In 1984, local divers and fishermen near Kalokolevu, a community by the Queens Rd close to Naboro, were alarmed by an unusually large shark, as per an article from The Fiji Times published on August 16 of that year.
Isoa Wong, a government worker residing near the village, told the newspaper that he and another man, David Foster, spotted an 18-foot (5.4-meter) shark while they were fishing in the Namuka passage, approximately 400 meters from the shore.
“It’s highly unusual to encounter a shark of that size in these waters,” Wong stated, referring to the alarming size of the creature. Smaller sharks were a common sight, he continued, but he’d never witnessed anything on this scale despite living in the area for a decade.
Alarmingly, Wong further described how they spotted the shark in the exact location where the belongings of his cousin, Steven Fong, had been discovered following an alleged fatal shark attack. Fong had gone missing while spear-fishing on October 5th, 1983.
Fong’s widow, Vasiti Fong, conveyed that Stevens’ shorts, underwear, goggles, and spear were the only remnants found by divers and the police after her husband’s death. His body remained untraceable. She noted that her husband vanished during low tide and was declared drowned in early October 1983.
Urging caution, Wong warned fellow divers about the shark. He pointed out that although the residents of Kalokolevu did not frequently go diving, the area attracted many night-time divers from Suva due to its abundant marine life and fish. They then sold what they caught along Queens Rd.
Due to the presence of the shark, Wong reported ceasing his regular diving activities both during the day and at night. On August 5th, he and others were taken aback by the sight of the massive shark coming up to the surface to feed. Although their initial instinct was to capture the shark, they quickly realized that the creature was substantially larger than their boat, posing a significant risk of capsizing it.
Ben Suka, a local resident, reported encountering the shark while fishing near Joske Reef just a week prior. On noticing bubbles on the surface of the water approximately 200 meters away, he observed the shark’s fin and tail as it chased a large turtle, repeatedly hitting it into the air for around 15 minutes. Suka further noted that the sight of the shark had caused a group of women collecting seafood nearby to abandon their equipment and flee to the shore.