Beqa Shark Dive - Fiji

Hi everyone,

I've emailed this question to Beqa Adventure Divers twice, but haven't received a response so I'm hoping someone on this forum has experience with the Beqa Shark Feed Dive in Fiji.

I'm currently in the process of planning a world trip and hope to visit Fiji, specifically to take part in a shark dive. However, there are a few questions that I was hoping you may be able to answer:

1) I currently have a PADI Scuba Diver certification for up to 12m, however I have only done 2 open water dives. As I understand it, the shark feeding takes place at a depth of 25m. I have not dived for a couple of years, so I will need to do some sort of refresher course and probably get certified to the correct depth. Could anyone suggest what would be a good course of action for me to partake in the shark dive? What would be the cost of doing the shark dive + any additional training I will need? I hope to be in Fiji for 4-5 days. Does anyone know what my options are for getting up-to-speed in order to do the shark dive safely?

2) I will most likely be travelling alone and without my dive buddy. Will I be able to be paired up with an instructor?

3) My travel itinerary will not be confirmed so I will not know the exact dates I will be in Fiji. I expect I will arrive at some point in mid-May. If I do not book in advance, will I be able to get a place on the shark dive when I arrive in Fiji?

I look forward to your responses. The shark dive is my main reason for visiting Fiji, so if it is not possible to take part, then I may just skip Fiji this time and visit some time in the future. I'd really hate to miss this opportunity though.

Many thanks in advance.

1) You are probably alright. I dove with BAD a couple months back and there we OW divers along with us. The company was not the least worried about it. A refresher course would probably be a good idea, especially if you are going to do any more diving in Fiji (highly recommended!). However, this company (unlike many others) does not seem to be too concerned. During my dive there was a British guy who hadn't dove in years, and had never been that deep, and they just paired him with a DM to keep an eye on him.

2) The shark dive is more of a group dive than you may be used to. Everyone descends together, swims to the nearby "arena" where trhe feeding takes place, and then returns to the boat after it is finished. The group is supervised by four or five DMs. A buddy is not needed.

3) Mid-May is shoulder season for tourism in Fiji and should not be too busy. Unless they have a big group through they shouldn't be any trouble getting a spot. Keep in mind they do not run this dive every day - I think it is Monday, Wednesday, Saturday. But check to be sure (website). There is also another company that runs the shark dives should you get stuck.

Hope you have fun on your dive, the bull sharks really are amazing. Unfortunately I missed out on seeing a tiger shark, maybe you'll have better luck!

gcanuck - Thanks so much for your response. That's pretty much all I needed to know :) I booked my flights last week so really looking forward to this, as I'm sure this dive will be one of the highlights of my trip.

One final question - do you have any recommendations for good diving spots in Fiji that would be good for doing a refresher course and some additional diving? Or is the Beqa lagoon area one of the better spots?

I only did the shark dive, but others told me the coral dives were pretty good there too.

I have only dove on Viti Levu so I can't comment on all of Fiji, but so far my favorite diving has been on the north coast of the island with Ra Divers

Might be a bit far from Pacific Harbour for you though.

Edited by: gcanuck