Fiji shark dives.....feeding....

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Dive~Bunny

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I'm planning a trip to Fiji and considering doing the shark dive. I've read some of the trip reports on the forum here and it seems like many people have had amazing experiences. My main concern is that of the shark dives I found in Fiji, they all seem to chum/feed. What is everyone's thoughts on this? This concerns me....I've never dove with sharks before....
 
From what I know of chum feeding there are 2 good ways to do it.
1. You can chum the water to bring in the sharks then wait for the water to clear as much as possible before geting in.
2. You can get in then drop a frozen bait ball that is tied off to something.
Either way make sure there isnt blood and bits of chum all around when youre in the water. Hopefuly the sharks will be concentrating on one area or already loosing interest while you are in the water. For the most part, as long as you stay away from the chum it is prety safe. That being said, sharks are preditors, and if a very hungry shark is drawn in by the scent of blood it may also be curious about you. Just make sure and go with a reputible operation with a very good safety record. Have fun and be safe.
 
You should give it a try.
It's a very cool dive.
There are so many fish you can hardly see the sharks. Hahaha
Just be sure to go with Beqa Adventure Divers.

One of our friends went with us on a trip to Fiji, she did her first open water dive, after check-outs, on the shark dive. Other than the fact all of us were diving together, we put a Fijian dive master with her. She loved it...pretty hard to top when your first dive is 100 feet deep with a 16 ft Tiger shark and numerous Bulls.

I did a lengthy trip report on here if you'd like to give it a read.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/shark-forum/143214-trip-report-fiji-beqa-shark-diving-long.html
 
There are 2 shark dive areas in Fiji, and they can be found in many areas. In Beqa Lagoon there are 2 operators that do the shark dives (Aqua Trek and Beqa Adventure Divers). Both are excellent operators. In either case they take frozen chum down and feed the sharks while divers are in the water. I’ve done the shark dive several times with both operators and have never felt myself to be threatened or in any danger. Both have excellent safety records. Of the 2 shark dive areas, Beqa is the more ‘active’ and exciting. The other area is a site in the Mamanucas called The Supermarket. They no longer feed there, but the sharks still come in regularly. I found that to be a more relaxed experience that still offers a great shark experience. Beqa, however, boasts a wider variety of sharks (as many as 8 different species, sometimes all on the same dive!). I’m not a fan of feeding to bring sharks in so I don’t make it a point of doing the dive often, but it is a unique experience that I’d recommend doing at least once.
 
Just returned from Fiji. Diving was very good. Saw some sharks but not on "shark dives." Personally, shark feeding dives don't excite me too much. I love to see them when I see them, but I am so not into spending my dives statically watching sea life. That's just me, for those of you who enjoy...enjoy.
 
I saw an incredible sight with a large bronze whaler shark in Fiji several years ago. I was diving with a group - the trip wasn't designed to be a shark dive but we were approached by at least three of these creatures and one of them actually brushed bumped against our DM and it was the closest I'd ever been to a shark.

Afterwards, the DM explained to us that the site is used for "feed" shows by a nearby resort so the sharks get accustomed to getting very close to human beings. These feeds, according to her, involved some feeders actually giving out food on hand-held sticks and encouraging the closest contact with people.

There are varying opinions on shark feeding (ranging from absolute zero tolerance to great enthusiasm with many approving or disapproving on the methods used). Personally, I prefer to see marine creatures behaving more "naturally". But if you do encounter some massive sharks, you might as well observe and enjoy.
 
I agree with Dive Guy totally. The shark dive at Bega by Bega Divers is fantastic. Kind of not to be missed, yet on the other hand I don't think we should be teaching sharks that humans are a source of food. However this was when I was more naive about diving, and I absolutely loved the experience. Very good operators Bega are.
 
Sharks are amazing, but personally I dont like feeding/chuming in combination with divers in the water. At the same time its the only way to be fairly guaranteed to see those elusive creatures.

Personally Ill see them more rarely and not risk them connecting me to food.
 

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