In Fiji, the locals will always use the word “Bula” to say hello or greet people, and pretty soon shortly after arriving there, my diving colleagues and I started using it endlessly. Every where you go, you meet so many friendly people who brighten your day by simply saying “Bula,” and then you reply back with “Bula,” along with and a warm smile. I wish there was a word like this in every culture, but I don’t think it’ll have the same effect as it does in Fiji. In a paradise where there doesn’t seem to be a care in the world, where the people are so laid back and easy, this word really does mean life and wishes of good health and fortune. This one word can describe what I experienced on my trip to Fiji. It was life in the locals that I met, life on the island resorts, and life in the waters that I dived into. We were able to participate in many of the recreational activities that Fiji had to offer as the travel package we booked set up many fun things for us to do. Our diving was also phenomenal because we were able to see the famous shark points and colorful coral reefs that many diving magazines and divers have claimed to be absolutely beautiful. It was a one of a kind experience in those waters, and I still look back thinking about how amazing it was to see those sharks.

　　We took a direct flight from Hong Kong to Nadi, and then took a 2 and a half hour van ride to Pacific Harbour at the south point of Fiji. When we arrived, we were transferred to the Pearl South Pacific Resort where we stayed for 3 nights. This resort was probably the best resort on the whole island. It had so much to offer us during our stay there. We had a very comfortable stay in our ocean view rooms that looked out towards the Beqa Lagoon, where we made our dives at. They were very spacious, well furnished, and well designed with great marble floors. There was also the choice of the garden view rooms, which were also very nice because they gave you a great view of the recreated Fijian tropics. The dining and service were also very excellent. It was everything you could expect from a 4 star resort. The bistro was very convenient for us because they provided us with light, but delicious, meals before and after our dives. There was also the Mantarae restaurant that served many different kinds of foods as well as a fusion between European and pacific island tastes. Most of our dives were early in the morning, so during our off hours in the afternoon, we had the chance to do some of the island’s recreational activities. We took the boat tour around the island, which provided us with a great scenic experience of Fiji’s beautifully lush tropics and crystal clear waters. On one of the afternoons, we played golf on the resort’s beautiful private 18-hole golf course. We also had a taste of Fijian culture at the Arts Village and Cultural Center, where we watched and even participated in some of their cultural demonstrations. On anotherr afternoon, we were able to go horseback riding up towards the hills, which was really enjoyable. It was a great stay that offered us great leisure, especially from the spas they had at the resort. More importantly, the resort was conveniently located to 2 dive shops, each very close in distance. This gave us the chance to make the dives at the famous shark points straight from our resort.

　　Bula!

　　On our shark dives, we had to wake up early in the mornings to get ready, get loaded on a boat, and travel to the shark reef marine reserve (Viti Levu) at around 8 or 9 o’clock in the mornings. I watched our dive master prepare a large bucket of sliced fish on the boat before our dive, and it looked and smelled disgusting. However, that wasn’t the same way the sharks felt. As we were getting ready to dive in, we could already see many mini sharks surfacing near our boat, eagerly waiting for their food, like dogs waiting to be fed. With all the feeding that’s been going on, I think they’ve learned (or have been conditioned like Pavlov’s dogs) that when the boat comes along, it’s time to eat. These mini sharks were actually smaller sized / baby white tip and black tip sharks. Once we got into the waters, it was a completely exhilarating and breathtaking experience. The sight you see in the water as you descend is something you definitely won’t experience anywhere else. Below the smaller sharks that were waiting at the top of the surface were the larger, full grown sharks that were waiting a few meters down. Normally I would say that the reef is teeming with fish, but now I need to say that this reef is teeming with sharks. Dozens of them would be swimming together in a given area among crowds of fish. They would be roaming in a group of their own species or out by themselves through the fish, interrupting the fish traffic as their large bodies dominated the water. We saw 8 different species of sharks, each up close and personal. The first species of shark we observed as we descended were packs of very large nurse sharks (much larger than any I’ve seen before) and packs of grey reef sharks. They were swimming slowly in the waters as schools of fish passed by around them. Then we began to see the white tip and silver tip sharks come out and swim in and around the area. It was an incredible sight to see. My heart was starting to pound out of excitement, but also a little bit out of fear, but I calmed myself down so that I could stabilize myself. We were assured that none of these sharks would attack humans. However, they couldn’t say the same to the crowds of fish. Of the schools of fish, we saw cornet fish, squirrel fish, jacks, trumpet fish, groupers, soldier fish, fusiliers, and remoras. I’m not sure why none of these fish were afraid of the area, with so many sharks around, but everything seemed like it was normal as the sharks would simply swim through them. But every now and then, we saw sharks taking bites into a group of fish, and during some of those times, we saw the shark leave with a fishy snack in its mouth. When the sharks made a swift movement, however, the fish would all scatter so as to get out of the way. As we spent more time in the reef, we started to begin to see black tips, lemon sharks, tiger sharks, and bull sharks. It was amazing. You could tell the difference between all the tip sharks by the tips of their fins because each type of tip shark is represented by their respective colors. You could tell the difference between the other sharks by the color and shapes of their bodies.

　　Watching these sharks was like watching the coolest kids at your high school make their entrance into the lunch room. They were majestic in their movements, gliding slowly through the water, and then shooting out of the fish traffic to make some space for itself. I noticed we also saw many remoras suck onto their bodies and follow every move that they made. It was like these remoras were catching the bus, and some sharks I saw had many remoras attached to them. Watching the dive master feed was also part of what made this experience so great. After being able to observe all the different kinds of sharks for some time, the dive masters brought out the bins of sliced fish that we brought down. The sharks knew immediately as soon as they opened the lids that they were going to get a treat. It was extremely fascinating watching them feed. The dive master had to act like a matador and guide the sharks towards a direction where he could place the fish into the shark’s mouth, all as the shark swam by. It was almost touching as these sharks, who we have given an image of blood thirsty villains, were very calm and peaceful as they fed, like obedient dogs. However, there was one instance where a bull shark got a little overzealous because after eating one fish, it kept bumping into the dive masters for more. They had to push it away by the snout, but eventually it just swam away. I later heard of stories of sharks that would actually stick their whole heads into the bins, in which the diver masters would then have to forcefully pull the shark out of the bin. This was definitely a one of a kind dive. We must have seen at least 40 sharks in the water during that dive, and this is something that happens during every dive. This is the reason why they call this dive site the best shark dive in the world.

　　For those of you who are planning to make shark dives in Fiji, you should know that you need to reserve a shark dive pretty much months in advance before coming. They limit the dives per day to preserve the reef and protect the sharks. We really owe our travel agent a huge thanks for making sure that the reservations were in order.

　　The other dives we made were around the Beqa lagoon, which also offered many different kinds of sights to see. Here we saw more reef fish, along with some of the same sharks passing through, although not nearly in the same numbers that we saw in our shark dive. We saw many nudibranches, crabs, and eels. We were able to go to Sea Fan Alley, which was basically what it’s name implies, a rock alley filled with sea fans. One one of the dives, our dive master actually touched a puffer fish with his bare hands! He had the audacity to find one and touch it enough to make it start puffing up. His hands must have been very callous because he didn't seem to be effected by the puffer spikes.

　　 After our dives and stay in the Pearl South Pacific Resort, our travel package booked us for a stay on one of the nearby islands. We took a short boat ride and arrived at the Castaway Island, where we stayed for the next 3 days. This whole island was basically owned by the Castaway resort, which has created a peaceful island stay for guests. What I really liked about this resort was that they successfully infused the Fijian culture into our experience. We got to experience living in a bure, which is a traditional Fijian bungalow. The bures were excellent, offering us well furnished and comfortable accommodations. We could really embrace the Fijian infusion as the roofs were made of dry grass, the pillars made of the island’s timber, and the ceiling painted with a traditional Fijian design. The dining was very nice, especially the island cuisine. The service was also very excellent; many “bulas” shared between us and the staff. On our off hours, we made many shore dives (which were unlimited with our travel package), snorkeling around the island’s beaches and inner reefs.

　　During our time there, we focused our dives into the world famous Rainbow Reefs around Taveuni, Fiji. This was a shallow reef dive that offered us a countless variety of corals to see. When we descended into the waters about 9 meters, we got the feeling we were walking into basically a coral farm/garden, with acres of rampant coral growth. The colors were amazing. The coral reef really lived up to its name; it was literally a rainbow on the ocean floor. The coral took on so many colors with some places with areas where one color dominated a reserved space of the ocean, and other places where different colored coral would be stacked on to each other. When we descended down to 20 meters, we saw a few more sharks (white tips and Leopolds), anemones, anemones fish, nudibranches, and large schools of orange basslets. Something also notable is that there are many efforts to preserve and grow coral, so in certain areas, there are man-made devices that help the coral grow. We also had a dive in the nearby coral gardens, which also offered us a countless variety of corals. This area had more fish because it was a popular fish feed area. Here we saw large crowds of surgeon fish and trigger fish, along with other reef fish, such as many anemones fish watching over the coral bed. As you go deeper into the coral gardens, the topography becomes more complex, which makes for an interesting dive.

　　The next dive site we got the chance to see was the also world famous Great White Wall. Here we had to descend through a rocky tube obstacle to get through to the main attraction, but once we got through, you hit a deep vertical drop. This is the wall in which they call the Great White Wall because the wall seems to be completely white, like snow. It was an amazing sight to see. We felt like we had just found ourselves in front of an underwater fortress or gate to a lost kingdom. It’s very fascinating to see such a great contrast in the ocean because of the white, and this white color is produced from all the soft coral that covers the walls until you see nothing but white. It turns out that the color of the coral is really blue, but it appears white at that particular depth. Here we saw many fish swimming against the wall, along with a few other colors of coral in between the white coral. We saw gorgonian fans, lion fish, moray eels, barracuda, mackerel, and a few manta/eagle rays. We also found in the coral bed a few varieties of sponges and hard whip corals. We swam along side the wall for a while, admiring all the unique features that we observed from the wall. It truly was a great dive being able to experience this coral wonder.

　　When we finished our trip and headed back to Nadi to take our flight back to Asia, we were completely enthralled by our experience. The shark dive we witnessed was probably the highlight of our dives. There’s no other place where you can be up close and see to see so many sharks in one area. The dives in the colorful coral reefs of Fiji were also incredible. The many colors of coral we saw at the Rainbow Coral Reef and the white coral we saw the Great White Wall have both left a great impressions on me. All of this paired with the many “bulas” we received and gave made this whole trip a wonderful experience.