Not our territory 🦈

Friday, November 30, 2018

Finally, the time has come. I'm sitting in a small fishing boat with my 2 Fijian companions, heading to the Barefoot Kuata Resort. 

For the past few days, I've been trying to find out which island I can dive with sharks. Of course, no one knew anything, never heard of it, blah blah blah. Probably everyone was afraid of having to organize something 😂.

Gianna also wanted to come, but had to cancel last minute due to health reasons. Stomachache forced her to stay in bed :(. She probably ate something wrong, although I don't know what because she doesn't really eat that much 😂. (In Sydney, we'll have pizza again, okay!?!?)

The sea is rough during my one-hour journey to the diving school. As if the ocean wants to show me who's the boss, the waves crash against the boat. My diving instructor tells me how many Fijians risk their lives for the Chinese and collect sea cucumbers from depths of 50-60m. The same people also eat shark fin soup. Sharks are caught, all fins are cut off, and then they are thrown back into the sea to die 😡.

Arriving at the diving school, I become a little nervous. Quickly sign the waiver that releases the diving school from liability. And then, finally, it's time to go. The diving school is equipped quite professionally, the equipment is fairly new. I'm glad there's no Fiji Time when it comes to equipment and safety! There's not much instruction needed, 12m depth, sharks 🦈. Don't put your hands too far forward and just enjoy!

Just before diving, I get even more nervous! This is no longer my domain. The sharks rule here. Nervously, I scan the sea before diving in. Phew, no shark! We dive down to 12m and sit on the bottom. In front of us, there's a small wall made of coral blocks and stones. Behind us, there are guards with long aluminum rods to keep the sharks from getting too close.

And here we are. Still no sharks. From a large aluminum box, a diver fishes out large tunas, which he breaks apart and throws to the fish with a long spear. So far, only a few small sharks appear, blacktip reef sharks about 1.5-2m long. Nervously, they swim around and circle the large group of smaller predatory fish fighting over the food.

And suddenly, they're here. Three bull sharks appear out of nowhere. Easy to recognize by their massive bodies. The bulldogs of the seas. They live almost everywhere and can survive in freshwater too. They can be found in the Amazon and also in some rivers in Australia that connect to the sea. The bull shark, along with the tiger shark and the great white shark, is responsible for most attacks on humans.

My initial concerns are gradually replaced by respect for these beautiful creatures. It's simply impressive how these fish glide through the water. More than once, a shark fixed its white eyes on me. And then it becomes unsettling when one swims towards you and then, 3m in front of you, turns away. The small reef sharks only care about eating and come quite close to us. And by close, I mean half a meter 😅.

The bull sharks continue to swim in circles and observe everything very carefully. By now, I've counted about 6 of them, and one really big chunk that's easily 3.5m long! Let's call the big one Big Mama. Mama tightens her circles, and the other bull sharks respectfully move out of her way. With a targeted bite, she simply swallows a whole tuna head.

I try to enjoy the whole experience, but it's not that easy. Everywhere I look, there are sharks and fish. My mind needs to process it all first. The current pushes me to the left and right, and the diving mask presses on my oversized nose.

Things get hectic when suddenly about 3 bull sharks all want a piece of bait at the same time. The smaller reef sharks quickly swim away when the big ones start to fight.

But all in all, the sharks are quite peaceful and don't seem nervous. These creatures radiate such strength and composure. First, everything is carefully checked and observed before they eat. Of course, our mainstream media has a huge influence on people, and that's why these animals are always stigmatized as bloodthirsty killers. I don't like it when someone tells me what to think and I prefer to form my own opinion.

For my part, I could feel the intelligence of these fish. I was never afraid, just deeply respectful! Especially when one swims directly towards you, you can feel what it would be like if it had you in its sights. Swimming away doesn't really help anymore.. Actually, all you can do is pray 😰!

It was over too quickly, and the sharks disappeared like they vanished into thin air. However, on the way back, I caught myself several times scanning the area for sharks 😬. For me, it was a major highlight (😜) of the trip, and I definitely want to go diving with sharks again.

Saturday, December 1, 2018

One highlight after another! I could cry with happiness! Today was one of the most exciting and best days of our entire lives. At the Waya Lailai Resort, we were able to snorkel with sharks! It was absolutely incredible... Even scaredy-cat Gianna dared to do it and was overwhelmed. The sharks (whitetip reef sharks about 1.5-2m long) swam around us, and we could even touch them. It feels like fine sandpaper 😍.

Because we enjoyed snorkeling so much, we went out again in the afternoon. However, our boat broke down after 2 minutes and we had to wait for another one to bring us back to the beach 😂. For Gianna and her Swedish colleague, it was a sign. Female intuition told them they better stay on the beach. And they were right..

The visibility in the afternoon was not that good anymore, but there were plenty of sharks again. What a freshly caught fish as bait can do..

People always tell me (at least Gianna claims so) that I'm so daring and adventurous. What nobody knows is that I sometimes have my clever moments!! Unbelievable, right? The situation was really uncomfortable for me when the guide was teasing a shark with a fish and the other 4 divers were petting the shark. I swam a few meters away and observed the scene. The shark had no escape route, it was trapped between the snorkelers and the guide, and it clearly felt uncomfortable. When the guide let it go, it immediately swam towards the German snorkeler and bit her hand.

And now it starts! The 3 sharks that were present quickly multiplied to about 7. I felt quite uneasy because they say that blood in the water attracts sharks. But apparently, it's only fish blood and not human blood! But I don't care because the situation became quite unpredictable.. Of course, we all became restless and nervous, which almost instantly transferred to the sharks. Nervously, they circled around us and fixed us with their cat-like eyes. They swam towards us curiously to see what's going on and why our hearts are racing! It's definitely a moment that will stay in my memory 😬.

The snorkeler happened to be a doctor, stayed calm, and knew what to do to stop the bleeding and how to dress the wound.

I'm certainly not a shark researcher, but I was glad to be able to assess the situation somewhat correctly. If I hadn't moved away, maybe it would have been me.. But anyway, it was human error and a lack of respect for the animals! If you corner a dog, it will bite too.. That doesn't diminish my enthusiasm for sharks at all, and if you ever have the chance to get up close and personal with these unique creatures, definitely go for it! Gianna can confirm that too! 😃

Our days on the Yasawa Islands are coming to an end. We've relaxed and enjoyed ourselves a lot, but we've also done a lot of activities like snorkeling, crafting, and drinking kava. The Fijians are not what you might imagine with snow-white beaches and deep blue water! The beaches are nice, but not extremely special, Australia has nicer beaches. BUT! The people are so warm, friendly, and create a great atmosphere. We were very included, learned a lot about the culture, coconuts, and island life. The weather is so beautiful, always around 30 degrees, and the water is a bit warm! While snorkeling 50m off the coast, we could observe many beautiful fish! Like in an aquarium..

But now it's enough, I'm starting to get tired of all the complaining about the food and the lack of wifi!! Gianna only complained occasionally about the food and managed quite well 😜.

That's it for Fiji!!! Currently, after 2 days in Sydney, we're on our way to Santiago de Chile 🇨🇱. See you soon. :)