Caption: Viti Water Sports Diving Instructor, Taniela Nakibo dives through the reef waters of Tivua Island. Photo: JOSEPHINE NAVULA.
By JOSEPHINE NAVULA
In all my seventeen years of diving, I have never come across any scuba diving accidents but have heard and saw road accidents almost every day, were the words of 37-year-old Diving Instructor, Taniela Nakibo.
Nakibo, who hails from Tau in Nadroga, was introduced to the profession at a very young age and has developed his passion for it ever since.
“My uncle was also a diver, he introduced me to diving when I was 20 years old, ever since then I had this love for it. Nothing else in this world can compare to scuba diving,” he said.
Diving Instructor, Taniela Nakibo. Photo: JOSEPHINE NAVULA.
Nakibo guided the tourists through the underwater world along the reef waters of Tivua Island, during the first ever coral re-planting day that was organized by Captain Cook Cruises.
“The turnout from the first divers was very good, which is really good for me since it part of my job to introduce them to the tropical under water of Fiji,” he said.
Nakibo also said there’s more to only underwater diving.
“Diving is a fun sport because we get to see the sea creatures up close. And it’s a bonus for first timers when they get to see Turtles and Sharks,” he said.
At the age of twenty, Nakibo started open water course right up to instructor level for seven years. Then he worked at the Scuba Bula Dive shop as an Open Water Dive Master, later joined Aqua Trek as a Diving Instructor.
Now married with two daughters, Nakibo said his passion for the profession has grown immensely over the years.
“The best thing about this profession is I get to meet a lot of people of different backgrounds from all over the world. And I can also see that this profession can help me in supporting my family financially,” he said.
Nakibo now shares his underwater experiences as a diving instructor at Viti Water Sports, Denarau.