Dive Crusoe's / Crusoe's Retreat
diving details » Crusoe's Diving Facts

There are more than 20 excellent dive sites within minutes of Crusoe's resort.

The sites vary in standard from beginner to advanced, and the range of marine life and corals is amazing. Dive sites are not crowded with large dive groups from other resorts.

The dive sites are many and varied. There is something here for the diver who wants to view a variety of corals. Hard, soft, whip, black corals and gorgonion fans abound.

Within five minutes of the Crusoe's Retreat you can view leopard sharks, shovelnosed rays, large nurse sharks, oceanic whitetips, black tips, grey reef sharks, the occasional hammerhead and of course the ever present white tipped reef shark.


Dolphins often play around the boat. The variety and number of smaller fish will astound. Chromis, anthias, angel fish, triggerfish, including the clown trigger and the aggressively territorial Titan trigger are in abundance.

Photographers will find they have not brought enough film to capture the variety of clownfish that colonise the channels and walls. Macro photographers will enjoy the long nosed hawkfish, porcelain crabs and the popcorn shrimp.

Dive Crusoe's normally offers two dive per day. Afternoon and night dives can also be arranged.

Dive Crusoe's is a PADI Resort with a PADI instructor on staff. You can arrange dive courses after arrival, however it is usually best to plan in advance.

Crusoe's Retreat / Dive Crusoe's Diving Facts

About the Dive Operation:

• Crusoe's Retreat owns its dive operation, Dive Crusoe's
• PADI Dive Resort certified, Dive Cruose's, PADI #S-6606
• All divemasters and dive guides are PADI certified DiveMasters or higher

Areas Dived:

• Namaqumaqua  & Vunaniu Goli Goli areas

About the Diving:

• normally 2 dives timed around high tides
• no minimum number of divers required
• no shore diving available
• maximum 6 divers per dive guide
• 5-10 min. to dive sites

About the Dive Boats:

• 30ft Yamaha longboat, twin 40 hp motors, shaded.

Dive Groups, Dive Clubs- Group Dive Trips:

• 12 maximum divers for group booking
• contact us for details on dive group offers

Dive Instruction

• Dive Instruction Available
• Dive Instructors are on permanent staff
• diving courses do not need advance notice

Diving Courses Offered:

• PADI Discover Scuba Course
• PADI Scuba Diver
• PADI Open Water Diver
• PADI Open Water Referral
• PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course
• PADI Rescue Diver

Dive Equipment:

• Nitrox is not available
• Mares rental gear available, included in rates

Special Facilities for Underwater Photographers & Videographers

• freshwater rinse tank on shore for cameras

Favorite Dive Sites:

• Vitawatawa Channel, The Gap, Shark Point, The Dungeon.

A Selection of Dive Sites:

Vitawatawa Channel - Lionfish, giant cod, trumpetfish, schooling baitfish, juvenile batfish, Anemonefish colonies. Turtles can also be seen here. On the channel floor at 12 to 14 metres white tip sharks and shovel nosed rays can be seen. Across the channel blue spotted rays explode from the sand. Barracuda and huge schools of unicorn fish appear.

The eastern side of the channel is home to many resting leopard sharks and white tip sharks. Excellent photographic opportunities. In a current bronze whaler sharks can be seen. Huge nurse sharks lie in caves on this side of the channel. The dive ends on the outside wall with myriads of small colourful reef fish.

The Dungeon - The dive begins on coral wall bottoming out at 12 metres. See maori wrasse, turtles, schools of moorish idols and clown triggerfish, giant clams and different species of clownfish. The site deepens on the southern side and drops into the abyss. Here the wall steepens and curves. On a bommie at 18 metres live large toadfish, grouper, lionfish, mantas and many cardinal fish. Huge nurse sharks, whitetip sharks, and Eagle rays sometimes cruise the wall. The wall is festooned with whip corals and their attendant whip gobies, gorgonian fans, soft corals and bright yellow sponges. Black coral grows here inhabited by long nosed hawkfish. Very large moray eels are seen here and turtles rest on alcoves in the wall.

Shark Point - A sheer wall running northwest meets another wall running north. In a current schools of tuna can suddenly surround the dive boat. You may see a hammerhead shark or a manta ray leaping. Underwater schools of barracuda hundreds strong can surround you. Trevally of all types, schools of parrot fish and snapper are seen. Large maori wrasse haunt the top of the wall. Angelfish of all types flit in and out of coral formations. There are even anemone colonies of all colours with attendant clownfish, porcelain crabs and popcorn shrimp. However the namesake of this site are feeding bronze whaler sharks that cruise in the current at the point. The greater the current the more sharks you see.