Magical Mana Island, in Fiji’s beautiful Mamanuca (Ma-ma-nootha) group of islands just west of Fiji’s main international airport, at Nadi, is the setting for this three-day ocean swimming festival, which combines social functions with swims over 500 meters, 1km, and 3km.

Mana Island offers the idyllic Pacific island setting — warm, clear waters, pristine reefs, and colourful tropical fish and coral, against a backdrop of blue ocean and the jagged peaks of distant islands.

The Mana Fiji SwimFest kicks off with social functions followed by two days of swimming over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, there are three distances of offer — 500m for novice and the youngest swimmers, 1km, and 3km along Mana’s beautiful North Beach reef.

Then, on Sunday, for the more adventurous ocean swimmers, there is a 10km swim which starts on Mana’s South Beach, rounds the island’s western beaches, then heads to Mana Nusa sand cay, to the east of Mana, before returning to finish at Swim HQ on the island’s North Beach.

Mana Island offers a variety of accommodation options, restaurants, bars and great beaches and a wide range of other activities and facilities to meet pretty well any need.

Get to Mana via regular ferry or speed boat transfers or by helicopter charter.

[www.oceanswims.com ]