Wild at Heart: Scuba Diving in Fiji

From seductive reefs covered in rainbow-colored soft corals to heart-racing encounters with blacktip and tiger sharks, it's no wonder scuba divers are smitten with Fiji.

On some dives, the eyes say it all, and we’re all a bit wild-eyed as a silky joins the shark-feeding frenzy in Beqa Lagoon, sweeping in close, almost mischievously, before swimming off. Just when I think we’ve experienced our dive climax, a 16-foot tiger shark slips into the scene. The hungry tornado of whitetip, blacktip, nurse, bull, lemon and reef sharks, plus a bundle of 800-pound grouper, clear the way for her entrance. Her imperial demeanor commands a respect that both fish and divers honor. She has the faded stripes of a mature Galeocerdo cuviera and a mangled dorsal fin — a scar from mating and a telltale sign she’s female. She glides over our heads and disappears as seamlessly as she came in. Now that’s how a lady makes an entrance.

(Watch the video HERE.)

For 14 years, Aqua-Trek has been hosting the Ultimate Shark Encounter in Beqa Lagoon, south of the main island of Viti Levu, and boasts a 100 percent no-accident rate. And the staff knows what they’re doing. Three times a week they chum the waters and hand-feed a dancing cloud of up to eight species of sharks, while an audience of divers kneels on the sand bottom ringed by an auditorium of coral. What’s even more impressive is how hard the dive operation has worked to protect these threatened apex predators.

In addition to conducting shark research and fish counts, Aqua-Trek helped create the Shark Reef Marine Reserve and Fiji Shark Corridor — a protected area that covers almost 30 nautical miles along the main island of Viti Levu’s southern coastline. The goal: to stop illegal fishing and finning. The conservation efforts here have been so successful that the marine reserve has become an inspiration and a model for shark conservation efforts in other parts of the world too.

Protecting the natural beauty of these islands is not only paramount for dive operators and resorts, but also the Fiji government and the people who call these islands home. Known for their fire-walking tradition and kind demeanor, islanders respect the land and everything on and around it. They cherish the native palm trees, used for everything from thatched roofing to baskets. Meals (and surface intervals) are blessed with fresh coconut meat, while the shell finds its place as a dish on the dinner table or as a cup for partaking of the evening kava — a hypnotic drink made from the local kava root that helps with sleep and is believed to clear the mind. (Personal note: It tastes like chalk, but your sleep will be sound.)

With more than 320 islands sprinkled among the clear-water reefs lined with seductive private resorts and bungalows, there’s a long list of places to explore. Fiji Airways offers daily flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Viti Levu’s Nadi International Airport. From there, puddle- jumpers and boats transport guests to their destination.

When it comes to diving, Aqua-Trek’s shark dive isn’t the only big ticket in these parts. Beqa Lagoon’s reefs offer picturesque spots to find surgeonfish, triggerfish, snapper and even the spot-me-if-you-can frogfish. At spots like Seven Sisters and Golden Arches (the latter named for the massive coral swim-throughs), divers find themselves mesmerized by dramatically lit caverns offering cover to gliding trumpetfish, coupled-up butterflyfish and even the occasional curious resident reef shark.

Then there’s the iconic drift diving. The private island of Wakaya, a 40-minute flight from Nadi, excites with refreshing drift dives like Homestead Pass, Lion’s Den and Sunset Wall. Give yourself up to the current, and fall into the freedom of being escorted along the sheer cliff with views of an underwater parade with hammerheads, turtles and manta ray flybys. And while the waters are so full of life that it’s tempting

to consider hovering in one spot and waiting for the show to unfold before you, make the choice to let yourself go. It’s at that moment when you’ll discover that your dive just got even better.

But there’s more. The archipelago is renowned as the soft-coral capital of the world. And the best place to witness these corals is along the reefs near Taveuni, about a 90-minute flight from Nadi. The cigar-shaped tip of an underwater shield volcano, Taveuni is located northeast in the marine-rich waters of Somosomo Strait. The walls here start shallow, meaning that one-for-the-books experiences aren’t hard to come by for both diving and hybrid couples.

Once there, sites along the legendary Vuna and Rainbow reef systems — such as the Great White, Purple and Yellow walls — are decked out with blooming soft corals that match the reefs’ color-coded names. Anemonefish weave in and out of their come-hither homes, while green moray eels peek out from mysterious chambers.

And of course, the occasional glance into the big blue is the best way to flirt with finding the beloved silhouettes of turtles, rays and sharks. No matter what your speed, underwater scenes welcome all styles of wild. From the silent lure of the swaying soft corals to the heart-pounding passion of shark dives to the careless freedom of drift diving, it’s hard not to be seduced by the romance lingering in Fiji’s waters.

*Special thanks to Tourism Fiji, Fiji Airways, Pacific Airways, Lalati Resort & Spa, Paradise Taveuni, Royal Davui, The Wakaya Club & Spa, and Aqua-Trek. * WANT MORE?
VIDEO: Want to see the action live? We got it all on camera. View the tiger shark in all her glory HERE.
TIPS: Traveling to Fiji? Find out where to stay, what to say, what to do HERE.
GEAR: Make sure you have everything you need for your big trip HERE.