SHARK DIVER CLOSE ENCOUNTERS IN SHARK CORRIDOR It has the reputation of being one of the greatest shark spectacles T’S 7.30 ON A SATURDAY morning, and we’ve just found the on Earth. Can it really be that Ibase of Beqa Adventure Divers (BAD) good? TOM VIERUS has visited on the outskirts of Pacific Harbor on Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island. Fiji’s Shark Reef to find out We have come to experience what has been hailed as one of the world’s greatest shark dives with some impressive apex predators – just us and the bull sharks. We’re met at the entrance by Mike Neumann, one of the three BAD owners, who after more than 10 years there still joins in on almost every dive. We’re soon ready to board one or other of the two dive vessels, Predator and Hunter . Our equipment is already aboard, with our cameras each in their own basket. There are some 20 people on the two boats today, the maximum set by the dive- centre. The organisation level immediately impresses – it’s efficient and professional. As we slowly cruise along the mangrove-fringed channel towards the “up to here and no further”! Another to stick to the rules. To avoid surprises, it’s open ocean, Tumbi, one of the main three prepare the feeding in front of us. vital that this protocol is consistently feeders, delivers an in-depth dive-briefing. Large bull sharks circle patiently just observed – sharks, after all, are predators With luck, we could see up to eight shark metres away in anticipation. and potentially dangerous to us humans. species, from the mighty bull and maybe Unnoticed by most of the divers, As I watch the most-dominant bulls tiger sharks to the smaller reef predators a sicklefin lemon shark passes behind our approaching and swallowing the heads such as whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, backs, some 20 yellow-striped trevally whole, I recall that Tumbi had told us and the possibility of less-frequent visitors swarming around it. Dozens of free- earlier that in peak times up to 80 sharks such as lemon and nurse sharks. swimming remoras and other smaller reef join the divers during the feeding. A 20-minute boat-ride brings us to the fish join us in this prelude to the spectacle Today there must be some 35 in the reef at the heart of the Shark Reef Marine to come. The sheer abundance of marine arena, and I can hardly imagine what Left: A group of bull Reserve. The boats are tied in to pre- sharks approach the bin – life in this protected area is striking. installed buoylines, and we get ourselves only the fastest gets a The show is about to start. Tumbi ready to dive. tuna head. opens the lid of a metal construction, grabs the tuna-heads it contains one by E DESCEND TO OUR first stop at Above right: one and hand-feeds them to approaching Anemonefish and bull W30m, where the main attractions are sharks in 30m. sharks. He is flanked by Fabiano and waiting. In the “Arena” the BAD staff have Manoa, who act as “bodyguards” and also built a wall of dead corals. We kneel Below: Descending to wield metal poles. behind it as Tumbi and the other dive- the Arena, divers kneel Over the years the feeders have masters and feeders position themselves. behind a man-made established a protocol in which only dead-coral wall. expng Sil. Four of them literally stand behind us, sharks closing in from the left side are each armed with a blunt metal pole that Right : The hand-feeding rewarded with food, while those coming can be used to remind the sharks that it’s is about to begin. from the right are reminded by the poles E K R A L C N A I L U J

di vEr 32 www. di vErNEt.com 33 di vEr SMHAARRINKE D LIVIFEER

double that number must look and feel up-close experience as the predators Above: A sicklefin lemon smaller predators are joining in, not “Today, more than 10 years later, we Above: A sicklefin lemon sustainable shark-diving. “Besides the like. follow the bin and its fishy smell. The bins shark. wanting to miss out on the excitement. have accomplished both and much more. shark about to swallow a safety of the divers and the protection of tuna-head. Sharks can be very cautious animals, look bizarre 30m down, but they do work For another 20 minutes we enjoy the We have created a win-win situation for sharks, we put a strong emphasis on the Above right: The two and don’t swim mindlessly towards the in getting the sharks in your face! vessels from Beqa Adventure spectacle, before ascending to what they everyone.” Right: A bull shark shows continuous support of shark research and bait and grab it. Like us, their personalities After 17 minutes’ bottom time with the Divers. call “the best safety-stop in the world”. Not only are the sharks and other its flexibility as it conservation,” Mike tells me. vary: some are bold and rather aggressive, large bull sharks (some as big as 3.5m), the They have a point. At 3m depth, a rope marine species protected by the marine approaches the bin. Each shark-dive is attended by at least while others prefer to keep their distance divemasters bang their steel tanks, giving Below: A pair of blacktip has been installed right at the edge of the sanctuary, but the local population one trained local marine biologist, who Below: Bull shark. and observe. Some appear shy. the signal to ascend towards the Den, a reef sharks. fringing reef, allowing divers to hold on benefits from the international tourism records individuals and environmental Similar to lions or wolves on land, shallower feeding site at 15m. (which we’re thankful for, considering the revenues. “We’ve made arrangements parameters to feed a long-term database sharks establish hierarchies among Attention now switches to the smaller swell and current in the shallows that with several villages owning the documenting changes within populations. themselves. It tends to be the dominant blacktip and whitetip reef sharks and very could otherwise sweep you away into the traditional fishing rights to the area we BAD also supports an international (or very daring) individuals that agile grey reef sharks. More than a dozen Pacific) as more feeding continues. wanted to protect,” says Mike. Every diver team of scientists researching species immediately cruise in and take the bait. smaller sharks and hundreds of small fish This is now dominated by the whitetips pays a levy of about US $10 “which goes movements and population genetics. Its A few tuna-heads later the procedure swarm energetically around Mavoa, the and blacktips, which seem so small and straight to the respective villages, who in shark-feed dives provide an opportunity changes. The team moves from hand- designated feeder today. somehow cat-like after you have spent turn refrain from fishing in the area.” to find out more about hierarchies, feeding to “bin-feeding”, with slightly While the bulls were fed in an arena- 37 minutes with the massive bulls and This approach has led not only to migration routes and general as well as modified trash-cans used to deliver an like setting, Den is different. Mavoa is grey reef sharks. establishing one of the world’s most mating behaviour. impressive and intimate experience for located on our right in a 5m-wide channel Their small, slender bodies are perfectly famous shark dives but contributing the divers. between the steep reef slope and another adapted to life in the structurally complex substantially to protection of the resident E PREPARE FOR the second dive. Fabiano grabs a rope attached to the small man-made wall of dead corals reef, allowing them to reach virtually any sharks. By 2007 the Shark Corridor (in WI check my underwater housing – bin and slowly ascends to around 15m. By behind which we kneel. fish hidden in its cracks and crevices. which shark-fishing is banned) had been enough space on SD card, settings right, pulling the rope he manoeuvres the lid to The sharks swoosh in and out of the established. Today it covers a 30-mile flashes working – I’m good to go! release some of the tuna-heads while Den. Some use the channel, but the more HILE WE SLOWLY OFF-GAS the stretch off Viti Levu’s coast. This dive is a little different to the first. swimming parallel to the dead-coral wall. audacious take a route directly over our Wnitrogen (usually one of the more This is no “paper park”. Fish wardens We’re at the same site, but this time we This ensures that every diver gets an heads. Hundreds of reef fish and other unexciting parts of a dive) another actively patrol the area, looking for approach another feeding area at 15m. spectacle is presented to us: an explosion poachers and illegal fishing activities. of colour as the sunrays penetrate through Not only are sharks thriving in the the water column and dance on the reserve but it appears that other marine thriving shallow reef. animals are benefitting from protection it The whole scene seems almost unreal, affords too. too beautiful to be true. After another This in turn leads to the “spillover exciting 10 minutes we head back to the effect” – as the fish population inside the boat. Many of us need to be careful not to park has increased, populations have lose regulators because of our huge smiles extended to areas outside its boundaries, – wow, that was an intense 50 minutes! boosting fishing yields in adjacent areas. During the 60-minute surface interval the boat is manoeuvred to calmer waters HIS IS HOW Marine Protected Areas and I have some time to talk to Mike Tor MPAs can be a win-win situation Neumann. With a big grin, he tells me the for everyone – nature-lovers, fishermen, story of Shark Reef Marine Reserve, Fiji’s conservationists and economists alike. first national marine park and officially “This park is a major conservation recognised since 2014. success, and shows that small-scale efforts “Everything started in 2004 with the do make a difference,” says Mike. idea to create a self-sustaining tourism BAD was also a founder-member of the project that would do two things: offer Global Shark Diving Alliance, a worldwide divers an unforgettable experience and initiative by operators to set international protect the resident sharks,” says Mike. standards for responsible and long-term di vEr 34 www. di vErNEt.com www. di vErNEt.com 35 di vEr SHARK DIVER

And instead of kneeling, we lie flat on our bellies behind a much shallower wall. We have already been reminded not to stick out any hands or arms, as the sharks will GEFTTINAG CTHETRE 8FSIeveLral Eoptions from come even closer than on the first dive. Heathrow to Nadi (Fiji), for example with Air New Zealand via Los Angeles and Auckland. When we’re positioned, Fabiano takes the ropes and starts ascending with the DIVING 8 Shark Reef Marine Reserve with Beqa binful of tuna off-cuts. Some 30 sharks are Adventure Divers, www.fijisharkdive.com soon as close as they can be! Again and ACCOMMODATION 8 The Pearl Resort (www.the again, seemingly out of nowhere, large pearlsouthpacific.com), Uprising Beach Resort bulls appear from the sides and pass us, (www.uprisingbeachresort.com), Lagoon Resort with sometimes less than a metre to spare. (www.lagoonresort.com.fj) in Pacific Harbour. It feels unreal to be side by side with WHEN TO GO 8Any time. Peak season (winter) is these fascinating animals, the earliest April-October with 22-25°C water, and the rainy ancestors of which roamed our oceans season runs from November-April (28-30°). more than 400 million years ago. CURRENCY 8 Fiji dollars (FJD). I note their curiosity and how they observe us as they chase behind the bin for PRICES 8Beqa Adventure Divers offers Shark the next 30 minutes. Then the signal Week Diving packages with several options, such as seven nights’ B&B at the Uprising Beach sounds and we ascend towards the reef- Resort, five days of two-tank diving (two days edge to enjoy another 15 minutes off- shark-diving, three days Beqa Lagoon reefs) and gassing at the best safety stop in the world. transfers for 2575 FJD (approx £970). Speechless, I climb the ladder back onto Hunter . This has been by far the most VISITOR INFORMATION 8 www.fiji.travel exciting dive of my life, and the closest I have been to any sharks. We return their home countries will become shark understand and love. Which is what Beqa exhausted but exhilarated to the base in advocates – willingly or unwillingly – as Adventure Divers is about – not only in Pacific Harbor. they tell friends and families about their facilitating safe and exciting encounters It would be hard to sell people the story incredible encounters there. for thousands of tourists every year, but of sharks as mindless killing machines if Only when people understand sharks also in educating the public and pushing they had just spent two hours face to face will they start caring about them and their for the conservation of these important with them. Many divers leaving Fiji for existence. People only protect what they ocean regulators.

di vEr 36 www. di vErNEt.com