Fiji Soft Coral & Shark Bonanza Photo Workshop Oct 2026

Photography Workshop

Join us in the soft coral capital of the world! Our Fiji underwater photo workshop spends 3-nights at Waidroka Bay Resort and 7-nights at Volivoli Beach Resort, the ultimate combination in Fiji for divers.

Why Join This Trip?

Dive the world’s best shark dive in South Fiji plus the world’s best soft corals in the Bligh Waters in warm, clear water
Learn from one of Bluewater’s top photo instructors - Mark Hatter
Easy travel from the USA, stay at two of Fiji’s best dive resorts
Bring your non-divers to experience the best snorkeling in the world at VoliVoli resort
Fully refundable deposit until 12 months from departure.

OctOBER 14 - 24, 2026

10 nights at Waidroka Bay Resort & Volivoli Beach Resort

Trip Leader: Mark Hatter

Book now to lock in 2024 rates!

Standard Ocean View/Panoramic Room $3,990 per person, double occupancy

Deluxe Ocean View / Deluxe Bure $4,200 per person, double occupancy

Premium Ocean View / Deluxe Bure $4,325 per person, double occupancy

Click here to compare room types:
Waidroka Room Options | Volivoli Room Options

Single Occupancy and Non-Diver rates available.

Option to upgrade to a 2 bedroom Superior Bure at Waidroka for $500

Trip Overview

Start off your Fijian adventure with a day of reef diving followed by 2 days of exhilarating shark diving in the Pacific Harbor area where you have the opportunity to observe and shoot several species of sharks, including bull sharks, silvertip sharks, lemon sharks, and the occasional tiger shark. There is also the opportunity to explore the hard coral reefs and massive sea fan gardens in the southern part of Viti Levu.

In Fiji, it’s all about the corals. The colors are so incredibly vibrant and the anthias so plentiful that it’s hard to ever look away. Around every corner is the next world-class image. One of the main draws of diving Fiji is the reef scenes - they are quite spectacular!

The gorgeous, lush, color-splashed images of Fiji that you see in dive publications are courtesy of a soft coral called dendronephthya. Few other places in the world offer such an abundance of this coral, nor the wide spectrum of colors, ranging from pink, purple, and orange, to yellow, and fiery red. Dendronephthya soft coral needs a brisk current to really look their best. With little current present the soft coral colors are muted, but as the current increases they inflate with water and their color really begins to glow. As the current picks up, planktivores such as beautifully colored scale fin anthias spring up off the reef in polarized schools. Together, this forms a rich pageantry of color. Underwater photographers will want to shoot when some current is present, making a dramatic difference to the color of the underwater imagery.

One of the best places for soft coral in Fiji is the Bligh Waters between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu where there are numerous reefs and pinnacles. The reefs in the surrounding Bligh Waters, also known as The Vatu-I-Ra Passage, are some of the healthiest in the world, with very little pollution and few boats, so you’ll be able to see an array of marine life including anemone fish, turtles, colorful soft coral, and reef sharks.

Read the trip recap from our 2022 Photo & GoPro Video Workshop here.

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Marine Life to Photograph

You’re going to see the healthiest soft coral in the world, more colors than you can imagine, and some extremely rare macro creatures—like the ornate ghost pipefish, orangutan crabs, frogfish, nudibranch, and seahorses — and in all likelihood, turtles, moray eels, schools of barracuda, trevally, giant groupers, grey, black and white tip reef sharks, and the occasional tiger shark.

(L) Colorful Reef By Paul Gruner. (M) Clown Fish By Dan Bishop. (R) Sharks By Cindy

Read the reviews on diving Fiji here.

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Trip Type

This trip is a PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP. It will be led by one of our photo instructors who will provide daily instructional tutorials, in-water photography support (when appropriate), and one-to-one advice and guidance, as required. Each workshop offers a bespoke syllabus, crafted by the trip leader and detailed on the trip webpage. While our Photography Workshops are aimed at divers with an interest in underwater photography, anyone is welcome to join.

Learn more about what's included in this trip type.

Trip Syllabus

This is an opportunity to hone your UW skills shooting both wide-angle and macro imagery. The workshops will consist of 6 sessions of 45 minutes each on formal instruction during the trip. In addition, there will be a 1-hour intro to UW photography via a Zoom session 1-3 weeks prior to departure. Workshops and tutorials will take the form of PowerPoint presentations, informal group discussions, one-to-one training, streaming live demonstrations (e.g., using programs like Lightroom), and underwater help. Informally, there will be one-to-one instruction for individuals above and below water as needed.

Beginner Topics:
Intro to UW photography, wide angle photography, macro photography, as much one-to-one teaching as necessary
Intermediate Topics:
Wide angle shooting, natural light shooting for distant subjects (schooling sharks)
Advanced Topics:
Using Lightroom local adjustment tools for balance of light in gradient images

Diving Conditions in October

June through October is the dry season. During that time, the water is clearest with visibility often reaching 100 feet or more, but it can be windy and water temperatures can drop into the mid-70s. Most likely marine life sightings during this season include sharks, eagle rays, whales, and turtles.

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Inclusions

3 nights accommodation at Waidroka Bay Resort
7 nights accommodation at Volivoli Beach Resort
Full meal plan (3 meals daily with juice, milk, rainwater, coffee, and tea at breakfast)
FREE daily underwater photography tutorials and workshops
Round-trip Nadi Airport/resort transfers
Transfer between Waidroka Bay Resort and Volivoli Beach Resort
1 day of 2-tank reef diving at Waidroka Bay
2 days of 2-tank shark diving at Pacific Harbor
3 days of 2 tank boat diving & 3 days of 3 tank boat diving at Volivoli Beach Resort
Unlimited shore diving at Volivoli on dive days (reserve tanks 24 hours prior)
Tanks, weights, and dive guide
Complimentary wifi at Volivoli on 2 devices per person
Welcome drink on arrival
Beach BBQ
Traditional Meke performance
Hosted group event on the last night
Free use of kayaks and participation in a variety of complimentary resort activities
Dolphin Safari at Volivoli Beach Resort
Resort and Government taxes

Exclusions

Nitrox ($125USD - must be pre-booked) *only available at Volivoli Beach Resort
Marine Park Fees ($20FJD per day)
Beverages other than tea, coffee, and rainwater
Lobster and crab menu items (market price)
Personal dive equipment
Dive courses
Extra dives at Volivoli ($78US per tank)
Night dives at Volivoli (min. 6 divers; $125US per tank)
Excursions
Dive and Travel Insurance (diving insurance is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED)
Fuel surcharge

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Important Information

No. of dives: 2 days of 2-tank shark dives and 1 day of 2-tank reef dives at Pacific Harbour, 3 days of 2-tank boat diving, and 3 days of 3-tank boat diving at Volivoli Beach Resort – includes all tanks, weights, and dive guide
Avg. visibility: 50 - 130 feet
Required skill: Beginner to advanced
Wetsuit needed: 3-5mm full-length wetsuit (recommended)
Topside temperature: 72-81°F (22-27°C) in October
Currents: We can, and regularly do, encounter medium to strong current

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About Waidroka Bay Resort

Waidroka Bay Resort offers the best of world-class scuba diving with amazing variety, combined with some of Fiji’s finest soft corals and the great Fiji Shark Dive in the Beqa Lagoon. Expect comfortable accommodations, great services, and an overall excellent value for money!

Waidroka Bay Resort Features

On-site full-service dive center
Restaurant and bar
Internet available throughout the resort. Surcharges apply, depending on the option you choose
Laundry service available at $15 FJD per load

Waidroka Bay Restaurant & Bar

Breakfast, lunch and dinner available around the clock at the resort, freshly prepared using the best local produces
Outside pool bar with a happy hour every day. Wines, beer, cocktails and soft drinks available.

Read more about Waidroka Bay Resort here.

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About Volivoli Beach Resort

Volivoli Beach Resort is the ultimate diving paradise in Fiji for beginners and advanced divers alike, located in one of Fiji's best diving destinations. They offer 32 comfortable rooms with panoramic beach and ocean views.

The Volivoli Beach Resort also just recently opened its brand new camera room, which can accommodate up to 14 people and comes complete with international and USB charging ports, and individual air-guns at each workstation.

Resort Amenities

2 x licensed restaurants and 3x bars
Large swimming pool with swim-up bar
Onsite dive operation – RA Divers
Airport transfer service
Multiple happy hours
Large screen TV for sports events
Hammocks
Poolside furniture
Day spa
Beachside bar
Beach towels
Beachfront location
Lush tropical gardens
24-hour main grid power
Onsite backup generator
Reception and day room facilities
All tide swimming beach
Weekly beach BBQ

Read more about Volivoli Beach Resort here.

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Travel Information

Guests should fly in an out of Nadi International Airport (NAN). The group transfer will meet guests arriving on the early morning flights from LAX and SFO. Guests arriving at other times or requesting transfers from hotels outside the immediate airport area will be offered a private transfer at an additional cost.

At the end of the trip, guests will be transferred to Nadi Airport or nearby hotels in good time for their flight out.

Flight Package

Our group trips attract guests from all over the globe and many of our customers prefer to book their own flights to take advantage of mileage points or credit card discounts. For these reasons, flights are not included in our group trip packages.

However, we are more than happy to work with you to find the best travel itinerary for your trip and will gladly give suggestions and advice, even if you make the final booking. We will check through your travel reservations at any time to ensure they fit with the trip schedule and can give recommendations on transit hotels and day tours where needed.

If you would like us to book flights, hotels, and transfers for your domestic and/or international travel on your behalf, we are also happy to arrange this. Please be advised that there is a 10% fee for this service to cover our booking and administration costs.

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About the Trip Leader

Mark Hatter is an accomplished photojournalist who has had nearly one hundred feature articles with many hundreds of images published in more than two dozen fly fishing and diving publications over the last two decades. His most recent destination features have appeared in Alert Diver and Diver (UK) magazines.

Mark has traveled the world in pursuit of new underwater photography challenges, including cold-water destinations such as British Columbia and even Antarctica in January 2018.

“Of course, I love shooting in tropical locations but I think cold water diving is a great forcing function to hone one’s photography skills as the environment and equipment are much more demanding of a diver. Good image capture in cold water is particularly rewarding.” Mark tells us.

Mark has been shooting underwater since the early 1980s and has worked in both film and digital mediums in his photojournalism pursuits. In 35 years of diving, Mark has logged over 2000 hours, much of it doing underwater photography. Currently, he teaches underwater photography classes locally at Seminole Scuba in Lake Mary, Florida. More about Mark here.

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