Diving with Sharks at Beqa Island, Fiji

I'm still counting all my fingers and toes just to make sure. I dove with seven kinds of sharks, including massive bull sharks, at Beqa Island in Fiji. The water water was clear, although photos were difficult because of the tornado of fish that hovered in the area.

The dive masters have food, which draws the sharks in. It also explains the massive schools of fish that hang out, looking for some scraps. As an underwater photographer there is almost too much to look at. You really have to be ready, because all of a sudden, the tornado of regular fish will part, and a shark will be charging through only a few feet away from you.

I felt pretty safe, partly because I know sharks, and I had a massive wide angle dome port over my camera housing. It felt like a big shield in between me and the teeth. The sharks were focused on the tuna heads that were being handed out, so I focused on snapping photos.

We did two dives here. Both were the same, where we would descend to about 50ft, then all kneel behind a line. The shark feeder would happen right in front of us so everyone had a good look. When they saw my camera (a canon 5d mark ii in a ikelite underwater housing) they brought me over the line to get a full on photo chance with the hungry sharks.

One of my favorite moments came at the beginning of the second dive. I was having some ear trouble so I hung above the group, trying to equalize for a while. As I was looking down on the group from above, I noticed a massive bull shark swimming right at them from the side. It swam a few feet over and behind them.... and they never knew. Everyone was looking strait forward and the shark swimming over them didn't make any noise. It makes you wonder how many sharks have seen me but I havn't seen them.

Enjoy the photos..

A bull shark gets his tuna head meal. This is a 10ft bull shark about 5 feet in front of me.