Jerrys Jelly – Taveuni and Somosomo Strait

Site Overview

Jerrys Jelly is a unique cavern dive site in the Somosomo Strait area of Taveuni, featuring a swim-through cavern system that hosts dense schools of glassfish and, during night dives, the bioluminescent flashlight fish that give the site its whimsical character. The cavern entrance is a large opening in the reef wall at approximately 10 to 15 metres depth, leading into a spacious chamber with a sandy floor and high ceiling that allows divers to surface inside if necessary. The walls of the cavern are encrusted with soft corals, sponges, and invertebrates that thrive in the reduced light conditions, creating a different community from the sunlit outer reef. Schools of glassfish fill the cavern interior, their translucent bodies revealing internal organs and skeletal structures when illuminated by dive torches. The glassfish form dense aggregations that swirl and reform in the torch beams, creating a mesmerising display. Soldierfish with their large eyes and red colouration occupy the darker recesses, adapted to the low-light environment. Lobsters of several species occupy crevices in the cavern walls, their long antennae extending into the water column. During night dives, flashlight fish emerge from their daytime hiding places, their bioluminescent organs producing flashes of blue-green light that they use for communication and prey attraction. The cavern entrance and surrounding reef support healthy coral communities with soft corals and hard corals providing habitat for diverse reef fish. The swim-through format adds an element of adventure to the dive, with divers entering through one opening and exiting through another.