Scuba Diving in the Pacific Ocean - a dive for conservation

With amazing dives and great journeys of underwater discoveries, scuba diving in the Fiji Islands can be about so much more than swimming with colourful creatures and attempting to stroke one of the many passing fish. Popular with divers of all levels thanks to its team of highly experienced diving instructors and unique "shark encounters" diving programmes, Aqua Trek has also created a special dive with the sole purpose of educating people and helping them give a hand in the conservation of sea creatures.

Here divers enjoying scuba diving holidays in the Pacific Ocean get to watch up to eight species of shark — from silvertips to 16-ft tiger sharks — get fed. It's safe because they operate on mutual respect. Besides, the Aqua Trek guys grin while affirming there hasn't been a shark attack in Fiji in years.

Through the eyes of The Hindu reporter, Shonali Muthalaly, we get an upclose view of what it's like to dive into the Fiji wonder-water world! " I slide into the water, warm enough for a baby's bath, adjust the snorkelling mask, and look into the sea. I've never seen anything so beautiful. Intensely coloured corals form a swaying backdrop to bustling crowds of flamboyant fish. Every colour in the palatte is represented, in fearless combinations.

We swim over schools of self-important Sergeant Major fish, striped convict fish with guilty expressions, ill-tempered triggerfish biting off coral bits. A triggerfish pulls faces at me, wriggling his fat little Picasso-bright body, as his partner pouts her Angelina Jolie lips. A brilliant cloud of tiny blue and green chromis rises up out of the corals.

"You never realise how much personality fish have till you go underwater. After snorkeling, we scuba dive, becoming participants rather than audience, swimming carefully to avoid harming corals as delicate as lace. The soft corals gently sway as we swim past spotting electric blue starfish between them. We wriggle between schools of zipping, darting and laughing parrotfish. Angel fish float about thoughtfully as if they're composing sonnets. Jonetani points out the clownfish. Glowing orange with artfully placed streaks, the local variety — the Fiji Barbari, is loved for its playfulness, and is an unofficial mascot for the divers.

"It's certainly lucky for us. While we affectionately blow bubbles at Nemo, Jonetani tugs my hand. We watch in awe as a majestic baby white-tip reef shark glides past regally. Following from a respectable distance, we see another. And, then comes the black tip reef shark — with that characteristic triangular fin, the staple of screechy horror flicks. I'm too fascinated to worry."