Shark experience in Beqa Lagoon

[fcabella]

Hello! Can anyone share experiences to help me choose between Beqa Adventure Divers, AquaTrek and Coral Coastal Divers for the 2-tank shark experience?

I know they do dive different sites. Each one advertises his but I’d like to know some personal experiences

Thanks!

 

[stiebs]

I can only comment on the Beqa dive experience which I did in June 2022. The Beqa Lagoon Resort is a great resort if you're planning on staying there. Highly recommended. We were there for a whole week and one day was the shark diving. Very well diving outfit.

The transfer across to Beqa lagoon is from Pacific Harbour, so if you're planning just a day trip for the shark dive, stick to the mainland based operators. To dive with Beqa you'll need to arrive the day before and possibly leave the day after.

Beqa has its own shark site (Cathedral) and I'm not sure if Aqua and Coral Coast each have their own or if they share one. The Beqa site is 20m deep, and has been set up with a low rock wall creating an auditorium type arrangement, with a coral head behind the divers. There are permanent mooring lines which we needed to use to descent and do our safety stops due to the strong current. At depth the site is well protected from the current.

All divers kneel behind the wall and watch the show. I have a couple of unedited videos of the two shark dives on YouTube that you're welcome to scan through.

I didn't go to Beqa for the shark diving - choice was mainly ease of accessibility and low covid/isolation risk. In fact I wasn't really that excited about doing a manufactured shark dive, but seeing those massive tigers up close was definitely an experience to remember!

 

[jdogwilkij]

Great videos!

 

[GreggS]

I, too, did the Beqa Ladoon shark dive when there in 2019. All I'll add to what @stiebs said is try to get just to the left of the feeding station. That's the side the sharks approach from and the Tigers are magnificent.

 

[fcabella]

I can only comment on the Beqa dive experience which I did in June 2022. The Beqa Lagoon Resort is a great resort if you're planning on staying there. Highly recommended. We were there for a whole week and one day was the shark diving. Very well diving outfit.

The transfer across to Beqa lagoon is from Pacific Harbour, so if you're planning just a day trip for the shark dive, stick to the mainland based operators. To dive with Beqa you'll need to arrive the day before and possibly leave the day after.

Beqa has its own shark site (Cathedral) and I'm not sure if Aqua and Coral Coast each have their own or if they share one. The Beqa site is 20m deep, and has been set up with a low rock wall creating an auditorium type arrangement, with a coral head behind the divers. There are permanent mooring lines which we needed to use to descent and do our safety stops due to the strong current. At depth the site is well protected from the current.

All divers kneel behind the wall and watch the show. I have a couple of unedited videos of the two shark dives on YouTube that you're welcome to scan through.

I didn't go to Beqa for the shark diving - choice was mainly ease of accessibility and low covid/isolation risk. In fact I wasn't really that excited about doing a manufactured shark dive, but seeing those massive tigers up close was definitely an experience to remember!

Hey thanks so much for the reply! Unfortunately I won't have time to head to the island and Beqa Resort, but will have to stay in Pacific Harbor. I am actually traveling around south pacific, and going to Fiji just the last few days because the flight takes off from there. In the little time I have I wanted to squeeze in the Shark Experience at Beqa Lagoon.

I can only pick one of the three mainland operators: Beqa Adventure Divers, AquaTrek and Coral Coastal Divers. So that's why I am asking only about those.

I understand each has is own site, and they are similarly arranged. Like B.A.D has one called 'the arena' and Coral Coastal Divers 'the colosseum'.

On their websites BAD says they have higher number of bulls and they do the first dive at 30m. Coral says their site is closer to the edge of the lagoon, and is easier to see Tigers which are the harder ones to spot usually.

Point is I'm looking for first hand experiences

And thanks for the videos!!

 

[lermontov]

beqa is good from the point of view you'll see lots of sharks and big groper however i found it too contrived and similar to going to a zoo to see a 'wild' animal - its two short 45 min dives

 

[fcabella]

Any other first hand experience?

 

[MB NZ]

B.A.D were OK, apart from a reef dive I did with them. Possibly the worst guided dive I've ever done. The shark diving experience was highly organised. As lermontov says, it's contrived, but then you are going on a shark feed dive! Customers with bigger cameras get selected for the best spot to get good photos. That was the case in 2013.

 

[fcabella]

Thanks everyone for the info