Ultimate Encounter Snorkel with Sharks in Fiji
Description
See the majestic beauty of picture perfect Kuata Island on this full day, small group cruise and snorkel with reef sharks. Barefoot Kuata Resort is nestled along a white sandy beach on picturesque Kuata Island with magnificent tall peaks and huge honeycomb rock formations and transparent turquoise waters where you can go snorkelling with reef sharks. Just crystal clear water between you and the sharks, this is the ultimate adrenaline rush experience!
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please note that the departure time shown on your tour is the VESSEL DEPARTURE TIME FROM PORT DEANRAU, NOT YOUR COACH PICK UP TIME. If you require a hotel pick up, please select your hotel from the list of pick-up points in your booking process. All coach transfers must be pre-booked with our Reservations office at least the day before your tour. The coach pickups commence approximately 75minutes before the vessel departs from Port Denarau. Please check with our reservations team for your coach pickup time or refer to the South Sea Cruises coach timetable on our website for more info.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- You must contact South Sea Cruises at least 24 hours before your activity date to confirm your reservation and arrange Transport. Use the contact details on this voucher. Upon check in please present your confirmation or voucher in exchange for your tour boarding pass
- 7am Coach Pick Up - First Landing Beach Resort, Nila Resort & Landers Bay Resort
- 7:10am Coach Pick Up - Anchorage Beach Resort and Nalagi Hotel
- 7:15am Coach Pick Up - Nadi International Airport, Bamboo Travellers Beach / Beach Escape Villas / Bluewater Lodge / Aquarius on the Beach / Smugglers Cove / Ramada Suites / Sailor’s Beach / New Town Beach Motel / Matasawa Resort
- 7:20am Coach Pick Up - Club Fiji, Pullman Nadi Bay Resort & Spa Fiji and Tokatoka Resort Nadi
- 7:30am Coach Pick Up - Fiji Gateway Hotel / Trans International Hotel and Oasis Palms
- 7:35am Coach Pick Up - Novotel Nadi
- 7:40am Coach Pick Up - Fancy Hotel, Tanoa International Hotel and Ratsun Nadi Airport Apartment Hotel
- 7:45am Coach Pick Up -Grand Melanesian Hotel and Tanoa Skylodge
- 7:50am Coach Pick Up - Mercure Hotel Nadi, Hexagon International Hotel /Capricorn Hotel Nadi / Travellers Apartments
- 7:55am Coach Pick Up -Nadi Bay Resort
- 8am Coach Pick Up - Wyndham Resort Denarau Island, Radisson Blu Resort Fiji, Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa and Hilton Fiji Beach Resort
- 8:10am Couch Pick Up - Sheraton Fiji Resort and The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa
- Is it safe?
- Yes. You’ll be provided with safety instruction from our experienced guides who’ve spent hundreds of hours getting to know our resident school of sharks. Our guides will be in the water with you the entire time and will closely monitor the sharks behaviour to ensure your safety.
- What type of sharks will I see?
- There are two main species of sharks encountered, White Tip Reef Sharks and Black Tip Reef Sharks, both are common in the tropical warm waters of the South Pacific. Each species can grow to a length of just over 1.5 metres although under the water they appear 25% larger, a snorkeling face mask optical illusion. White Tips are the dominant species and are by nature an inquisitive shark not frightened to check you out. Their Black Tip relatives are by contrast timid and will shy away if they feel threatened.
- How many sharks will I see?
- Numbers vary but it is common to see up to six sharks.
- How deep is the water?
- Both Black Tip and White Tip Reef Sharks prefer shallower waters making snorkeling easy with good visibility. It’s even possible to see the sharks from our boat before entering the water. Water depth varies between 4 - 6 metres depending on the tide.
- What if I’m not a good swimmer, haven’t snorkeled before or don’t want to snorkel but my travelling companion does?
- Buoyancy aids are available for less confident swimmers and because these sharks prefer shallow waters there’s no necessity to dive under the water to secure a thrilling view. Non-snorkelers can join the day but sit out the snorkeling experience.
- Our Shark Guarantee
- As Sharks are wild animals we cannot guarantee sightings however we have a 95% +success rate of sighting sharks. In the event that you don’t see any sharks we are happy for you to return for a complimentary “Ultimate Encounter - Snorkel with Sharks” within 3 days of your original cruise.
- If poor weather and sea conditions result in the cancellation of the 'Snorkeling with Sharks experience,' a substitute snorkeling safari will be provided.
- Please bring swimsuit, towel, protective clothing from the sun including a hat and sunblock, light jacket or sweater during the cooler months, money or credit card for optional purchases, your camera and sense of fun!
Reviews(176)
You get a whole new view on sharks 🦈. They are amazingly streamlined and swim so effortlessly. I. Really pleased I went outside my comfort zone to do it. Everything and everyone was wonderful
Bula Vinaka 469gwendam, Vinaka vakalevu for sharing your wonderful feedback. We’re delighted to hear that the Ultimate Encounter gave you a whole new appreciation for sharks and that you enjoyed watching them in their natural environment. It’s fantastic to know you stepped outside your comfort zone and found the experience so rewarding. We’re also pleased to hear that everything, including our team, helped make your day memorable. Thank you for choosing to travel with us, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable Fiji adventure. Warm regards!
As much as I would love to give this a 5/5 I just cannot. The boat ride to the island was great we sat up top and has a great view of all the islands. However whenever we got to the island and they called us downstairs to wait is was absolute chaos. There was no communication about where to stand who was going where and there were people getting on the boat that were leaving the island. They really needed one side for the day trip people and one side for the people staying at the resort. After we got onto the little boat and got to the island AGAIN there was no communication about where to go all the staff said just follow those people so we walked a good 200 yards to an area of the resort where we were all meeting up. They gave us time to change and get ready however they were overbooked by at least 20 people so they had to split us up into two groups the first went snorkeling and the other group that I was in we had to wait until after lunch to go on the second trip. They allowed us to use the pools there but there was no direction as to where the dive shop was to use the paddle boards. Lunch was very good I will give that a 5/5. When the first group finally came back it was time for us to go. The boat ride on those small boats is definitely terrifying if you haven't been on a small boat before. We got to see tons of sharks which was a one of a kind experience. After we got back we basically sat around waiting for the boat to come back. Since we had to go on the second snorkel trip we missed out on the trip to the village. Very disappointing in the lack of and the overbooking. If our trip was not overbooked by so many people I think this would have been a great experience for everyone. The island from what we could see in our area was very beautiful. If you want to see sharking in Fiji I would recommend this but be conscious it could be overbooked again
Bula Vinaka Sarah_M, Vinaka vakalevu for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. We’re pleased to hear you enjoyed the boat journey, the beautiful island surroundings, the lunch, and especially the unforgettable shark snorkelling experience. We are, however, very sorry to hear that aspects of the day were impacted by communication gaps, organisation on arrival, and delays in the activity flow. This is not the standard we aim to deliver, and your comments regarding boarding coordination, guest flow management, and group capacity have been noted seriously. We would appreciate the opportunity to review this further. Please contact our Customer Service team at customerservices@ssc.com.fj with your booking details so we can investigate what occurred on your trip. Thank you again for your honest feedback—it is invaluable in helping us improve the guest experience. Warm regards!
Awesome experience snorkeling with sharks in super clear water
Bula Vinaka GrandTour44690701340, Vinaka vakalevu for your great feedback. We’re delighted to hear you had an awesome experience snorkelling with sharks in Fiji’s clear waters. Thank you for joining us on the Ultimate Encounter and for taking the time to share your review. We hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable adventure. Warm regards!
As an avid ocean lover I loved this experience. Greated by locals signing the Island was beautiful and although I was skeptical from previous reviews about the amount of time in the water with the sharks it was a fair amount of time for a scheldued day trip. We had free time after our shark dive / lunch and was able to utalise this to snorkel off the beach and enjoy the ocean even more (although no sharks in that close unfortunetly!).
this was so much fun and an experience I will never forget. the guides are really cool/ knowledgable people who made the day awesome. We got the video package which I highly recommend they are crazy awesome videos to have. Food was incredible, the people on the island where awesome to meet they where so kind to everyone and just made the day even better. Be prepared for a long day, especially if your resort is a bit further out from port Denarau.
Bula Vinaka emilymB5629PX, Vinaka vakalevu for your amazing review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a fun and unforgettable experience on the Ultimate Encounter, and that our guides helped make the day so enjoyable with their knowledge and energy. It’s also great to know you loved the video package, food, and the warm hospitality from the island team. Thank you as well for your helpful note regarding travel time — this is valuable information for future guests to help them plan their day. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another incredible Fiji adventure! Warm Regards!
Was amazing to get to swim with them so close and oli got some great footage of them swimming around me! Food afterwards was also just what was needed 👏🏼
Bula Vinaka Scenic24116922377, Vinaka vakalevu for your great review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such an amazing experience swimming with the sharks and that Oli captured some fantastic footage for you to remember the day. It’s also wonderful to know you enjoyed the food afterwards — always a well-earned refresh after the adventure! We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable experience in Fiji soon. Warm Regards!
This tour was so much more than I expected! The main boat ride from denarau was about an hour and a half and then you get on smaller boats to get to a small resort island. This was such a cool experience. Once we arrived at the island the staff greets you with a song, which I love. The snorkeling was incredible. The water was so clear and the corals and fish were so colorful and plentiful! We saw 3-4 sharks which was so cool, but the real showstopper was just the reef itself. After snorkeling, the buffet lunch was delicious. Such a variety of food and everything was delicious. Would highly recommend this tour!
Bula Vinaka Mollym1009, Vinaka vakalevu for your amazing review! We’re delighted to hear that the Ultimate Encounter exceeded your expectations and that you enjoyed every part of the journey, from the warm island welcome and beautiful singing, to the incredible snorkelling and vibrant reef life. It’s also wonderful to know you enjoyed the buffet lunch and the variety of food on offer. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable Fiji experience soon! Warm Regards.
Excellent experience on a beautiful island with an incredible staff. I would recommend to anyone considering a trip to Fiji.
Bula Vinaka Bryan_B, Vinaka vakalevu for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear you had an excellent experience on the Ultimate Encounter and enjoyed the beautiful island and incredible team. It’s wonderful to know you would recommend the trip to others visiting Fiji. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable adventure in paradise soon! Warm Regards.
South Sea Cruises; I booked the Ultimate Encounters Snorkel with Reef Sharks, including a buffet Lunch at Barefoot Kuata Island. I booked the day before, for my last day of my holiday, and wow what an experience. A full day trip from Port Denarau and return was relaxing, I dozed off both ways. Arrived at Kuata island, we transferred onto small shuttle boats off the cruiser. Had our safety briefing and got kitted up with Life jackets and flippers. I took my own Snorkel and goggles. Then onto a boat ride for about 15 mins, that took us up to the reef. Dived into the lovely warm waters, straight away there were 3 reef sharks swimming around, it was amazing to encounter. They provided a photographer to capture my underwater experience. I also purchased an underwater cover for my iPhone to capture my adventure. After about 30 mins our encounter was over, and were called back into the boats. I didn’t want to leave. Once we got back to the resort, we had 3-4 hours to pick up, there was a lovely buffet lunch waiting for us. Then a dip in the pool to cool off and relax, or go snorkelling some more at the reef on the beach. Other activities available, Kayaks and paddle boards were provided. Received all the beautiful photos via wi fi straight away. I leave with some wonderful memories of my snorkelling & swimming with reef sharks.
Bula Vinaka, Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful feedback on the Ultimate Encounter Snorkel with Reef Sharks experience. We are thrilled to hear that your day was such a memorable highlight of your holiday, from the relaxing transfers and island arrival to the snorkelling encounter with reef sharks. It’s great to know you enjoyed the safety briefing, guided experience, buffet lunch at Barefoot Kuata Island, and the additional activities available during your stay. We’re especially pleased that the underwater photography and memories captured made your experience even more special. Thank you again for choosing to travel with South Sea Cruises. We hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable Fiji adventure in the future. Vinaka Vakalevu!
One of the coolest experiences of my life time. The entire crew was amazing and made it a day I’ll never forget
Bula Vinaka Wendi, Thank you for your amazing review. We are thrilled this was one of your coolest experiences you ever had! We look forward to welcoming you back another amazing day in paradise! Warm Regards!
