Shark Dive at Beqa Lagoon

I was a novice diver. I had fewer than ten dives under my belt when I found myself on holiday in Fiji. I was eager to do some diving. The resort I stayed at recommended an exciting adventure. They suggested the "Shark Dive at Beqa Lagoon."

The night before the dive, I did not sleep well. It was a combination of excitement and trepidation. When morning came, I discovered I was the only one from my resort going on the dive.

I was greeted by a small, open dinghy that already had about 10 people in it. Now I was worried. It hardly looked seaworthy, let alone safe to make a one-hour trip to the dive site. I squeezed into my spot on the other side of the boat. Oxygen tanks, lead weight belts, and tattered wetsuits rolled around on the bottom. I hung on for dear life!

Part 1

Arriving at the dive site, there were probably fifteen boats at anchor, all in a semi-circle. As we were one of the last, we took our position at the end. We squeezed into our wetsuits and scuba gear while sitting. For non-divers, this isn’t easy. Then, we dropped over the side.

In the safe waters of Shark Reef Marine Reserve, you can see up to 8 shark species and around 450 fish species. The shark species include bull sharks, powerful tiger sharks, and various reef sharks. (Whitetip, Tawny Nurse, Lemon, and silvertip sharks).

The dive is in two parts. The first one is at a slope nicknamed the “Cathedral.” Maybe they knew something we didn’t! At about 30 meters/100 feet, sharks are fed in the “Arena” from dumpster bins full of fish heads and other parts.

Fish (and sharks) come from everywhere. It is a feeding frenzy!

After ten to fifteen minutes, they close the bin. That is the signal to get out of Texas before the sharks realize and turn their attention to you. During feeding, even known predators like bull and tiger sharks are focused only on food. They come so close you could touch them. Whitetips have no sense of personal space. They swim past your head or between your legs, often brushing up against you.

The safety stop is carried out at five meters (15 - 20 feet) for three minutes. It is an important part of safe diving. You are holding onto a bar at that depth. This is to allow your body to adjust to different pressures before surfacing.

Intermission

Between dives, there is a mandatory hour break to allow the nitrogen in your skin to equilibrate. Those on proper dive boots enjoyed water, tea, or coffee, and snacks. Our humble intermission was a bottle of water retrieved from the bottom of the boat and a piece of warm fruit that was already starting to develop that zing from being in there too long.

Part 2

I was already starting to get a bit dehydrated. Sitting in the sun in aid and full dive gear, we'll be given a briefing, which sucks the moisture out of you. It has one benefit: you don’t need to pee. That’s good since there’s no toilet on the boat. Your only choice is to use a diver’s wee—in your wetsuit!

The second dive is a bit shallower, 15-25 m / 50-80 ft, depending on the weather. The sharks are already waiting. This time, there are more bull sharks than on the first dive. They’ve gotten used to this routine over many months. I have never seen so many sharks, easily over a hundred.

It was chaos. Sharks and fish go everywhere. Zig-zagging between divers in a frenzy. We were told to keep our fists closed. Wiggling fingers is a bad idea because fish see them as food. There have been cases of fingers getting bitten.

It lasts about 20 minutes. Then, the dive groups make their way back to the surface over a coral reef.

Here is where the fun started.

Most divers, of whom there would have been at least forty, wore black wetsuits. Some of the dozen bait handlers had grey suits. I wasn’t familiar with the divers on my boat, so I ended up following a different group.

I panicked and became disoriented. As divers came up for the safety stop, I noticed I was with more gray-suited handlers than with other divers.

My dive training stressed that a safety stop of at least three minutes at five meters is crucial. I held onto a rope for dear life because the bar was full, counting down the seconds on my dive computer. After a minute, the other divers all headed for the surface.

I stuck to my training, hanging alone on a rope. As the seconds ticked by, the rope started to move. I looked down. A bait bin was coming my way, surrounded by about fifteen sharks. They swam closer and closer.

I took off. To hell with the training and safety stop!

When I broke the surface, I noticed the research vessel right next to me. It was in charge of everything, including that big bin. I was at the opposite end of the arc!

Sharks below, I started to swim against the current toward the ends of the anchored boats.

As soon as I reached one to hold onto their anchor rope for a second, they pulled the anchor and left me to swim again.

When I eventually got back to my boat, exhausted and stressed, the yacht was just about to take off. I yelled out and was helped back onto the boat.

I was too tired and out of breath to yell.

The reality sank in on the hour-long trip back to the resort. I could have been left there to be either eaten by sharks or die at sea.

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A couple of years after my adventure, a tourist diver was bitten on the head by a tiger shark. The incident showed the risks of shark feeding dives. This is true even with skilled operators and safety measures in place. Reviews from that time criticized the resort's handling of accidents and safety practices.

In 2011, 28-year-old Amy O'Maley died while scuba diving in Beqa Lagoon, Fiji. She got separated from her divemaster during strong currents. She later passed away in the hospital.

It was certainly the adrenaline rush they promised, but not in a good way.

I have always had on my bucket list to do a dive with the white pointer sharks off South Australia. Alas, it never eventuated and, as my diving days are over, never will.

Till next time,

Calvin