Barefoot Kuata was an island and a company that I was keen to visit after a friend I knew worked there. I heard rumours about the shark dives and after recently visiting Beqa Adventure Divers in Fiji was keen to see what the Yasawas had to offer.
Meeting Brad Harris, Marine Biologist, on arrival we were immediately told about how fantastic the shark dives were and how much of a must they were whilst staying on the island. It was clear that Brad had arrived on this island because he shared the same passion for all things marine just like I did and his excitement only increased mine.
That evening at dinner we listened to Brad give a coral reef talk which I loved. There were lots of either non or new divers on the island and I felt that this gave everyone the opportunity to get involved and was a perfect moment to try and engage people and upsell why the ocean and its inhabitants are so fabulous. The conversations over dinner were about all things ocean related and it was a charming and clever hook to get people thinking and wanting to know more. Sure enough the next morning guests lined up at the dive shed eager to get booked onto dives.
The shark dive, I mean anytime I have ever seen a shark has been a real moment for me. I adore them and their absolute elegance underwater and this was by no means a let down. We descended and were met by 20-30 bull sharks, reef sharks and flourishing marine life. Seeing the ocean full like this makes you wonder how incredible it used to be before we overfished it and depleated so much of our reef. I always get a feeling of wanting to show everyone I know what I am seeing on that dive to get them interested in diving because it is so epic!
Sharks swarmed around us, their presence is so special and I got a real sense of luck to be there with them. The dive was handled very well by its leaders and I felt safe and comfortable with the guides. Nothing can really beat an experience like this and I could feel the enormity of the dive for divers who’s first encounter this was with sharks. The wide eye’d wonder was a generic look as I scanned across the other divers and really this kind of dive never gets old. I still always get that wow feeling when I see a shark, maybe more so than the first time because I now realise much more how lucky it is to see them.
All photography by Radoslaw Krol
