I have always believed that the strength of Fiji’s tourism industry rests not only on the beauty of our reefs or the warmth of our hospitality, but also on the systems that stand behind those experiences when things go wrong. As someone who has spent countless hours talking with operators, listening to visitors and navigating the realities of a sector that carries both extraordinary rewards and very real risks, I know how quickly confidence can unravel if we fail to provide the right safety net. Nowhere is this more evident than in the world of diving. People travel across the world to explore our oceans, but they do so with an unspoken trust that if something happens beneath the surface, Fiji can look after them. That trust is precious, and it cannot be taken lightly.
Which brings me to the humble hyperbaric chamber, a piece of medical infrastructure that most people will never see and even fewer will ever need, yet it plays an outsized role in our reputation as a world-class destination. If tourism is about creating memories, the hyperbaric chamber is about ensuring those memories remain positive. It is the quiet guardian behind the scenes, ready to step in when a diver surfaces too quickly or experiences symptoms that cannot be ignored. And as any doctor will tell you, decompression sickness is not something that waits politely for the right moment. It demands swift action, clinical precision and reliable technology. You cannot improvise your way through it, and you certainly cannot wish it away.
Fiji now operates two major hyperbaric facilities. One sits at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva and the other at Pacific Specialist Healthcare in Nadi. Both represent significant investments in safety, tourism resilience and the wider health system. The newer chambers have replaced ageing equipment and brought Fiji in line with international standards that divers expect and insurers demand. For those who have followed the long and sometimes complicated history of hyperbaric access in the region, the fact that Fiji can now offer advanced care in both the Central and Western divisions is not something to gloss over. It has been hard won.
The chamber in Suva is a sophisticated, multiplace unit that can treat several patients at once, supported by trained medical teams who handle everything from diving accidents to chronic wound care. For a long time, this chamber carried the weight of the entire nation’s diving emergencies, even as visitor numbers grew and diving boomed in the West. That imbalance made things challenging. Reliance on a single chamber in Suva meant that divers in the Mamanucas or Yasawas faced lengthy transfers, sometimes across difficult weather conditions, all the while hoping symptoms did not worsen.
The launch of the PSH facility in Nadi changed that equation almost overnight. Its location directly opposite Nadi International Airport is no small advantage, because in diving emergencies, convenience saves lives. Having an advanced chamber within minutes of the major resort corridors means incidents can be managed far more effectively. It has given dive operators, resort staff and insurers new confidence that Fiji is not only beautiful but also prepared. And that matters. Global competition for divers is fierce. Many of the world’s best-known dive destinations are remote islands or small coastal communities with limited medical infrastructure. When those visitors weigh their options, knowing that Fiji offers immediate access to hyperbaric treatment carries enormous weight.
These developments have not happened in isolation. They reflect a growing recognition across the industry that safety is not a side issue. It is a strategic asset. Last week, representatives from FHTA attended the Fiji Diving and Hyperbaric Services Workshop, which brought together medical teams, chamber operators, dive experts and tourism stakeholders. The willingness from all sides to work together reflected a shared understanding that the industry functions best when every link in the chain is strong.
For tourism, this alignment is essential. The chamber operators know they need the tourism industry to keep information flowing. Dive operators know they need medical teams who understand the realities of their work. Resorts know that their reputation depends on how they respond when the unexpected happens. And organisations like FHTA sit in the middle, bridging these groups, sharing information, and pushing for systems that support both safety and commercial viability.
A functioning hyperbaric chamber is not just an emergency piece of equipment. It is part of the product. A diver considering a trip to Fiji is more likely to book when they know the country has world-class emergency facilities. Insurance companies look more favourably on destinations where their clients can be treated promptly and professionally. Travel agents and international dive tour operators pay close attention to medical infrastructure when recommending trips. Even experienced divers, the ones who know their physiology and read the safety notes closely, have told us time and again that hyperbaric access is one of the first things they check before booking a holiday.
Additionally, divers are widely recognised as the travel segment that will spend to ensure they can dive in the best areas, will travel the furthest to live their dream and will stay the longest. The ripple effects of dive sites being in remote areas ensure tourism revenue reaches our furthest regions, impacts our communities directly and allows SMEs to get involved in the tourism value chain. From homestays and local transport providers to small eateries, handicraft sellers and service operators, these businesses thrive when divers arrive. In turn, this creates employment, sustains livelihoods, and strengthens community resilience, while reinforcing the importance of protecting our marine ecosystems that underpin this niche market.
Also encouraging is the increasing number of operators who are taking the initiative to strengthen their emergency procedures – running regular oxygen drills, expanding their insurance requirements to ensure guests are covered for hyperbaric treatment, and updating briefing materials to explain what happens in an emergency and how the chamber system works. Small but significant steps that create a more resilient safety culture. A diver who receives proper briefings, uses the right equipment and follows safe ascent procedures is far less likely to end up needing the chamber. Prevention is always better than a cure, even when the cure is sitting ready behind a set of very thick steel doors.
Of course, there are still challenges. Fiji’s geography means many dive sites are hours away from the nearest medical centre. Weather can delay transfers. Pilots must follow strict low-altitude flight rules when transporting suspected decompression sickness patients. Not every resort has the resources to maintain large oxygen supplies. And like many specialised areas of medicine, hyperbaric staffing requires ongoing training and retention strategies. These are real issues, and the only way to solve them is through collaboration.
There is also the matter of awareness. While most visitors would get the opportunity for proper dive briefings, that opportunity does not reach the young, usually inexperienced divers from our remote communities, who are exploited by exporters to dive for Beche de Mer. Many of these young men lose their lives or become crippled because they are not treated in time or are ignored because of the illegal nature of the dive operation. FHTA has reached out to the Ministries of Tourism and the iTaukei Affairs for their assistance to create better awareness in our remote communities. Our reefs are among the most spectacular on earth, and diving remains one of the most powerful drivers of high-value tourism. But a diving destination must be considered safe. We now have the foundations, thanks in part to FHTA’s significant efforts in 2017 to convince the Ministry of Health at the time of the critical importance of replacing the then decommissioned chamber. We continue to keep strengthening and encouraging these partnerships and to keep recognising that safety is not an optional extra. It is an industry pillar that provides the destination’s branding bedrock.
When we talk about hyperbaric chambers, we are not referring to obscure medical equipment. We are speaking about safeguarding the credibility of an industry that sustains thousands of Fijian jobs and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. We are speaking about trust, responsibility, and the promise we extend to every guest who chooses Fiji. Above all, we are speaking about the collaboration and shared commitment that ensure those promises are honoured, protecting lives, protecting livelihoods, and protecting the reputation of our nation’s tourism.
FANTASHA LOCKINGTON is the chief executive officer of the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association. The views expressed are not necessarily those of The Fiji Times. To share a comment or thoughts on the article, please send an email to info@fhta.com.fj
