The boat bucked in a white capped sea while rain blew in at a slant. This wasn’t the tropical experience of scuba diving that I’d imagined. When the dive master finished his briefing and announced, “Pool’s open,” I flopped heavily over to the back of the boat and stepped off. It was the easiest part about scuba diving with Chuck Nicklin.
“Warm, too warm” was my first thought! After diving in chilly San Diego waters, it was a shock to sink deep into a steady 80+ degrees all the way to the bottom.
That impression faded as I descended, surrendering to a circus of color and shape floating in an expansive blue. A sigh slipped out with my bubbles. “Just perfect”, I realized.
Scuba diving with Chuck Nicklin, underwater film pioneer
It had taken months to get there. Chuck Nicklin, renowned, innovative, underwater videographer organized the trip with his wife, Roz. Several friends from San Diego Underwater Photo and Video groups signed up immediately. Although I’m not really a photographer, I tagged along, determined to celebrate my 50th dive in tropical waters.
Over coffee a few weeks before leaving, I coaxed Chuck into sharing some of his decades of film and dive experiences. He’s worked with James Cameron on the Abyss, on several Bond films with Sean Connery, Jacqueline Bissett and Kim Bassinger, to name a few. It was his determination to make scuba diving film-work legit that pulled him away from owning his San Diego shop, The Dive Locker.
Good fortune and a taste for adventure led to international assignments, including a contract with National Geographic. He’s inspired legions of divers to pick up their first underwater cameras and his son, Flip, is an accomplished underwater documentary filmmaker and author.
Over the 10 days of the Fiji trip, I realized that it didn’t matter where Chuck was – sharing a story over the local curry, enjoying the beach sunset, or exclaiming underwater as Bull Sharks scooted close to his lens – his unflappable joy was always contagious.
Chuck and Roz love to travel. Listening to their itineraries, I wondered how they do it. As rumors of new dive destinations around the world surface, they explore them and then often organize small groups to join in. There’s a score of trips at ChuckNicklin.com. This Fiji adventure was his fifth (and self proclaimed ‘last’) journey to Beqa.
Scuba diving with sharks in Fiji
Our last dives were with Sharks and organized by Aqua Trek, with permission of the local Fijian chiefs. All dives off Beqa island are permitted by native tribes as the waters belong to them as much as the land. It seems to be preserving a delicate balance, which can’t be said for other coastal communities.
I had coaxed myself into this dive thinking of the hundreds who’ve preceded me – no cage, in the water, where some of the top ocean predators are freely swimming close. In the more than 11 years of the Shark dives there’s no record that anyone’s been hurt. It’s a testament to the human respect for these immense and intelligent creatures.
Our small boat met up with two others, one with divers from Suva and the chumming boat. While we finished our briefing and detailed safety procedures, I was shocked to watch the dive masters throw handfuls of fish heads into the water.
Snapping jaws broke the surface. What was I doing?!
The sea was rough and we were instructed to hold a line extending from the stern, but to stay away from the other boats. That alone had my adrenaline spiking, plus knowing my legs were dangling just a few feet from the earlier feeding frenzy. But dive I did and it was absolutely astounding. We were told that there would be two short dives at about 83 and 65 foot depths. On the first we held a rope at the bottom and our wall of bubbles was supposed to ward off the sharks. It barely did.
Once the bin full of chum was opened, the water churned with hundreds of small and medium fish. Bull, Nurse, giant Lemon, White and Black tip Sharks curled in and out of my vision. It was mesmerizing. A phalanx of safety divers floated at our backs with long poles, which they used to push away the closer sharks. I watched in perverse fascination as the Sharks came closer and the chumming divers actually began hand feeding them while wearing chain mail gloves.
Soon we were signaled to swim to our safety stop – another rope suspended from the boats. My heart leaped as I watched the large predators swirling beneath us and scooting close, still hunting for hand-outs. A chorus line of Remoras sucked the hull of a wreck a few feet away. Within minutes it was time to surface and calm down before the second round.
Back in for more diving with sharks
We panted and chattered during the interval, munching on pumpkin bread and gulping sweet juice. Exhilaration overrode my anxiety and everyone wondered if we’d see a Tiger Shark on the next foray. Finally it was time to file back into the water, descending to about 65 feet. I set up in front of the tub and waited. Suddenly I could hear Chuck shouting through his mask. An enormous Tiger swam in right over my head, impervious to the bubble wall. Her size was thrilling and her markings, flanks decorated with stripes, were gorgeous. I couldn’t help but scream when she safely wrested a huge chunk of fish from the hands of one diver. She circled a few times, ate more and disappeared suddenly.
Chuck chattered and marveled with all of us on the return trip to the island. Again I wondered how he and Roz do it? What if one of them was hurt? What about my friends, who’ve brought their children along? But once you’ve mastered your fear, realizing that Hollywood has done more to stir it than an actual encounter with Sharks, it’s a priceless experience. As my dive buddy reminds me:
More people are killed by falling coconuts than sharks worldwide!
Chuck Nicklin’s filmed many shark dives but this was his first where the elusive Tiger made an appearance. It was unforgettable. I hope to go scuba diving with Chuck Nicklin again and when I’m in my eighties match his passion for adventure!
Pictures courtesy of Chuck Nicklin.com and Cindy Lipathay. This is an original post from 2013 but updated to share Chuck’s new book release.
Chuck has just published his memoir, Cameraman.
You can purchase it on Amazon.com
Hope you enjoyed this post and will share it with friends. Pin it!
Following these weekly linkups. Lots of other great travel stories to explore:
My daughters got their PADI certifications in Fiji and saw a shark when they were diving. They said that just seeing the one was terrifying, can’t imagine actually feeding them and encouraging them to come closer, chain mail gloves or no.
I was terrified of them too initially as a newbie diver, but as my dive buddy says, “More people die from falling coconuts than sharks each year.” I do keep a respectful distance all the same.
Oh. My. Word. I don’t know if I’d have the courage to do this. You’ve captured some amazing photos, though. Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Photo Friday! I’m in awe!
Thank you, Jen. It was a crazy thing to do but I’m so glad I got over my hesitations. Glad you enjoyed it.
Wow, that’s fantastic, Elaine! As they say, if you are not diving, you are missing three-quarters of the Earth’s scenery.
Love that quote, Kristin, thanks!
Wow – what an amazing experience! I just learned to dive this past spring at the Cousteau Resort in Fiji but don’t think I’ll ever get to to the level that I would be good enough to do this. I loved reading about it – dive on!
Kay, it was a pretty simple dive. We just got in, sat on the bottom and swam up at the end. You could do it easily. The biggest help was going with friends who had done it before. Don’t think I’d have tackled this on my own.
Hi Elaine. What an adventure! I’m not a diver, but I have done some great snorkeling in SEA. I’m not sure I’d do a shark dive, but definitely an awesome experience. I may even buy Chuck’s book. I’m thinking there must be some great stories between the pages.
You’d love Chuck’s stories. What a life & truly sweet man.
Congratulations on your 50th dive – I’ve now done two and hope to do more in Central Am in February. You’ve alleviated my stress about diving with sharks, you’re right Hollywood has a lot to answer for!
Cool Gemma, fellow diver! I’ve actually notched over 250 dives on my weight belt now. You’re so right about Hollywood and sharks. Happy holidays and bubble blowing!
Awesome! Does he run regular tours or this was a one of a kind expedition? I got my PADI license in Fiji and have never again seen such beautiful waters and stunning corals. Nothing has compared yet and I live in Southeast Asia and dived in several other pacific sites. Fiji still tramps them all. I will have to come back to Shark point one day though.
Unfortunately Chuck has stopped running tours for the most part. I couldn’t agree more about the diving in Fiji but you might try the ‘muck diving’ in the Philippines or Lembeh Strats, N.Sulawesi, Indonesia for a different but absolutely mind-boggling experience of rare small creatures.
I went shark diving in South Africa and it was a crazy experience. The first day it was pretty choppy. I got so sick! The second day was a lot better. We weren’t scuba diving though, we just had snorkels. I’ve actually never been scuba diving!
Shark diving or snorkeling in South Africa is on my list. I’m not so keen on getting close to Great Whites though. They’re unpredictable and alpha predators. Picking my battles I guess!
Sharks are remarkable creatures, certainly worthy of our respect, but the fear factor is overdone. When I did my checkout dive I had the unique opportunity to see and touch nurse sharks while they were feeding and I must say it was an experience I would love to repeat.
I must confess that your dive story made me a tad envious. We have been looking for an opportunity like that for quite a while. #letslookforsharkstogether 🙂
Thanks for linking to #TheWeeklyPostcard, Elaine. I really, REALLY enjoyed your story.
Linda, I’m so grateful for your comments and kudos. It was a once in a lifetime experience. Definitely #letslookforsharkstogether !!
This is impressive! I do not know if I will be able to do something similar. The funny thing is that my friends and I were discussing this activity over the Thanksgiving weekend. I saw a feature in Sunset Magazine about the people who go to San Diego to experience the activity.
Odd critters have been showing up in San Diego over the past year. We’ve had humpbacks and even hammerhead sharks close in. I haven’t been in the water to see them but prefer warmer places to dive even though this is home!
My own heart was racing at your description of being in the middle of a shark feeding frenzy, I can’t imagine what is was like under the water!
Nothing could have prepared me for that scene. It was truly chaos with small to giant fish jockeying for bites. Just glad the big ones don’t like the taste of humans!
That’s amazing Elaine! You are very brave. Most people can only think about doing such things. But, you actually took the plunge to dive. There is a whole different world out there under water. These magnificent creatures are truly beautiful and intelligent.
Thank you Thirumal. I am very lucky to have been given the choice to take the shark dive and had my reservations up to the final moments. It’s really impossible to relate the excitement and appreciation I have for the sharks as well as for those locals and otherwise who do the dive daily. What a job!!
Wow! I’ve not got the courage to scuba dive, only snorkel. I think I would loose oxygen quickly seeing tiger sharks!! What an amazing experience. Thanks for the beautiful story of it.
I was in good company, Karilyn, not just with Chuck but other friends along for the dive. Once you have the basics down with diving it’s just a matter of regulating your breath and buoyancy for the most part. You’d do fine once you had certification. Thanks for the kind words.
Riveting story… what an amazing experience this must have been, wish I could have joined. So glad you, and especially Chuck ultimately found a Tiger! I am getting chills just thinking about it myself. Also pretty brave to be swimming around in chum filled water with Bull Sharks, we’ve had a few incidents here in Florida recently, though I know it’s more related to mistaken identity!
Greig
Thanks, Greig. I appreciate you writing and was sorry to hear about the ‘mistaken identity’ in Florida. We’ve had a few, if I understand your comment, where surfers or snorkelers splashing on the surface have been bitten and most likely because they resembled an injured sea lion. One bite and the sharks is gone usually but sadly that can still be lethal. I’m not as frightened scooting around on the sea floor as I am topside.
Unfortunately when I went to Fiji I wasn’t certified to dive but others in my group went and said it was amazing. They had photos of the sharks being fed as well and I thought they were insane.
Last month, I finally went cage diving in Mexico. The sharks were massive and it was a beautiful experience. I’m “hooked”. I can’t wait to do it again.
Thanks, Lesley, I haven’t gone cage diving in Mexico but did once in Hawaii. It was a trip to be in deep water, on the surface and have the sharks so close. That was scarier than Fiji!!
Those pictures are incredible, but equally scary! I don’t know if I’d be brave enough to dive with sharks so good on you!!
Thanks, Jen. It’s definitely not an experience for everybody and took a lot of training to get there and enjoy it. I hope the story is still a good second choice!
That is Awesome! I worked with a white shark conservation project in South Africa which allowed me to observe them for the 2 weeks that I worked on the boat. We got to go cage diving with them, but I have yet to dive outside the cage. I’ve always been fascinated by them and after watching the sharks for that time, I’m not scared of them at all! Your’e 100x more liking to drown than get attacked. Taking selfies is now more dangerous than sharks!
What an amazing experience for you to dive with Chuck! I’m so jealous right now!!!!
I envy you too working with a shark conservation project in South Africa is incredible. We can’t do everything but it’s wonderful to share and live through vicarious thrills.
My jaw dropped when I saw that first pic! What an incredible experience!!! This is definitely on my bucket list 😀
Thanks, Tamar. I so hope you get to do this in Fiji
OMG you are such an inspiration! I live in South Australia where we have shark cage diving with great white sharks and I am still yet to do it. I have been lucky enough though to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef and just happen to have a black tip reef shark swim by me. That got my heart racing. Good on you for taking this incredible experience head on.
Thanks, Lauren, I long to visit South Australia and have heard about the shark cage diving there. Not so high on my list funnily enough. I respect the Great Whites as the alpha predators they are to enjoy others pictures. The Fiji experience was another thing entirely.
I can imagine you’d get a major adrenaline rush from diving with sharks. It’s crazy to be so close to such a powerful and feared creature. The diving looks amazing though and the photos Chuck is able to get being so close is really priceless.
Thanks, Laura, it was a rush on top of rush for sure. Chuck is definitely an inspiration.
Good for you for doing something so incredible. Shark awareness is definitely important but really, they aren’t as scary as how they are depicted in vids and pics.
You’re so right. The underwater world is vastly amazing and peaceful if you learn to understand how things work.
OMG! Are you crazy? Bet you’ve been asked that a lot lol
We saw lots of reef sharks in our dives in Bali. But Tiger Sharks?!! That’s just crazy – how did it feel when you saw it?
I was in awe at how beautiful the Tiger was. She was very calm and intent, just there for the handout and truly beautiful. Sharks don’t like the taste of humans and are very smart. That said, I’m still cautious when I see them and work to stay aware. They usually pass right through and being on the bottom is always safer than resembling an injured seal topside.
What a fascinating look and story behind scuba diving with sharks! I commend you for your bravery and courage, I don’t know that I could do it.
Thanks, Brooke, diving with the sharks was the end of a long process. My boyfriend had gone on that dive with his daughter two years before. I saw the pictures and heard the stories from him and other divers. When the chance came, I wasn’t sure I’d do it but I’m forever grateful that I took the plunge. I will never lose respect for the intelligence and beauty of these great animals.
Oh, Elaine, you are so brave! Just reading your post gave me the chills. My husband however, would have loved to dive with the sharks like you and with Chuck Nicklin as a bonus. I have to say though your pictures look very appealing, but I’m happy just looking at them, not trying to dive…
I understand, Anda. Believe me it was a ‘grit your teeth and go for it’ moment. I’m glad I did it, past tense, and am so happy to see Chuck’s book is finally out. The pictures hopefully work well enough for you.
Wow Elaine! What an interesting and daring person you met! Chuck sounds like a very brave individual and you were lucky to have joined on the trip! I personally can’t believe you swam with sharks! Thanks so much for sharing your story and entering our TBEX contest! Best of luck 🙂
Thanks, Jenna, I feel very fortunate to have spent time with Chuck and Roz, plus the rest of our intrepid group on that dive. The underwater world (and above!) is full of exquisite wonders that I look forward to exploring to the end of my days.
Thanks, Jenna. I do consider myself very lucky!