Swimming with sharks – Fiji

Shark encounter – check

While in Fiji on a High Achievers reward trip, I was lucky enough to be taken on a trip to swim with reef sharks: something that I have always wanted to do and another amazing experience ticked off my bucket list.  

Swimming with sharks is yet another awesome item off my bucket list and encountering these epic creatures in Fiji is something you should definitely think about ticking off yours. Talk to Michelle at Bucket List Travel in Red Beach about getting you to Fiji.

Fijian shark encounter

On this full-day tour, Ultimate Encounters Snorkel with Sharks, you’ll snorkel with these ocean predators in their home environment. Just crystal-clear water between you and them: an adrenaline rush experience.

Sharks are spectacular, majestic creatures, so before you decide that no cage, no aquarium swimming with sharks may not be the trip for you, your guides – South Sea Cruises – promise that these stunningly graceful creatures and will change your perception about sharks forever.

Reef sharks

There are two main species of sharks you will encounter on this trip: White Tip Reef Sharks and Black Tip Reef Sharks. Both these sharks are common in the tropical warm waters of the South Pacific and can grow to a length of just over 1.5 metres. White Tips are the dominant species with an inquisitive nature; they are not shy to check you out. Their Black Tip relatives are by contrast timid and will shy away if they feel threatened.

Get cruising

Leaving Denarau at around 8.30 am aboard the ‘Yasawa Flyer’, a high-speed catamaran, the two-hour cruise took us through the Mamanuca Islands and then onto the stunning Yasawas to Kuata Island – a small, beautiful, reef fringed gem.

After arriving on the island and our comprehensive safety briefing, we then jumped on another boat with our guides to travel for approximately 10-15 minutes to Moyia Reef, our swimming with sharks reef site. The reef is truly spectacular with its abundance of colourful fish and beautiful corals. Water depth varies between 4 – 6 metres depending on the tide.

Barefoot Kuata Resort

We then climbed back on board and headed back to Kuata Island, where we had a delicious two-course lunch at Barefoot Kuata Resort. Nestled along a white sandy beach, all the facilities of Barefoot Kuata are available – pool, hammocks, a restaurant, bar, kayaks and walking tracks as well as massage services available at an additional cost – and there is good snorkelling close to the beachfront. The boat picked us up for a return to Nadi at approximately 3:45 pm. We arrived back at Denarau around 5.30 pm.

This trip is a must-do for any nature lovers it gives you huge respect for the sharks and I highly recommend anyone do this.