Are There Sharks In Fiji? (Detailed Guide)

Fiji, a country located in the South Pacific, is an archipelago of more than 300 islands famous for its breathtaking landscapes, palm-lined beaches, and coral reefs with crystal-clear lagoons that are hard to believe. It’s expected that such a paradise attracts thousands of tourists from everywhere every year, and a lot of them have the same doubt: are there sharks in Fiji?

There are 17 species of shark that have been recorded in Fiji, even in Rivers. The most common sharks in the so-called “Soft Coral Capital of the World” are Whitetip Reef Sharks and Blacktip Reef Sharks, easily seen inshore. Shark attacks in Fiji are rare, with 69 incidents registered since 1917.

It’s important to notice that this number can be higher, as there are no boundaries between oceans, and there are more than 400 species of sharks worldwide. So some other species may wander around or even dwell in Fiji’s beautiful waters (I mean, who wouldn’t want to live in such a perfect place?).

Whitetips and Blacktips may be the most common but are not the only frequent visitors in Fiji. To learn all about the 17 species of shark in Fiji (including Bull Sharks and Tiger Sharks), read the complete species guide in the following section. Also, I have found a crazy (and sad) story of a father and daughter killed by an 8-ft shark in a river 30 miles from the sea back in 1921. Finally, I’ve prepared a comprehensive database including all the shark incidents registered in Fiji. Cool, right? So read on.

Keep reading to learn everything about the 17 species of shark ever registered in Fiji.

Are There Sharks In Fiji? (Species Guide)

Fiji is for sure one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Located in South Pacific, the country has more than 300 islands, with coral reefs with paradisiac beaches that we only see in the movies. Sharks are also abundant in this paradise, which is why the region is one of the top international destinations for divers in the Pacific. In this section, you’ll find out more about the sharks in Fiji.

As you already know, 17 shark species call Fiji home, but this number can be higher, as it’s hard to keep track of all marine life. As oceans and branches of the sea are all connected, more species may live near the beautiful “Soft Coral Capital of the World.”

Shark Species In Fiji: 17 (At Least)
Most Frequently Seen: Whitetip Reef Sharks / Blacktip Reef Sharks
Most Dangerous/Aggressive Species: Bull Sharks / Tiger Sharks
Biggest Sharks Found In Florida: Whale Shark (largest species on Earth)

In Fiji, some species are more frequently seen inshore, and they are the following: Whitetip Reef Sharks, Tawny Nurse Sharks, Indo-Pacific Lemon Sharks (Sickle-Fin Lemon Sharks), Leopard Sharks, Blacktip Reef Sharks, Grey Reef Sharks, Bull Sharks, Tiger Sharks, Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks.

However, some species prefer deep seas and are more prominent offshore: Shortfin Mako Sharks, Silky Sharks, Blue Sharks, Oceanic Whitetip Sharks, Bronze Whalers, and Whale Sharks. Finally, some species adapt well to both situations and can be found inshore and offshore, such as the Silvertip Shark, the Tiger Shark, and the Great Hammerhead Shark.

Species	Scientific Name	Maximum Size	Aggressiveness
Whitetip Reef Shark	Triaenodon obesus	Up to 2.1 m (6.8 ft)	Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Silvertip Shark	Carcharhinus albimarginatus	Up to 3 m (10 ft)	Curious (Potentially Dangerous)
Tawny Nurse Shark	Nebrius ferrugineus	Up to 3.2 m (10.8 ft)	Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Indo-Pacific Lemon Shark Sickle-Fin Lemon Shark	Negaprion acutidens	Up to 3.8 m (12.4 ft)	Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Leopard Shark	Triakis semifasciata	Up to 2 m (6.5 ft)	Not Aggressive (Harmless)
Blacktip Reef Shark	Carcharhinus melanopterus	Up to 2 m (6.5 ft)	Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Grey Reef Shark	Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos	Up to 2.5m (8.2 ft)	Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Bull Shark	Carcharhinus leucas	Up to 2.1 m (6.8 ft)	Very Aggressive (Extremely Dangerous)
Tiger Shark	Galeocerdo cuvier	Up to 9 m (29 ft)	Very Aggressive (Extremely Dangerous)
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark	Sphyrna lewini	Up to 4 m (13 ft)	Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Great Hammerhead Shark	Sphyrna mokarran	Up to 6 m (20 ft)	Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Shortfin Mako Shark	Isurus oxyrinchus	Up to 4 m (13 ft)	Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Silky Shark	Carcharhinus falciformis	Up to 3.5 m (11.5 ft)	Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Blue Shark	Prionace glauca	Up to 4 m (13 ft)	Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Oceanic Whitetip Shark	Carcharhinus longimanus	Up to 4 m (13 ft)	Very Aggressive (Dangerous)
Bronze Whaler Shark Copper Shark	Carcharhinus brachyurus	Up to 3.2 m (10.8 ft)	Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous)
Whale Shark	Rhincodon typus	Up to 18 m! (59 ft)	Not Aggressive (Harmless)

Sharks In Fijian Rivers

In Fiji, sharks are not only found in reefs or deep seas but also in rivers. Bull Sharks are arguably the most dangerous species of shark on Earth, but they’re also fascinating. These animals have developed the special ability to live in both salt and fresh water and have already been recorded in rivers thousands of miles from the sea.

Name	Bull Shark
Order	Carcharhiniformes
Family	Carcharhinidae
Genus	Carcharhinus
Species	leucas
Lifespan	>25 years
Max Size	Up to 13 ft (4 meters)
Aggressiveness	Very Aggressive (Dangerous)
Occurrence	Tropical and Subtropical Coastal Waters
Preference	Shallow Coastal Waters – Less than 100 ft (30 m)

Bull Sharks can be found in all major rivers of Fiji, especially between September and December. In the main Fiji Islands (Viti Levu and Vanua Levu), sharks are very often, especially in the Navua River. Through the years, even shark attacks already took place in Fijian rivers, but they are rare.

After researching the data provided by Global Shark File Attack (GSAF), I was able to find 9 confirmed shark incidents in Fijian Rivers, all of them involving Bull Sharks. Most attacks in rivers took place in Rewa River, on Viti Levu Island. Unfortunately, one of the incidents was fatal, involving a father and his young daughter, back on November 15, 1921.

Double Tragedy: Father And Child Lost In A River Shark Attack

The man went out swimming in the river to make a purchase at a store and took his little girl with him, carrying her on his shoulder. After that, they were never seen alive again. The man’s body was found near the point where he entered the river (30 miles from the sea!), and, as registered in the newspaper of the time, his body was “frightfully torn by a shark.” The girl’s body was found some distance down the river, with a leg torn off.

Locals have confirmed shark presence in the area, and a Chinese man says that he saw an 8-ft shark near shore near the place where the attack happened a few days after the tragedy. All the details of the story can be found in these incredible cuts of newspaper that dates back a hundred years in time and confirm the double tragedy that took away the lives of a father and daughter.

Sharks Attacks In Fiji

Fiji is the 11th place in the world with the most shark attacks, with 23 fatal. Studying the reports from International Shark Attack File (ISAF) and Global Shark Attack File (GSAF), the two most reliable institutes in terms of registering shark incidents, I was able to find some interesting information about the numbers in the Fiji Islands:

Total Incidents Reported: 69
Provoked Attacks: 3
Unprovoked Attacks: 61
Invalid Data: 1 (Shark involvement not confirmed)
Sea Disaster/Watercraft: 4
Fatal Attacks: 23

The last confirmed shark attack in Fiji was in 2020, in Cakaudrove, one of 14 provinces of Fiji and one of three based principally on the northern island of Vanua Levu. A 26-year-old man was out diving for fish with two other friends along the reefs when a shark bit him. Fortunately, the attack was non-fatal and resulted in deep lacerations into the man’s right arm, who recovered completely after surgery.

Incident Date	Area	Location	Activity	Incident Type	Fatal? (Y/N)
02-Mar-2020	Vanua Levu	Tawake, Cakaudrove	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
16-Aug-2019	–	Vanua Levu	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
17-May-2019	–	Beqa	Scuba diving	Unprovoked	N
23-Sep-2018	Vanua Levu	Cakau Levu	Diving	Provoked	N
10-Mar-2016	Vanua Levu	Dawara	Diving	Unprovoked	Y
Sep-2015	–	–	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
16-May-2012	–	Matacucu Reef	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
08-Apr-2011	Vitu Levu	Malake Island	Diving	Unprovoked	N
21-Mar-2011	–	Nukudamu	Diving / fishing	Unprovoked	N
17-Dec-2010	Vitu Levu	Sigatoka	Surfing	Unprovoked	N
15-Feb-2010	Off Vanua Levu	Nara Reef	Scuba diving	Unprovoked	Y
14-May-2008	Yasawa Islands	Turtle Island	Night diving	Unprovoked	Y
09-Apr-2008	–	–	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
18-Mar-2006	Vitu Levu	Sigatoka	Surfing	Unprovoked	N
29-Sep-2003	Taveuni	Drekeniwai	Wading	Unprovoked	Y
11-Feb-2002	Cikobia Island	–	–	Unprovoked	Y
May-2001	Taveuni	–	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	Y
12-Dec-2000	Taveuni	Garden Island Resort	Swimming	Unprovoked	Y
15-Jun-1997	Taveuni	Garden Island Resort	Snorkeling	Unprovoked	N
1996	Taveuni	–	–	Unprovoked	Y
24-May-1995	Yasawa Islands	Waya Island	Sleeping in boat	Unprovoked	Y
12-Nov-1992	Wakaya Island	–	Scuba diving	Unprovoked	N
1992	Tavenui	–	–	Unprovoked	Y
24-Mar-1990	Laucala Island	–	Swimming	Unprovoked	N
02-Feb-1988	Vanua Levu	–	Diving	Unprovoked	N
18-Dec-1967	–	–	–	Unprovoked	N
15-Nov-1967	–	–	Freediving	Provoked	N
23-Jun-1964	Lau Group	Totoya Island	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
08-May-1964	Vita Levu	Naviti	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	Y
17-Feb-1964	–	Savuli Reef	Fishing	Provoked	N
14-Feb-1964	Vanua Levu	Nailou Village	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	Y
27-Jan-1964	–	70 miles from Suva	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	Y
04-Jan-1964	Lomaloma, Lau	Tuvuca Isalnd	Swimming	Unprovoked	N
28-Nov-1963	Lau Province	Dravuwalu, Totoya Island	Fishing	Unprovoked	N
25-Nov-1963	Vita Levu	Rewa River	Spearing fish	Unprovoked	N
08-Feb-1963	Lomaiviti Island	Gau Island	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
30-Jan-1963	–	–	Freediving	Unprovoked	N
Early 1963	Vita Levu	Korolevu	–	Unprovoked	UNKNOWN
May 1962	Viti Levu	Near Suva	Fishing	Watercraft	N
Mar-1961	19S, 178?E	Wotua Beach	Floating on back	Unprovoked	N
Apr-1960	Vanua Levu	Bua coast	Fishing	Unprovoked	Y
1960-1961	Viti Levu	Covull Reef	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
02-Oct-1959	Lomaiviti Province	Ovalau Island	Dived overboard	Unprovoked	Y
Oct-1959	Kadavu	Astrolabe Reef	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
24-Feb-1957	Viti Levu	Suva Harbor	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
1957	Kadavu	Astrolabe Reef	Fishing	Unprovoked	N
Ca. 1950	–	Near Lautoka	–	Unprovoked	N
21-Mar-1938	Viti Levu	Singatoka River	Wading	Unprovoked	N
26-Sep-1932	Viti Levu Island	Navua	Catching a turtle	Unprovoked	N
20-Jun-1932	Yasawa Islands	Nabukeru	Free diving	Unprovoked	Y
28-Jul-1931	Viti Levu Island	Tamavua River	Swimming	Unprovoked	N
05-Jan-1929	Viti Levu Island	Suva Harbor	Diving	Unprovoked	Y
Oct-1927	–	A river	Collecting bananas	Unprovoked	N
1925	Viti Levu Island	Suva Harbor	Diving	Unprovoked	N
15-Nov-1921	Viti Levu Island	Rewa River	Swimming	Unprovoked	Y
13-Jan-1912	Viti Levu group	Beqa	Washed overboard	Unprovoked	Y
13-Apr-1898	Muala	–	–	Sea Disaster	N
06-Sep-1894	Vita Levu	Rewa River	Dangling feet	Unprovoked	N
23-May-1893	–	Kadavu & Beqa	Canoe swamped	Unprovoked	Y
30-Aug-1879	Lau Group	Totoya	–	Sea Disaster	N
15-Dec-1877	–	–	–	Sea Disaster	Y
11-Mar-1877	Viti Levu Island	Rewa River	–	Unprovoked	N
28-Jan-1872	Lomaiviti Provine	Ovalau Island	boat capsized	Invalid	–
25-Nov-1856	–	–	Swimming	Unprovoked	Y
18-Sep-1840	Viti Levu Island	Rewa	–	Unprovoked	N
Ca. 1839	Viti Levu Island	Rewa	–	Unprovoked	N
Before 1962	–	–	Spearfishing	Unprovoked	N
Before 1958	Kadavu Island	18.8S, 178.25E	Swimming	Unprovoked	N
Before 1917	Moala Island	–	Wrecked canoe	Unprovoked	Y

Sources

Shark Attack Data: https://www.sharkattackdata.com/place/fiji
Global Shark Attack File (GSAF): https://www.sharkattackfile.net/
Florida Museum: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/
International Shark Attack File (ISAF): https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/
Fiji Famous Sharks: A Scuba Diver’s Guide To Fiji’s Famous Sharks
Best Places to See Sharks In Fiji: https://fijipocketguide.com/5-best-places-to-see-sharks-in-fiji/
Sharks Of Fiji: https://www.michwanderlust.com/2016/08/13/fiji-diving-with-sharks/