A bit about Shark Reef
Shark Reef is a patch reef situated on the fringing reef of Viti Levu. It is located south of the village of Wainiayabia, who own the traditional fishing rights of the reef, and takes about 20 minutes from the dive base to reach.
This unique dive was the brainchild of Brandon Paige who in 1999 started dumping quantities of fish scraps provided by Fiji Fish, a fish exporter in Suva. Due to the geographical location of the reef he was confident that the sharks were out there. His perseverance soon paid off, giant trevallies slowly came in to feed and after 6-7 months he spotted the first bull shark. Today approx. 800kg of fish scraps are being re-introduced into the food chain every week to feed the immesurable number of sharks and fish.
The Big Fish and Shark Encounter has been recognised by the village of Wainyiabia as yielding socioeconomic benefits in terms of increased reveunue and social pride. For every diver taken to Shark Reef, $10 is deposited into the village fund. This fund is managed by the chief of the village and is used to finance university courses, build halls and so on. In return, Aqua Trek has been granted exclusive dive rights to the reef and furthermore the assurance that no one will take fish from it.
From a biological perspective there has been a substantial increase in marine life and growth. What used to be a patch of rubble has gradually flourished into a bustling hive of life with fish of all sizes breeding and repopulating this and nearby reefs. It’s a success story all round.
The Future
The authorities have recognised that this dive is generating revenue and social pride on a local and national scale. Steps have been taken to officially protect shark reef and have it declared a national marine reserve.
Through extetnsive research and tagging techniques, we would like to be in a position to extend this and thereby cover the entire migratory route of the bull sharks so as to ensure they are protected wherever they go.
:Text by Becky Dickinson