BEQA ADVENTURE DIVERS wins the Tourism Sustainability Award at the
AON FIJI EXCELLENCE IN TOURISM AWARDS 2011!!
Ni sa Bula Vinaka and welcome to Fiji’s famous Shark Dive!
This is the original and unmatched product featuring Fiji’s unique and highly experienced crew of Shark Divers – much copied but never equalled!
On The Shark Dive you will be able to experience the breathtaking sight of up to eight species of Sharks: Blacktip Reef Sharks, Whitetip Reef Sharks, Grey Reef Sharks, Silvertip Sharks, Tawny Nurse Sharks, Sicklefin Lemon Sharks, Bull Sharks and the occasional Tiger Shark. In addition, you can also encounter Giant Groupers, Maori Wrasse, Rainbow Runners, Giant Trevally, Java Morays, Eagle Rays and more than 400 species of tropical reef fish, as documented by our 2010 census.
All this on one single dive, a mere 20 minute ride from our dive base on our state-of-the-art hydrofoil catamaran dive vessels, "MV Predator" and “MV Hunter”.
Perfectly safe, exhilarating and intriguing, Shark diving doesn’t get any better!
Beqa Adventure Divers have worked closely with the Government of Fiji and the traditional owners of Shark Reef to have it designated as a protected Marine Park, Shark Reef Marine Reserve. Our holistic Conservation Project has been hailed world-wide as a template for sustainable and efficient Eco-Tourism.
Video: Shark Initiative - Fijian Version
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We are involved in ongoing cutting-edge research with an international team of scientists to better understand the Bull Shark population of Shark Reef Marine Reserve and have set up a comprehensive database about The Shark Dive which is unparalleled and continues to yield unique insights into the mysterious life of our free-roaming Sharks.
We also conduct regular surveys and fish counts aimed at documenting the results of our stewardship of this unique marine resource.
We do all of this with the aim of learning more about these majestic and endangered animals and contributing to their long-term survival.
Our findings have already prompted us to greatly expand the protected area by creating the protected Fiji Shark Corridor of close to 30 nautical miles along the southern coastline of Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu.
Our newest Conservation Project will result in yet another Marine Park being established within the Corridor.
Video: Shark Dive Part 1a - Parts 1b to 3 here
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We will also take you to world-renown Beqa Lagoon, the Soft Coral Capital of the World. Here you will experience spectacular reef landscapes that are teeming with life, Fiji’s famous lush soft coral forests, mysterious wrecks and exhilarating drift dives.
Featuring over fifty world-class dive sites, diving in the Beqa Lagoon caters to all experience levels.
Video: From 'South Pacific' by BBC
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Should you wish to get an introduction to this wonderful activity or just wish to upgrade your skills or your certification, our experienced resident Instructors offer a vast array of tailor-made basic, advanced and specialty courses all the way up to the level of Dive Master.
We carry a complete selection of high-end rental gear and will soon be offering Nitrox as a contribution to your safety and enjoyment.
Beqa Adventure Divers' highly experienced and friendly crew has a traditional covenant with the Sharks of Beqa Lagoon and has perfected shark diving since 1998.
Our staff have also logged more than 30,000 hours diving the spectacular reefs of Beqa Lagoon. No dive team in Fiji can match this unique group of dedicated professionals.
Here’s why you should choose to dive with Beqa Adventure Divers.
* This is the original product. Yes the company has only been established in 2004 but some of our staff are the very people who have discovered and named most dive sites within Beqa Lagoon and above all, developed The Fiji Shark Dive. No dive team in Fiji is this experienced! The Shark dive on Shark Reef has been conducted since 1999 and is the only such dive that has been described as The Best Shark Dive in the World by Ron and Valerie Taylor and a whole host of diving icons and publications thereafter.
* This is principally a marine conservation project that includes a dive operation, and not vice versa. Our seamless integration of diving, conservation, education, outreach and research has been hailed world wide. We are not on the hunt for awards and personal fame of whispering and the like, but instead, prefer to work hard at researching and protecting Sharks in Fiji and elsewhere. We also do not enable anti-Shark media.
* You are going to dive within Shark Reef Marine Reserve, Fiji’s first marine sanctuary dedicated to the protection of Sharks that has been established by one of our shareholders in cooperation with government and local stakeholders. This is the original site that has been featured in countless publications all across the world.
* We are a renowned ecotourism operator and always strive to further reduce our ecological and carbon footprints. From installing fixed moorings on all of our dive sites to running fuel efficient engines, everything we do is geared to minimising our impact on the environment. As of September 1st, 2010 our newest project, Mangroves for Fiji enables us to offset all of our Carbon Emissions by restoring Mangroves. We shall become a completely Carbon Neutral Business by December 2010, after which we will equally offset the Carbon Footprint our clients have incurred when travelling to Fiji.
* We are beholden to Fiji. We cooperate closely with Fiji's government and local communities and stakeholders, and generally strive to make a contribution to enhancing the country’s international reputation and prosperity, and that of its people. With the exception of the directors, all of our staff are Fijians who partake directly in our success via a generous bonus scheme. All of our earnings accrue and are taxed in Fiji, meaning that we do not operate offshore booking offices and do not dodge taxes by circling our cash flow via shell companies in tax heavens.
* Safety is our main concern and our safety record is pristine. Whilst always striving to provide a memorable and highly enjoyable experience, we observe stringent safety guidelines comprising regular maintenance, upgrades and surveys of all of our infrastructure, highly trained staff, exhaustive dive briefings, special Shark diving procedures, high staff to client ratio, non decompression diving and comprehensive emergency equipment and protocols.
* We provide for excellent and exclusive service. BAD is a high end operator and we pride ourselves in being highly professional and mindful of the needs and comfort of our clients. Specifically, we limit the number of customers on our boats and you will never experience any dive where divers from other operations will join in and spoil your exclusive experience.
* You will be able to capture stunning images. We are experienced UW photographers and videographers and know our sites, Fishes and Sharks. We have designed the Shark dive in view of allowing for unobstructed and clear views of the animals, and experienced elite amateurs will be safely positioned in strategic locations from where they will be able to shoot top-notch pictures and video.
By the same token, you should NOT book a dive with us
* If you are not cool. Fiji’s has been rightly called the friendliest country in the world and we are eager to please you in any way we can – but this is still a developing country, cultures differ, and quality standards and above all, the concept of time are subject to interpretation. We generally run a tight ship but transfers may run late, luggage may be lost (but is usually found) and bookings may be mishandled - such is life in the tropics and Paradise comes at a price. In general, all problems get eventually resolved and losing one’s temper usually makes things worse, not better. Please also keep in mind that service providers are not servants and that nobody likes to be talked down at.
* If you are an adrenaline junkie. Yes our Shark dive is in many ways a spectacle, but we respect the animals and our show has nothing to do with intrepid native heroes showcasing their courage and manhood, or whatever, by wrangling lethal apex predators. We try to convey a sense of wonder and awe and do not subscribe to notions of extreme Shark diving and the like. You are invited to join us as a spectator - and thank you, but we do not need your help. Concurrently, we do not enable radical close-up captures by amateur image hunters.
* If you’ve been everywhere, seen it all and know it all better. You may indeed be incredibly important and good - but please, let us be the judge of that. We’ve been operating successfully and safely for many years and nobody even remotely matches our experience when it comes to these specific dives. Whilst you may unleash your experience, skills and creativity on our reef dives, The Fiji Shark Dive is a tightly choreographed event where you will not be allowed to roam and improvise but will be directed and supervised instead. We very much encourage constructive feedback as a vital contribution to improving our product – but we take badly to vocal public lecturing, posturing and self-professed stardom. In the softest possible way, if icons like, say, Ron and Valerie Taylor, Stan Waterman and Doug Perrine don’t display those attitudes, neither should you.
* If you are a Shark hugger. Large predatory Sharks are potentially lethal and need to be respected and not romanticised. Also, our Shark dive has nothing to do with a natural situation where the animals display natural behaviour: it is essentially a show where we have conditioned the animals to observe a uniform, predictable and safe routine, this principally for safety reasons. Feeding Sharks is controversial but we believe that it does not harm the animals, a fact that is consistently being confirmed by all relevant research - and no, we’re really not eager to engage in this debate!
* If you are an anti-smoking zealot. Smoking is a personal choice and we allow it during the surface intervals, provided that smokers retire to the stern platform which is downwind from the cabin and the fuel tanks. Smokers are not criminals and smoke does not travel upwind, ever.
We would like to share with you our love and our respect for the Marine Environment and its inhabitants.
Come and meet our special friends beneath the Sea.