Just 40 minutes away from the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort by boat, the Namena Marine Reserve is considered to be one of the top ten dive sites in the entire world. Its brilliantly clear, unspoiled waters are home to thousands of fish species and invertebrate types, as well as hundreds of marine plant specimens and species of coral.

Go on an adventure
The biodiverse waters offer the chance to swim, snorkel, and dive with friendly bottlenose and spinner dolphins, or gentle giants including pilot, minke, sperm, and humpback whales. The many different diving and snorkeling options give you the chance of an experience of your lifetime, as you watch sharks, barracuda, and trevalis swim unconcernedly by, free from predators or fishing rigs.

Bump-heads, grouper, and coral snakes weave in and out of soft corals, as you glide effortlessly up chimneys riding the warm currents, or plummet hundreds of metres down to the depths of vertical drop-offs. All of this and more is possible when you dive at the Namena Marine Protected Area (MPA) as a guest of Jean-Michel Cousteau.

The Namena Marine Reserve and its near-shore Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), are managed by the 10 village chiefs from the District of Kubulau. They are "qoliqoli,", an area of sea where customary native fishing rights hold sway, providing sustenance and a livelihood for the local people.

Although the Namena reefs were put in peril in the 1980s and '90s due to significant increases in commercial fishing, leading many to fear for the reefs' destruction, the chiefs of Kubulau rallied against the threat. They collectively created the Namena MPA, placing a total ban on fishing starting in 1997. Today, the beautiful experiences remain available thanks to their swift action to protect their pristine waters.

Master a new skill
If you don't yet hold any certifications, you don't have to miss out. Our half-day resort course is held regularly at the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, giving you the chance to learn the foundations of scuba diving, become familiar with the gear, and learn basic scuba skills in the safety of a pool.

We also offer snorkeling certification, and once you've earned certification, you can join the excursions to the Namena dive site and explore from the end of the pier in safety. Don't miss out on this chance to enjoy one of the unspoiled winders of the world book your resort visit and an accompanying excursion today!