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Snorkel & Dive with Fiji Sharks
Snorkelling with Fiji Sharks
'What an AWESOME experience. They swam up and joined us, as curious with us as we were of them. To have Fiji sharks gliding alongside you close enough to touch (which we had been asked not to do ) is just sooooo coooool !'
Yes. You’ll be provided with safety instructions from our experienced guides who’ve spent hundreds of hours getting to know our resident school of sharks. Our guides will be in the water with you the entire time and will closely monitor the sharks' behaviour to ensure your safety.
White Tips are the dominant species and are by nature an inquisitive shark not frightened to check you out. Their Black Tip relatives are by contrast timid and will shy away if they feel threatened.
How many Fijian sharks will I see?
Numbers vary but it is common to see between 6-12 reef sharks.
White Tip Shark - up to 1.8 metres
Black Tip Shark - up to 1.6 metres
Both Black Tip and White Tip Reef Sharks prefer shallower waters making snorkelling easy with good visibility. It’s even possible to see the sharks from our boat before entering the water. Water depth varies between 4 - 6 metres depending on the tide.
Is it safe?
What type of Fiji sharks will I see?
There are two main species of Fiji sharks encountered, White Tip Reef Sharks and Black Tip Reef Sharks, both are common in the tropical warm waters of the South Pacific. Each species can grow to a length of just over 1.5 metres although under the water they appear 25% larger, a snorkelling face mask optical illusion.
How deep is the water?
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Barefoot Kuata Island Resort operates Snorkelling with Fiji Sharks tours (pending sea conditions) daily. You'll travel 20 minutes on a boat to Moia Reef where you'll encounter resident Reef Sharks. This is an escorted tour where Barefoot Kuata Island Resort's experienced and knowledgable dive team will look after you and introduce you to Moia Reef's resident population of friendly and inquisitive Reef Sharks.
Snorkelling with Sharks from Barefoot Kuata Island Resort, the Yasawas, Fiji.
Taking photos while Snorkelling with Sharks from Barefoot Kuata Island Resort, the Yasawas, Fiji.
Underwater view Snorkelling with Sharks from Barefoot Kuata Island Resort, the Yasawas, Fiji.
Snorkelling with Sharks from Barefoot Kuata Island Resort, the Yasawas, Fiji.
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Moia Reef
What if I’m not a good swimmer or haven’t snorkelled before?
Buoyancy aids are available for less confident swimmers and because these sharks prefer shallow waters there’s no necessity to dive under the water to secure a thrilling view.
Barefoot Kuata Island Resort's surrounding and nearby waters are rich in marine bio-diversity including Fiji sharks. Fiji shark species identified to date include White Tip Reef Sharks, Black Tip Reef Sharks, Tawny Nurse Sharks, Lemon Sharks, Silver Tip Sharks, Bull Sharks and Tiger Sharks.
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Fiji Sharks
Smaller and harmless Reef Sharks can on occasion be found immediately in front of Barefoot Kuata Island Resort with a resident school residing at Moia Reef whereas the larger Fiji shark species habitat Yakawe Reef, well away from the resort, a 25 minute high-speed boat ride.
Departing twice a day the 'Awakening Shark Dive' is a new-age shark dive designed by Marine Biologist and shark authority Dr. Thomas Vignaud. Over 3 years in it's planning and design 'The Awakening Shark Dive' is a thrilling adventure that both certified and introductory (non-certified) divers can experience.
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Ecological best practice ensures the dive has no negative impact on the sharks combined with strict OHS best practice to ensure diver safety.
Words struggle to capture how people feel during and after their Awakening Shark Dive. In the dive boat after the dive, people simply look at each with a smile or nod of the head acknowledging they've just shared a moment of wonderment.
The 'Awakening Shark Dive'
'A must do is the Bull Shark feeding dive. Being a novice diver, I did not think this was possible. Any apprehension I had soon went after a few practice dives in the shallows. By 11:30 and after a 30min boat ride, I was in 10m of water kneeling behind a rock, watching a dozen fully grown Bull Sharks being fed only a few metres away! Adrenalin stuff, an experience I will never forget.'
Silver Tip Shark
Nocturnal in habits, the tawny nurse shark tends to spend the day resting inside caves or under ledges. At night, it is an active-swimming predator that uses a powerful suction force to extract prey from inside holes and crevices. Tawney Nurse Sharks can grow up to 3.2 metres and weigh up to 120 kilos.
The silvertip shark is a robust and streamlined species with a moderately long, broad snout and large, round eyes
How many Fiji sharks will I see?
Numbers vary but it is common to see between 8 to 25 Bull Sharks plus other shark species.
Is it safe?
100%, yes! Divers are escorted by a Barefoot Kuata Island Resort dive team of 5 or more dependent on diver numbers. Their role is to look after you and monitor shark behavior to ensure diver safety, there are no compromises. A detailed briefing is conducted pre-dive, for those people who aren't certified divers comprehensive pre-dive training includes shore dives to ensure dive proficiency before their 'Awakening Shark Dive'.
What type of Fiji sharks can I see?
Bull Sharks are the dominated species encountered during the Awakening Shark Dive. They are distinguished from other sharks by their body’s high width-to-length ratio, giving them a stout appearance. Bull Sharks grow to 3.3 meters and weigh up to 227 kilos.
Tiger Sharks are a solitary, mostly nocturnal hunter. It's notable for having the widest food spectrum of all sharks it has a reputation as a 'garbage eater' consuming a variety of inedible, man-made objects that linger in its stomach. Tiger Sharks can grow up to 4 metres and weigh up to 900 kilos.
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Bull Shark
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Tawny Nurse Shark
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Lemon Sharks have an unusual yellow-brown coloring that resembles a lemon. As shallow-water seafloor hunters, their unique yellow skin helps camouflage them against the sandy seafloor. Lemon Sharks grow up to 3 metres in length and weigh up to 100 kilos.
Lemon Shark
There are 2 Áwakening Shark Dives conducted daily. The first dive is a 20 metre dive for certified divers only. The 2nd dive is conducted in shallower waters only 10 metres in depth which falls within the requirements for an introductory dive. Prior to the Awakening Shark Dive, participants undergo comprehensive dive training with one of our qualified dive instructors.
How is it a non-certified diver can join the 'Awakening Shark Dive'?
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Tiger Sharks
Awakening Shark Dive
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