Beqa Lagoon Resort

[Hodge Podge]

Our family is traveling to Beqa Lagoon Resort the last week in September. We have four going on the trip. 1 dive master, 1 beach master, and two new divers. My older son and I are planning the shark dive.

I have a few questions. Which dive operation does the shark hand feeds in the “arena”.
Do you have to travel back to Pacific Harbor to catch the boat or does BLR make other arrangements?

How is the shore diving around the resort?

Can you dive independent doubles for the same rate?

 

[WizFromOz]

Our family is traveling to Beqa Lagoon Resort the last week in September. We have four going on the trip. 1 dive master, 1 beach master, and two new divers. My older son and I are planning the shark dive.

I have a few questions. Which dive operation does the shark hand feeds in the “arena”.
Do you have to travel back to Pacific Harbor to catch the boat or does BLR make other arrangements?

How is the shore diving around the resort?

Can you dive independent doubles for the same rate?

You need to get out to the reef edges, well worth the boat ride, don't let the DM take you to nearby reefs they are not that attractive.

Out near Frigate's is awesome! but watch out for the surfers on the outer wall, your boat coxswain will be aware of them. The surge is very pronounced near the wall so stay clear when surfacing. Swim away from the wall and do the deco stop, he'll see your bubbles and wave off the surfies.

Most dives are fixed price, so check ahead if you want to do your own thing regarding shore dives, they only entail a fill charge with a little negotiation with Beqa Lagoon Resort DM's...after all they want you to come back, or tell a friend how much you enjoyed the diving. Enjoy!!!!

WizFromOz

 

[dbittner]

I have a few questions. Which dive operation does the shark hand feeds in the “arena”.
Do you have to travel back to Pacific Harbor to catch the boat or does BLR make other arrangements?

How is the shore diving around the resort?

Can you dive independent doubles for the same rate?

I was at Beqa Lagoon Resort June 4-10 (on a trip with Maui Dreams Dive Co.) I fell in love with the place and have already paid my deposit for next year's June trip!

1. regarding the shark dive: Our package included 5 days of 2-tank boat dives. In addition, we were there for an extra day and were able to do the 2-tank shark dive (for an extra charge). The extra charge was well worth every penny. We went to the site on our regular dive boat from the resort, where the crew from Beqa Adventure Divers were already waiting for us. The first dive was to about 100 feet (reef sharks and bull sharks). After a 1-hour surface interval, we did the second dive to about 50 feet. While it started with the usual reef sharks who cleared out as soon as the bull sharks arrived, we did get an unexpected bonus. As I wrote in my log book:

"O MY GOD!!
TIGER SHARK!!!
CLOSE!!!!!"

Evidently, tiger sharks are rarely seen on the shark dive. We just happened to be there when an adolescent male tiger shark let his curiosity get the better of him and went to investigate what all the bubbles were about.

2. regarding shore dives: We all enjoyed the shore diving at Beqa Lagoon Resort. Because of the shore diving, I was able to get in a total of 18 dives during my stay there. When you enter the water, you have the choice of heading out toward the left or toward the right. Folks in our group seemed to prefer heading toward the right, both during afternoon dives and night dives. In either case, the farther out from the entry point, the more interesting things you see.

3. regarding independent doubles: You'll have to ask when you get there. None of us dove doubles.

In any case, I'm sure that you and your family will have a fantastic time at Beqa Lagoon Resort. I envy you your September trip, and I'm already counting the days until the June 2007 trip with Maui Dreams Dive Co.

Peace,
Dave

 

[Wiggsy]

The dive operation that does the hand feeding is Beqa Adventure Divers - as opposed to Aquatrek - who dump the fish feed out of a bin and let the sharks rip into it. Either has their advantages - just a different approach. I have heard that the Beqa Adventure Hand feed approach is more controlled as the sharks are better behaved and less frenetic - (but I like frenetic!).

I was at Beqa a month back (see my trip report in this forum) and I recommend the place very highly. And ask Mark (the very friendly aussie manager) to organise a day out fishing and diving out a "Short Reef" ( a long way though!). Almost three hours offshore we dived in 50 metre vis with Turtles everywhere; massive (and I do mean massive) Gorgonians that 4 divers dissapeared behind and a 28 kilo Wahoo between dives. It was brilliant.

This was some compensation for missing out on the Shark feed dive - it was rough one day and our dive was prebooked and owing o the size of the group (27 divers) we couldn't fit in on the one on the next day. I had mail from Peter and Connie from the "Cookie Cutter" and they did that dive and had a 15 foot Tiger that the Divemasters had to nudge away from them with aluminium poles!

Can't wait until next year.

I've got two trips going back there (ex Melbourne) and I'm also hoping to get back there in January with my family. The best dive trip I've ever done.