Shark Dive Polynesian style - at Fiji Beqa Lagoon

[Joneill]

That is correct. And perhaps I should have clarified that I was referring to how well run he shark dive is run and that there are several "guides" standing guard behind the spectators with long shepard's staffs to ward off any sharks coming from behind us to make sure it is as safe as possible. When we were there last September they told us they had never had a guest bitten in the 17 years they had been doing the shark dive.

lol... then they were not being fully truthful as someone was bitten on one of these dives last July - demonstrating that this is actually a potentially dangerous dive.


The fact that they need guides with metal shepherds poles to ward off sharks shows that the situation that they create is dangerous and not foolproof - the “guards” are providing a false sense of security if you think they can really keep you safe on this dive.

I’ll stick to seeing sharks in their natural environment by chance vs artificial and potentially dangerous baiting as is done at Beqa Lagoon and other spots like this.

 

[johndiver999]

Chumming or baiting sharks to attract them and allow closer (and longer) observation is one kind of activity, but actually hand feeding them seems unnecessary. I assume the tourists probably love it, so they catch fish, hand feed the sharks, tell everyone it is safe and natural (and probably charge a premium for the activity).

They are creating a circus and the feeders are the ....... clowns?(or maybe the lion tamers)?

 

[Hoag]

IMHO, hand feeding sharks is a recipe for disaster. Don't get me wrong, for me, the highlight of a dive is when a shark appears, but I think hand feeding introduces the potential for the sharks to closely associate divers with food. There is a reason why you never see guides hand feeding lions on the Serengeti.

 

[Juergen_187]

Great vid! Just to clarify Fiji is in Melanesia and not Polynesia

Thanks...also for the correction!

 

[Juergen_187]

I agree. Someone might feel that they are comfortable with the danger a particular situation presents. However in this case, to say that they "sensed no danger" as these dangerous sharks swim and actively feed close to them seems a little "naive" to me.

I think hand feeding large predators on land (and in the sea) is something that should not be elevated to "recreational status".

Well, sensing or not sensing a danger is an emotion - nothing naive about it. Believing there was no danger would be a different thing.

Before the dives I wasn't sure if I want to support hand feeding of sharks or any other animal, I've seen whale sharks being fed and it has nothing to do with a real wildlife encounter. But I didn't regret the shark dive, how often do you get the chance of seeing bull sharks, nurse sharks, all kinds of sharks, at all? Unfortunately, seeing sharks is a rather rare event, in most of the world.

 

[johndiver999]

Well, sensing or not sensing a danger is an emotion - nothing naive about it. Believing there was no danger would be a different thing.

Before the dives I wasn't sure if I want to support hand feeding of sharks or any other animal, I've seen whale sharks being fed and it has nothing to do with a real wildlife encounter. But I didn't regret the shark dive, how often do you get the chance of seeing bull sharks, nurse sharks, all kinds of sharks, at all? Unfortunately, seeing sharks is a rather rare event, in most of the world.

I contemplated the use of the word "naive". I agree it is not the best adjective, but I was making a concerted effort to try to avoid using unnecessarily derogation language, plus the one word that initially came to mind is no longer acceptable (now that the PC crowd has taken over).

The idea that it was a rare opportunity for you as an individual and this serves to justify the activity does not sound convincing to me.

If I only get to travel to the Red Sea once in a lifetime, does that mean it is cool to grab and kick the coral - since I would probably not ever be able to do it again?

 

[Juergen_187]

I contemplated the use of the word "naive". I agree it is not the best adjective, but I was making a concerted effort to try to avoid using necessarily derogation language, plus the one word that initially came to mind is no longer acceptable (now that the PC crowd has taken over).

The idea that it was a rare opportunity for you as an individual and this serves to justify the activity does not sound convincing to me.

If I only get to travel to the Red Sea once in a lifetime, does that mean it is cool to grab and kick the coral - since I would probably not ever be able to do it again?

This comparison is nonsense. You presume that I wouldn't care of any potential damage caused by joining this activity, that I would put my personal pleasure above all. And that is certainly not true. I considered the dive safe and also not harming to the marine wildlife. In fact one may argue that it can help protect sharks.

 

[johndiver999]

This comparison is nonsense. You presume that I wouldn't care of any potential damage caused by joining this activity, that I would put my personal pleasure above all. And that is certainly not true. I considered the dive safe and also not harming to the marine wildlife. In fact one may argue that it can help protect sharks.

I do not want this to be discussed at a personal level. Shark feeding like that requires the sacrifice of edible fish to sharks that would not otherwise be taken. The safety of the activity is less than non-feeding activities - all other things being equal. As long as the training agencies continue to refuse to take a stand against the activity, I really don't think it is appropriate to criticize individuals on a personal level who dive like that.

A lot of people DO argue that hand feeding sharks is necessary to teach humans that we should not indiscriminately kill sharks- in other words, protect them. In some parts of the world, habituating sharks to human feeding places the sharks in a more dangerous situation. I personally feel that hand feeding is not necessary to "protect" sharks because I like to think that most people are smarter than that and don't need the "circus" atmosphere to appreciate the animals. If tourists refused to engage in the activity, I suspect the concern over "protection" might waiver to some extent.

I think, chumming and baiting (and NOT feeding) would provide a good bit of the opportunities many people desire, while reducing (to some extent) the potential negative consequences.

Do divers support hand feeding of moray eels as an acceptable activity and as a way to protect the animals and reduce unwarranted prejudice and fear of these fish?

If not, why is that much different than sharks?

 

[GreggS]

lol... then they were not being fully truthful as someone was bitten on one of these dives last July - demonstrating that this is actually a potentially dangerous dive.


The fact that they need guides with metal shepherds poles to ward off sharks shows that the situation that they create is dangerous and not foolproof - the “guards” are providing a false sense of security if you think they can really keep you safe on this dive.

I’ll stick to seeing sharks in their natural environment by chance vs artificial and potentially dangerous baiting as is done at Beqa Lagoon and other spots like this.

Okay, I stand corrected on that point. I was unaware of that attack and as you say, they were obviously being less than truthful about it.

And if you'll notice, I never said it was not dangerous, just that we never felt in danger. I suppose the awe and thrill of seeing such huge animals, especially the tigers, overrode whatever sense of danger there may have been during the shark feeding and we were lured into a false sense of security. I will say, though, that I did have a little bit of trepidation after it was over while going back to the boat that one of those huge tiger or bull sharks could still be lurking around and still be hungry. I did keep a watchful eye out but thankfully did not see one.

Am I glad I did the shark dive? Yes. It was thrilling and impressive. Would I do it again? Probably not. Before I did it in Beqa Lagoon, I, too, thought it was not a good idea to be attracting and feeding sharks for pure entertainment. But after listening to others at the resort rave about it, I decided to do it as my wife did later. But now that I've done it, I see no point in doing it again. I do prefer reef and wreck diving.

And as an aside, I will relate this which was directly related to the shark dive. They do those dives on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Wednesday, I had already made up my mind to do it but my wife had not, so I did not go that day. As it turned out, eveyone else at the resort went on the shark dive so my wife and I were the only ones on the reef boat. We asked if we could do a wreck dive and they accommodated us. So it was just the 2 of us along with the DM. We dove a Japanese trawler that sat in 100 fsw and was next to a huge coral head. Best day of diving we had all week.

 

[Juergen_187]

reminds me of our trip to Alaska. We are sitting on the river bed and a 800# grizzly comes down the bank strolling the river bed. The guide said sit still and let it go by , he is looking for fish-Salmon. YEAH! right !!!!.. almost poop in my pants when the bear walked 25ft from my son and I ....

wow...and did you manage to film the bear?