Level: Resort nearby
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Last updated on September 4, 2023
The Blue Lagoon is an incredibly beautiful beach in the small quiet island of Nanuya Lai Lai part of the Yasawa archipelago. Snorkeling here presents a good variety of fish although corals are no longer at their best as bleaching is currently ongoing. Still, generally speaking, the situation is way better than in other parts of the world and it is still possible to see some of the once glorious colors of the reef. From the beach, a path takes you to Lo’s Tea House with immense views on the shapes of the reef, the plantations of bananas, and the surrounding islands. From the trail, there are many spots where you can just sit and enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets you will ever see in your life with the Sun setting between the nearby islands.
To access this spot, you’ll have to stay in one of the island’s accommodations. There is no docking on the island and this is the reason why catching the catamaran from Nadi to Nanuya Lai Lai without a reservation in one of the accommodations of the tiny island will not lead you anywhere. As a matter of fact, you will need your hotel’s small boat to pick you up from the catamaran if you want to land on the island and enjoy this snorkeling spot.
The Yasawa Flyer runs this service from Nadi Marina several times per day, this is indeed the easiest and cheapest option to get to and off the islands. Also, as the catamaran stops to load and unload passengers around the Mamanuca Islands first, and the Yasawa Islands after, you will enjoy truly breathtaking views. The lucky ones will have occasional encounters with dolphins and sharks.
There are three accommodations on the island: Gold Coast Inn, Vunidaka Homestay, and Nanuya Island Resort. When you book your reservation the accommodation will get in touch with you to ask at what time your catamaran will get there, you will be picked up from the boat with their own small one which will further take you to your accommodation.
Please note that the catamaran does not dock in any of the islands of the archipelago due to the shallow reef surrounding them, hence you will always be collected and transferred with a local small boat. The crew will take care of your suitcase.
If you decide to stay in Gold Coast Inn or Vunidaka Homestay a path will lead you to the other side of the island and, hence, to the Blue Lagoon. The views from the path are truly breathtaking, this short walk only is already a great reason to stay on this island.
A second option to reach the island (and the Yasawa Archipelago in general) is to get there with your own private boat. In this case, based on your draft, you may be careful as the reef around the islands sometimes stretches out for several hundred meters with very shallow water during low tide.
You will enter the water at the very end of the beach keeping on the right-hand side of the largest band of sand. We strongly discourage venturing on the left side as the current in the channel that separates the islands of Nanuya Lai Lai and Matacawa is very strong and the only real danger in this area.
When in the water pay attention to always keep yourself protected from the coast from the currents on the other side and stick to the area highlighted in yellow. We recommend the use of fins or reef shoes as stingrays are occasionally spotted in the low water.
Please keep an eye on the private yachts and catamaran that frequently visit this idyllic bay: they will not come too close to the shore in this part but it is better to keep on alert. After a few meters from the beach, a severe drop off of the coast will take you almost immediately to a depth of 10-15ft/3-5 meters which will be the average deepness of this snorkeling area.
On the shallow part, pay close attention to the seabed and you will surely spot elegant blue sea stars, which particularly appreciate this area (↕3ft/1m). Further ahead large schools of sergeants and doublebar chromis will welcome you as they gradually mix up with a myriad of other types of fish.
As you venture further (↕10-15ft/3-5 mt) the volcanic rocks of the seabed become very articulate and frequently rise up from the deepest parts of the area reaching sporadically 6-10ft/2-3 mt in height.
Around these, you will surely spot threadfin and mirror butterflyfish, staghorn damselfish, lined and yellowfin surgeonfish, convict tang, rusty parrotfish, and longfin grouper.
The rocks still present a decent amount of corals, even if this is less interesting than other snorkeling spots of the Yasawas. Relatively well-preserved areas alternate with others where the coral is completely dead and the land is desolate.
It is around the areas with the best-preserved corals that the fish is more abundant. Healthy corals include staghorn, Platygyra, brain, branching, and colorful cauliflowers.
There are three accommodations on the island: Gold Coast Inn, Vunidaka Homestay, and Nanuya Island Resort. Lo’s Tea House is located on the other side of the island
These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
