Sites I dove included Mellow Yellow, Breath Taker, and Dream Maker, all of which delivered. The catalog ranges from calm, close-in reefs just minutes from the dock to longer runs up to an hour out by boat. The boats are spacious and never feel cramped, which matters on those longer trips. Because Ra Divers runs multiple boats in both the morning and afternoon, you have real flexibility in choosing where you want to dive each day — the operation is not locked into a single itinerary for everyone on the water.

For underwater photographers and videographers, Volivoli offers the full range. Wide-angle shooters will find plenty to work with in the coral landscapes — sweeping bommies, walls, and reef structures that reward a slow, deliberate approach. Macro hunters will be equally happy. The critter life here is excellent: nudibranchs, frogfish, seahorses, and octopus are regular finds, and the dive staff are skilled at spotting subjects that most divers swim right past. A few well-timed drift dives round out the variety nicely.

Reef fish are abundant throughout, with healthy populations of juvenile fish that speak to the overall condition of the ecosystem. Turtles make appearances, and you will see sharks on the reef — though the encounters here tend to be relaxed and incidental rather than the kind of high-voltage aggregations some divers chase. If a dedicated big shark experience is the priority, the south side of Viti Levu is better positioned for that — which is exactly where I headed next, to Waidroka.

After diving 14 of Voli Voli’s 90 sites, the strongest reason to return is not just the number of sites still left to explore — it is the quality of marine life already encountered and the sense that the remaining dives have even more to offer.