Bull Shark Dive at Barefoot Kuata, Fiji | Is it worth it?
Before going to Fiji, I didn’t think I’d ever go somewhere specifically for a shark dive - but when every person said that this was their favourite experience in Fiji, I knew I had to go on a side quest to experience it for myself.
My partner & I picked up scuba diving as a hobby just before our Fiji trip last year, and we’ve been slowly converting all our friends so we can go on diving trips together. We changed our plans to do this dive at the recommendation of almost everyone we spoke to during our week long trip to Fiji.
In this guide I’ll cover:
Review of the Shark Awakening Dive - was it worth it?
Shark encounter tour options
Diving with Bull Sharks in Fiji - getting there
How much it costs to dive with bull sharks
Accommodation options
FAQs
Is this ethical for the bull sharks?
Is it safe to scuba dive with bull sharks? How close do the sharks get?
Do I have to be a certified diver?
Getting scuba diving certified in Fiji
Final Tips
Review of the ‘Shark Awakening Dive’ - was it worth it?
There’s one way to describe the bull shark dive experience - magical.
This dive was the beginning of many shark dives (see Diving with Thresher Sharks in Malapascua Island, Philippines) and honestly, it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. The abundance of sharks, fish and other sea life was unreal - we saw we saw 2 bull sharks, 2 grey nurses (my fave so far), 2 lemon sharks and 2 black tip sharks swimming around right before our eyes.
It felt like we were in a real life aquarium.
We were super lucky and were the only 2 guests on the dive that morning at Barefoot Kuata, and were accompanied by 10 dive crew which included a feeder and their 2 bodyguards, alongside 7 other crew who were a mix of marine biologists, photographer/videographer and bodyguards to protect guests from the bull sharks. Because of all the safety precautions, I felt very safe.
The wall for the dive site was about 12m deep and in front of a coral reef wall - we saw lots of corals and fish on the way down, before we knelt behind the wall and deflated our whole BCD. There is a second wall at 20m depth - however staff told us that you see more at the 12m and the colours are better as it’s closer to the surface.
Throughout the dive, the dive crew would periodically push out a tuna fish head - and the flurry of activity afterwards was super cool! The fish would swarm and take bites from it before a bull shark would swim around and swallow it with one bite.
It was pretty crazy how close they got - within metres of where we were. The bodyguards would use the poles with a circle at the end to redirect the sharks and turn them around if they got too close.
On the way back up, we hung out around the coral reef for our safety stop where there were lots of reef sea life before heading back to the boat.
This dive was definitely worth the detour from our original plans of spending 5 nights at Mantaray Island Resort and 2 nights on Nadi (see my one week Fiji itinerary), and I would highly recommend it to anyone travelling to Fiji.
Shark Encounter Tour Options
There are three options for shark encounters:
Snorkelling with Reef Sharks
Introductory Dive with Reef Sharks (no certification required)
‘Awakening Shark Dive’ aka bull shark dive - Introductory Divers (no certification required) or Certified Divers
I would recommend doing the ‘Awakening Shark Dive’ if you’re not a certified diver and you want to get a taste of what diving is like.
You will also have access to snorkelling equipment and the house reef just off the beach where you can potentially see black or white tipped reef sharks yourself in your free time.
The easiest way to experience the bull shark dive is to stay at Barefoot Kuata Island Resort like I did and book once you get there!
If you’re a certified diver, it means you can also do the less busy morning dive at 8am, as day trippers and non-certified divers will join for the 2nd dive at 11am.
I’d suggest a couple of nights but if you’re returning to the main island you can stay one night and still have a full day as Barefoot Kuata is the first and last stop on the Yasawa Flyer, and leaves in the afternoon to return to Nadi.
Views from the Yasawa Flyer
Day trip to Barefoot Kuata Island Resort
If you’re staying on the mainland, you can also join a Full Day Trip to Barefoot Kuata and add on the Snorkelling Tour or a Shark Dive.
This leaves Port Denarau in Nadi at 8:45am daily and returns at 6pm, and includes round trip transfers, lunch and full use of resort facilities including snorkelling equipment and kayaks.
How to get to there
Barefoot Kuata Island Resort is located in the group of Yasawa Islands, north of the mainland in Fiji.
To get here from Nadi, you only have one option - the Yasawa Flyer Ferry which services the Yasawa Islands.
There’s one ferry that runs each day, leaving Nadi at 8:45am, stopping at resorts all along the island group, before turning around heading back to Nadi by 6pm.
Barefoot Kuata is one of the first stops, stopping at 10:30am on the way north, and at 4:05pm on the return, meaning you can get a full day and a half if you stop at Barefoot Kuata for a night on the way back to Nadi - just like we did on our way back from Mantaray Island Resort.
How much it costs to dive with bull sharks
Staying at Barefoot Kuata Island Resort
As we arrived and booked direct with the resort, the shark dive for certified divers was FJD319 (~AU$220) inclusive of full gear hire.
Other costs include (updated 2025):
1 night in a Garden Bure: AU$265
Daily meal plan: FJ$139 (~AU$96) per person
Return ferry transfers from Port Denarau: FJ$370 (~AU$255) per person - note: you can also make a stop at Barefoot Kuata if you’re heading to other island resorts to make the ferry trip worthwhile!
Day trips
For day trips, you can book through Get Your Guide for AU$190 (excl snorkelling tour / diving) or you can book direct with the resort here.
Booking the day cruise direct costs:
AU$255 for the day cruise with snorkelling tour
AU$355 for the day cruise with introductory dive with reef sharks (different to the bull shark dive!)
AU$439 for the day cruise and Awakening Shark Dive for certified divers.
Interested in how much a week in Fiji costs? Check out Fiji on a Budget | How much you need for a week
Accommodation Options
Barefoot Kuata Island Resort has a range of accommodation options including dorms and Beachfront or Garden Bures.
For solo travellers or friends on a budget, the 7 person dorms are a great option starting at a bed for AU$43 per night.
We stayed in a Tei Tei (Garden) Bure which has a queen bed, a sofa and ensuite bathroom which is AU$265 per night. We did also see the Beachfront Bures with ensuites which looked really nice! These range from AU$310 to $395 per night.
Info about the Awakening Shark Dive and views from the pool and dining area at Barefoot Kuata Island Resort
FAQs
Is this ethical for the bull sharks?
One of my concerns when it comes to encounters with animals in the wild is whether the experience is detrimental to the regular behaviours of the creatures - so I was very happy to hear that this encounter follows ecological best practices to ensure the dive has no negative impact on the sharks.
The experience also took over 3 years of planning and research and there are marine biologists on each dive who come to observe the sharks! Plus money goes back into research and to the local villages in the area.
Is it safe to scuba dive with bull sharks? How close do the sharks get?
One of the most common questions I get is whether diving with sharks is dangerous.
Sharks seem to have a bad reputation with the frequency and injuries caused by shark attacks - but in this case I felt very safe.
Depending on the size of the group, you have at least 6 crew with you who are looking out for your safety, including designated bodyguards who hold metal poles with circles on the end which are designed to turn sharks around if they get too close.
And they do get close! It felt like they were 1m in front and I could reach out and touch them - although this is not allowed, and I also wouldn’t want to.
Do I have to be a certified diver?
You don’t have to be a certified diver to do a shark dive at Barefoot Kuata!
They offer introductory dives for non divers where you’ll be taught by qualified dive instructors on all the dive training essentials in shallow water, before going on either the Reef Shark Dive or the Awakening Shark Dive.
Want to get certified for scuba diving in Fiji?
We chose to get Open Water certified in Sydney before our Fiji trip - however our first stop Mantaray Island Resort offered SSI Open Water Dive Course for FJ$730 (~AU$522) which means you can be certified if your itinerary goes from Mantaray Island to Barefoot Kuata.
The Open Water Dive Course takes 3 days where you complete 2 dives per day (6 total).
Final Tips
It is wise to bring cash from the mainland if you can, as most places will charge a surcharge between 2-3.5% for card payments on the islands.
There is limited reception on some of the islands - and wifi may only be available in certain parts of the resort (e.g. common areas)
The meal plan is compulsory as there’s not much else on the island except the resort! Part of my favourite things was waking up in the morning and feeling excited about the three meals I was going to eat that day.
Planning a trip to Fiji? Check out my One Week Fiji Itinerary or my recap on How much you need to budget for a week in Fiji
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How much do you need to budget for a week long trip to Fiji? I breakdown how much I spent on flights, accommodation, activities, food and transport to help you plan for your trip.