Shark diving – probably one of the most adrenaline fueled activities you can do. Despite popular beliefs (eg. questions I get), it is nothing like doing the caged shark diving with Great Whites in South Africa or Australia! It is uncaged and with bull sharks. I reckon most scuba divers have a fascination with sharks, I know I definitely do. They are personally one of my favourite animals to see and learn about. I ventured to literally the other side of the world to experience diving with a bunch of bull sharks, located off of Fiji’s coral coast.

Okay, so I know I almost say every dive I do is my favourite dive but I’m serious when I said this is my favourite dive! You can even watch a short video I took during the dive at the end of the post 😉

Disclaimer: I will be honest and say that this is actually a fed shark dive. I understand the controversy surrounding this. Before the dive, I addressed my concerns about this to the marine biologist on board. I’ve included some information further down in the post so feel free to have a read! 

The Dive Centre:

There are a few dive centres that offer the option to go shark diving. I personally went to Beqa Adventure Divers (BAD) because it came highly recommended by the members of Girls That Scuba. I was in Fiji during off-peak season and took the chance of organising a dive while I was in Fiji. I didn’t have any issues booking myself in a couple of days in advance but during peak season, I would highly recommend trying to book a spot beforehand. BAD was reasonably easy to find, just be sure not to drive too quickly through Pacific Harbour and you shouldn’t miss the turn-off.

When you give BAD a quick google, you’ll find out that they are extremely invested in shark conservation. This is even translated in how they provide you with information and how passionate they are about their research and the things they are doing.

Shark Diving Experience:

I personally had an amazing experience. Despite being so early in the morning, everyone is really friendly and welcoming. The crew consists of jolly lads to help get your gear ready and set up the boat ready for departure.

There are two in-house marine biologists (Ben and Manoa) onboard conducting research on the sharks. Before jumping in, Ben gave us some information about bull sharks; their habits, what do they do, their behaviour. He also informed us how the crew tags the sharks for data collection and determining the migration pattern of the sharks.

To dive the Shark Reef Marine Reserve, there is a marine tax. This levy goes to the villages, which are the traditional owners of Shark Reef, as a way to give back to these communities. Information gathered also goes to helping reduce shark attacks in the areas. As bull sharks are able to swim in fresh and salt water, pregnant sharks would swim up the rivers to give birth. Some villagers are a little unlucky and are attacked by protective mothers. Through tagging the sharks, they are able to study the behaviour patterns of the females.

Not only do you get to see bull sharks but in the second part of the dive, at a shallower depth of approximately 10m, you get to see a crazy variety of different shark species: lemons, grey reef, white tip reef and black tip reef to name a few. It is absolutely amazing. Some of the sharks do end up less than an arm’s length distance away.

Feeding the sharks:

I will be very transparent with you – this is a fed shark dive. I did ask Ben if feeding them alters their behaviour or feeding patterns. According to him, they only feed the sharks tuna. They take tissue samples from the sharks to analyse how much of the tissue comprises of tuna sampling. Once it goes over the threshold (to be honest, I don’t recall the figure), they stop the feeding to encourage the sharks to return back to hunting.

There is a very interesting post written by the crew at BAD, granted this was written over a decade ago, discussing shark feeding. I would highly recommend you read it if you’re interested.

Safety:

It is safe to say that my mom wasn’t the biggest fan of me going diving with these majestic creatures. They are wild so if provoked they may attack. The dive briefing was extremely safety orientated, as you can imagine. As a group, we were told the dive plan, where we will be observing the sharks and most importantly: keep our hands as close to ourselves as possible. The dive masters (I would call them bodyguards, to be honest), were equipped with a long staff with a curved edge as a precaution in case any sharks decided to come too close.

During the dive, you are quickly reminded that you are diving with apex predators. The sharks swim incredibly quick and are quite aggressive but it is an exhilarating experience to be a part of.

Getting there:

The world-famous dive site is located off of Fiji’s coral coast, in the southern part of the main island. There are a few options for getting yourself to the dive site. I personally drove from Nadi to Pearl Harbour but would only recommend this if you have two drivers or if you’re someone who doesn’t get tired after diving.

Driving from Nadi –

From Nadi, it is an approximate 2-hour drive and you have to set off before dawn. There are a few car hire places but the easier option, if you’re in a resort, is hiring a car from them. It is easy enough to do and you’re on your way. The roads are decent and it is a scenic drive. The national highway is simple with a single carriageway each way. You’ll be driving along the coast with the occasional drive through the forest and some villages/little towns.

Be careful: like everywhere, there are crazy drivers around the world. We almost got into an accident because someone tried overtaking me around a tight corner (and there was an oncoming car).

Staying around the Coral Coast –

This is by far the easiest option. We were meant to stay around this area but due to unforeseen circumstances, the trip was shortened. Anyways! There are several upscaled resorts and chilled hotels along the coast. Depending on where you stay, you can get transferred from Nadi International airport but you have to check with your accommodation.

Driving from Suvasuva –

A significantly closer drive compared to Nadi. It took us approximately 45 mins to get into town from Pearl Harbour (and vice versa).

Keen to do a shark dive? Pin this for later! x

Hopefully, all of the questions you’ve ever had about diving with sharks have been answered by either me or the linked scattered throughout and if not, you’re always welcomed to drop me a comment at the end of the post! As promised, this is a short video taken during the dive on my GoPro.