Nāfanua Bank

Best months: Jul–Oct

Why dive here

With 449+ marine species recorded in the area - including barracuda, blacktip reef sharks, eagle rays, giant moray eels and grey reef sharks - Nāfanua Bank offers some of Upolu's richest reef diving. Water ranges 28-30°C, warmest January, March, April.

Best timeJul–Oct

WetsuitA 3mm shorty or thin full wetsuit

Marine lifeBarracuda, Blacktip Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, Giant Moray Eels and Grey Reef Sharks · 449+ species recorded

Water28-30°C · warmest January, March, April

CharacterReef dive · max 5-20m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

Nāfanua Bank sits a fair way out from Upolu, which means fewer divers and usually better conditions. We’ve found the currents here can be a bit frisky, so it’s not really a place for your first ocean dive. But for those with a few logs in their book, it’s a drift diver’s dream. The reef here is just glorious, a proper explosion of branching corals and big, rounded bommies that shelter swarms of fish. We love watching the giant squirrelfish dart between crevices, their huge eyes seeming to glow in the deeper sections. You’ll often find schools of blue-lined tangs and parrotfish grazing on the coral, their colours popping against the blue. Keep an eye out for the smaller stuff too; we’ve spotted zebra blennies and those tiny, festive Christmas blennies wiggling on the reef crest. The visibility here, especially on a good day, is easily 25 metres. It feels like you’re flying over a submerged mountain range. Our tip: go mid-morning. The light penetrates beautifully, making the reds and oranges of the sponges truly vibrant.