NAI'A
initiated a small-scale shark feed in Nigali Passage in
1994 as a means of drawing the resident shark population
closer to photographers eager to get epic photographs.
We are very careful about how we organize the shark feed
so as to minimize our impact on the resident population
of female gray reef sharks.
Because we discovered Nigali Passage and are the only divers ever to visit it, we feel responsible for the animals who have called it home for years. Therefore, rather than feeding the sharks copious amounts of food on which they may become dependent over time, we use the minimum amount of bait necessary to pique the sharks' curiosity. Nor are the sharks handfed, a stunt guaranteed to cause problems sooner or later. The NAI'A baiting technique does not create a feeding frenzy suitable for the Discovery Channel, but it does draw curious sharks in close enough to the circle of divers for photographers to capture full-frame photos and for non-photographers to get a close-up look as these sleek predators glide past.
