Fiji Shark Dive

Fiji covers an area of some 194‘000 km2 of which around 10pct is land. This land consists of 221 islands of which 106 are inhabited. The two most important and largest islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. The islands are quite mountainous, with peaks reaching over 1’300 metres.

The majority of Fiji’s islands were formed through volcanic activity.

Its closest neighbors are Vanuatu to the west, New Caledonia to the southwest, New Zealand to the south and Tonga to the east.

The population of is mostly made up of native Fijians, who are Melanesians (ca 55pct) and Indo-Fijians (40pct) who are descendants of Indian laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century.

Shark Diving

A visit to Fiji allows you among other things to go on a baited shark dive. This is a bit of a (controversial) show where the animals are fed fish so they can be viewed in a more or less predictable and safe routine. It however allows you to get near to these predators in order to see them really up-close and get good photos. Despite their ferocious reputation, sharks normally are wary and keep their distance from humans.

The experience is quite an adrenalin rush. You are closely surrounded by a variety of shark species including Nurse, Blacktip Reef, Grey Reef, Silvertip, Lemon, Bull and Tiger sharks in substantial numbers. On these dives you are accompanied by a sizeable group of Fijian dive guides carrying aluminum poles used in order to push sharks out of harm’s way should they get too close.