In a story dating back to August 16, 1984, The Fiji Times reported a shocking encounter with a giant shark that alarmed divers and fishermen near Naboro on the Queens Rd, in the Kalokolevu area. Government employee, Isoa Wong, residing near the village, relayed his harrowing experience of encountering an 18-foot shark while fishing with his companion, David Foster, in the Namuka passage.
Wong stated the anomaly of such a large shark appearing in their waters, a spot about 400 meters from the shoreline, more accustomed to welcoming smaller sharks. The sighting took place precisely where his cousin, Steven Fong, had vanished while spear-fishing in October 1983, with only his clothes being found, implying he was potentially another victim of a shark.
Steven Fong’s widow, Vasiti Fong, added that his clothes, goggles, and spear are all that were found by divers and police after his disappearance. His body was never recovered, and he was reported drowned in early October 1983. The peculiar incident happened during low tide.
After the recent shark sighting, Wong cautioned all divers to be on high alert during their underwater ventures. Despite the Kalokolevu villagers not diving frequently, the area is attractive to night divers from Suva due to abundant marine life and fish. However, the sighting prompted Wong to pause his regular dives.
Wong and his companions were taken aback seeing the shark surfacing to feed on August 5. They initially wanted to capture the large creature but decided against it, realizing it could easily capsize their boat. A close encounter was also shared by Ben Suka, a neighbor who was fishing near Joske Reef and observed the shark chasing a large turtle. Suka’s account led some women collecting seafood near the shoreline to abandon their fishing gear and run for safety.