News
Shark Week – Fiji: Shark Diving in murky waters (Watch Video)
For Shark Week, Scubaverse bloggers CJ and Mike share this great video and their experiences of diving with Bull sharks and more in Fiji…
Murky waters are not what usually come to mind when thinking about diving in Fiji. Unfortunately, we had timed our visit straight after the typhoon in mid-April. Having reached Viti Levu after several days delay, it was only to find that conditions were still too bad on the south coast to do any diving for a couple of days; so we contented ourselves to enjoy the beautiful island and the locals’ fantastic hospitality.
One of the dives we were most looking forward to was the famous Beqa Lagoon shark dive at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve. Being very keen on shark conservation I was interested to see how this operation worked, how it involved local people in the marine reserve and how the proceeds from tourism helped with maintaining a protected area for sharks. Luckily for us the weather settled down after a few days and we were able to book in for a shark dive!
We chose to go with Beqa Adventure Divers and booked to do two shark dives in the morning and an afternoon soft coral dive. We were greeted on arrival by a friendly and efficient front desk team and completed all the necessary paperwork. We then went through to the gear rental and equipment set-up area to get ready to dive. Here we had our only negative experience of the trip, bumping into an extremely rude man, who turned out to be one of the owners! Thankfully our interaction was a brief one and as the rest of the staff possessed the manners and professionalism sadly lacking in their boss, we moved on and did not allow this incident to ruin our whole day.
Once kitted up, our equipment was loaded onto the boat and we met our crew. The boat briefing was very good and the dive briefing thorough, with clear and precise instructions given as to where to go, when, who to follow and how to behave. The divemaster gave us strict instructions on keeping all limbs and cameras to yourself and behind the purpose built walls. The dive plan was well thought out and explained, with the aid of a dive site map. At the site we were told the visibility was likely to be lower than pictures we may have seen and to stay close to the divemaster assigned to you. We were also given a quick shark ID summary and requested to count the sharks we saw by our boat’s marine biologist. With growing excitement we kitted up and jumped in!
Once in the water we descended with our DM and took up position in front of ‘The Arena’, behind a wall built of coral rubble at 30m. Once all the divers were positioned with DMs at either end and at various points behind us with big poles, the feed began! Another DM swam above us with a wheelie bin full of tuna heads, controlling the position and timing of the dropped food so that as the Bull sharks came in they would chomp up the fish just in front and above our heads, giving a magnificent view of these huge sharks in feeding mode. For 15 minutes huge Bull sharks swam all around us, feeding and cruising past, eyeballing the group. The experience was made all the more atmospheric by the low visibility – dark shadows emerging into oncoming sharks in what felt like the last few metres!
After 15mins at depth we moved up to the next level, 10m for an another 15 minutes, to view Grey, Whitetip and Blacktip Reef sharks, which were fed fish from a smaller container by a DM. The final part of the dive was really an extended safety stop at 5m, with around 10mins to enjoy the reef sharks and abundant fish life at the top of the reef before surfacing.
With everyone buzzing about the dive we were served hot drinks and cookies on the boat, while the marine biologist took data from us, about what sharks we had seen and how many we estimated there were of each species. Apparently today was a quiet day with ‘only’ 20+ Bull sharks (they can get up to 70+ on a busy day!). He then gave us a talk on the shark species we had seen, their behaviours, and some great information about the formation of the marine reserve and their continuing projects and data collection.
After a lengthy surface interval to off-gas, we headed back in at ‘The Take Out’ to do a 15m dive for 30mins and 5m for 10mins. Here we lay on slabs of rock behind a small wall and had some even closer Bull shark action. The DM behind me occasionally had to bop a shark on the snout if it continued towards us a bit too close, but the sharks seemed very used to the routine and interested only in having a snack of tuna head. The visibility was worse on this dive, adding to the drama, but also making we wish we could experience it again in clear water. After half an hour, which seemed like only minutes with all the stunning sharky action, we headed up to safety stop depth and once again enjoyed the Reef shark feeding.
I didn’t know how I would feel about the shark dive going in, but was prepared to give it a go and I knew I would love seeing sharks in close proximity. Having done the two dive morning, I am very impressed with the set up at B.A.D. Safety wise it is excellent as the very structured dive plan contributes to the high level of control the staff have at all times. The feeding was organised to allow everyone to get a good view and close up action with the sharks, and the high ratio of DMs to divers means the staff have total control of the group and the ability to turn away any shark that gets a little too curious without any drama. Having a multi-level dive also allows divers to see several different species of shark on one dive and extend the dive time.
The staff on the boats and in the water were all locals, all of whom were knowledgable, professional and exuded a calm on a boat full of very excited tourists. I was really impressed that they had a marine biologist on each boat to provide info, take data and answer questions. Also we were told that a portion of the money from tourism goes to local communities that have given up their fishing rights in order to create and maintain the marine reserve, which is great news and a good conservation strategy.
Sadly as the weather was worsening and the vis deteriorating, the afternoon dive was called off and so we packed our things and headed off for a good lunch, all that excitement certainly works up an appetite!
On the whole, we had a really good experience with the Fiji Shark Dive in Beqa Lagoon and would recommend it to anyone who wants to see Bull sharks up close. However if you want to do lots of diving and see some of Fiji’s other world class dive sites in all their glory, I would recommend paying high season rates and travelling to Fiji outside of the typhoon season!
Marine Life & Conservation
IUCN Spotlights Green Fins at Bali Ocean Days 2025, Calling for Stronger Business Model in Marine Conservation
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Global Ocean Director, Minna Epps, has spotlighted Green Fins Indonesia along with a call for stronger business models that sustain marine conservation. Speaking at the inaugural session of Bali Ocean Days 2025 held on 7-8 February, Epps emphasised the need for sustainable financing to support and scale marine conservation initiatives such as Green Fins.
Activities earlier in the week with the Coral Triangle Center in Sanur and Ceningan Divers in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area shaped the IUCN Ocean Director’s message at the conference and showcase, aligning with the theme of the blue economy and impact finance to sustain marine ecosystems.
“Tourism has such a big impact on marine biodiversity, and we need it to adhere to a certain code of conduct,” Epps said. “That is why through our funding facilities, we worked with The Reef-World Foundation advancing Green Fins so dive operators can become certified with standards. But this kind of initiative has been around for a long time and it’s also a tool used to improve [MPA management], but it needs to come with a business model. I also believe in market-based instruments to evolve this programme.”
IUCN’s visit is part of their Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility (BNCFF), which supports at least 21 projects around the world, building the business case for investing in the future of our ocean.
In Indonesia, the project supported by IUCN was developed in partnership with The Reef-World Foundation, the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and the Coral Triangle Center, which serves as the local implementing organisation for Green Fins. The initiative engages marine tourism businesses through voluntary sustainability certification based on the only internationally recognised environmental standards for diving and snorkelling operations. Green Fins’ activities aim to reduce negative environmental impacts associated with marine tourism activities as well as improve the management of marine protected areas.
IUCN’s promotion of Green Fins in Bali Ocean Days signals the need for greater private sector engagement in marine conservation across Indonesia and beyond.
Investors, donors, marine tourism operators and stakeholders looking to support scalable marine conservation solutions are encouraged to explore opportunities with The Reef-World Foundation, the international coordinator of the Green Fins initiative. To learn more about sustainable marine tourism and how to get involved, visit www.reef-world.org.
About Reef-World
The Reef-World Foundation is a registered UK charity which delivers practical solutions for marine conservation around the world. The charity promotes the wise use of natural resources – particularly coral reefs and related ecosystems – for the benefit of local communities, visitors and future generations. It is dedicated to supporting, inspiring and empowering governments, businesses, communities and individuals around the world to act in conserving and sustainably developing coastal resources.
Reef-World leads the global implementation of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally. As such, the charity provides low-cost and practical solutions to local and industry-wide environmental challenges associated with the marine tourism industry. It provides education and capacity-building assistance to empower environmental champions (within the diving industry, local communities, authorities and governments) to implement proven coastal resource management approaches.
Visit www.reef-world.org to learn more or follow them on Facebook, Instagram and X.
About Green Fins
Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach – spearheaded by The Reef-World Foundation in partnership with the UN Environment Programme – which leads to a measurable reduction in the negative environmental impacts associated with the marine tourism industry. The initiative aims to protect and conserve coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines that promote a sustainable diving and snorkelling tourism industry. It provides the only internationally recognised environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry and has a robust assessment system to measure compliance.
Green Fins encourages and empowers members of the diving industry to act to reduce the pressures on coral reefs by offering dive and snorkel companies practical, low-cost alternatives to harmful practices – such as anchoring, fish feeding and chemical pollution – as well as providing strategic training, support and resources. By reducing the local direct and indirect pressures tourism puts on coral reefs, it helps make corals healthier and more resilient to other stresses such as the effects of climate change. Look for the Green Fins logo when booking your next dive trip.Visit www.greenfins.net to learn more or follow the initiative on Facebook, Instagram and X.
In December 2024, the Shark Trust had a very special opportunity to film sharks and rays in The Bahamas. Frogfish Photography are the Bahamas Dive Ambassadors for the UK. And Caroline, Deputy Editor at Scubaverse, is the Marketing Manager at the Shark Trust. So, when the need arose to film footage of several species of shark and ray for a new Shark Trust project, The Bahamas seemed the perfect fit. A huge thank you is needed here to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. As they stepped in to fully support the trip both financially and practically. Ensuring that the filming expedition ran smoothly, and that we got as much time as possible in the water with sharks and rays, during the 10 day, 3 island trip.
The Bahamas is famous for its sharks and rays. Divers flock there to experience getting up close to a range of species. Our itinerary saw us visit Nassau, Bimini and Grand Bahama. It packed in as many in-water experiences as possible and had us dive, snorkel, and even take a submarine to experience them in a variety of different habitats and to capture them on film. We saw 148 sharks and rays from 8 different species (all of which have been logged on the Shark Trust Shark Log!).
But why were we there? The expedition was designed to fulfil the needs of two new projects being launched by the Shark Trust in 2025. The filming done underwater on this trip was the start of creating OneOcean360: A Shark Story. A new 360 immersive experience designed primarily for immersive domes and planetariums. The film will be the nearest experience to getting in the water with sharks and rays without getting wet! It will bring the world of sharks to an audience that may never get the chance to experience it first-hand. A Shark Story aims to deepen people’s understanding of sharks, uncovering and illustrating why they are so wonderful as well as being vital to marine ecosystems.
The film is being made in collaboration with Real Immersive. Also based in Plymouth, they have an immersive dome and are providing the technical expertise behind creating this unique experience. Reviewing the footage in the dome has been an invaluable part of the process. Both inspiring the team and allow us to refine the filming techniques to suit this immersive theatre.
You might imagine that we are using expensive cameras and even more expensive housings. But this is not the case. The entire project is being filmed using Insta360 X4 cameras. With only a few simple additions to the standard dive setup. The INON weight plate allowed us to attach this camera to a dive weight, set it down on sand or wreck, and then swim away and let the sharks be the stars. And the results are very exciting. The film will be ready this autumn. It will be accompanied by an educational pack for teachers to take away after school trips to see the film. Encouraging all those that see it to continue learning about these incredible animals.
You can support the creation of OneOcean360: A Shark Story by heading to the crowdfunder page and donating or selecting a reward.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/a-shark-story
Read about the shark and ray dives we did on Nassau, Bimini and Grand Bahama in our next blog post coming soon on Scubaverse.
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