Barefoot Kuata Island Resort

Really a big family, every one on the island is really lovely, and starting miss all of you on the island.

I had a lovely time at the resort. The Beachfront Rai Ki Waya was an exceptional accommodation and I greatly recommend this bure. Food was lovely and staff was really friendly. Would love to go back there one day and also visit the sister resort Barefoot Manta

I absolutely loved our stay at Barefoot Kuata. There was something so magical about this island. Whilst we didn't partake in the Bull shark scuba dive, it was so fun to chat with other travellers about their experience and creates a great focal point for this island. The beautiful singing to accompany the meals, incredible sunrises and sunsets and free snorkel hire! Highly recommend a trek up the summit - it was hot and sweaty but great view at the top.

Unforgettable family holiday at Barefoot Kuata! The accommodation was fantastic, with a view straight onto the beach. The food was delicious, and the drinks were refreshing. The pools were perfect for the kids, and they had an amazing time! The sunset from the lookout point was absolutely stunning – a must-see. The reef shark snorkelling was a highlight, even my 6 and 8-year-old niece and nephew joined in on the adventure! The staff were incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and ensured everything was safe for everyone. I also really enjoyed going to the cave and meeting some of the people from the village who shared stories about their culture, one of my favourite moments from the trip. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience, and I’ll definitely be back!

I visited this island as part of the Ultimate Shark Snorkel tour. While there were some positives, there were also several drawbacks. Pros: The island is beautiful. The snorkel guides were very friendly. Cons: Travel time vs. time on the island – We spent five hours on a boat for only 45 minutes of snorkeling, lunch, and barely any free time afterward. Although the tour is advertised as departing at 4:15 PM, we were instructed to be ready at 3 PM to be loaded onto small boats that would take us to the main vessel. Poor communication – I emailed in advance to ask if the shark dive and shark snorkel tours were compatible in schedule, so my partner could snorkel and I could dive. The response I received was: "The two activities are on different schedules and will occur at different sites." Of course, I already knew that diving and snorkeling wouldn’t be in the same location—that was obvious! What I needed to know was whether both tours would travel to the island on the same boat, have lunch at the same place and time, and share the same free time in the afternoon. Since I didn’t get a clear answer, I ended up booking the snorkeling tour for both of us. However, I later realized that the two tours probably could have been compatible. Unaccommodating dive school owner – Since I was snorkeling instead of diving, I requested a 1.5kg weight to make my experience more comfortable. I’ve been a certified diver for over 20 years and have insurance. However, the dive school owner refused, citing "safety concerns on snorkeling with weights." (1.5kg—seriously?) It was the first time in my life that a dive shop wouldn’t lend me a simple weight. This was especially odd considering they allow non-swimmers to snorkel and uncertified divers to dive with bull sharks. Overcrowding & poor supervision – The first 10 minutes of snorkeling were fine; it was just four of us plus two guides. Then, two more boats arrived, and a large group jumped in. One guy grabbed a shark by the base of its tail while it tried to escape while laughing. I swam over and told him to let go, but none of the guides intervened. Our guides later said the man was from another resort and could not do anything. I went snorkel further from the mess. Limited post-lunch activities – I had originally planned to dive after lunch but wasn’t sure about the timing (the dive started at 2 PM, and we had been told to be ready at 3 PM). After my frustrating interaction with the dive owner about the weight, I opted to snorkel instead—only to discover that the tide was too low. Snorkeling from the beach was impossible, and the only way to reach deeper waters was through the same path boats were using to go in and out. Although the island itself was beautiful, I would not have booked this tour had I known these details. I had a far better experience diving with sharks in Pacific Harbour with BAD and would have preferred to do that again instead.