A marauding shark struck fear into divers and fishermen from the Kalokolevu area near Naboro on the Queens Rd, an article published in The Fiji Times on August 16, 1984, said.

Isoa Wong, a Government employee who lived on leased property near the village, told The Fiji Times he and another man, David Foster, were fishing in the Namuka passage when they saw an 18 foot (5.4 metre) shark.

The spot was about 400 metres from the shoreline.

“It is very unusual for a shark that big to come into these waters,” Mr Wong said.

“We are aware of small sharks now and again but nothing as big as this one.

“I have been living here for 10 years and I have never seen anything like this.”

Mr Wong said they saw the shark at exactly the same spot where the clothes of his cousin, Steven Fong, were found after he was supposedly attacked and killed by a shark.

He disappeared while spear-fishing on October 5, 1983.

“We thought at the time that it must have been quite a big shark.”

Steven’s widow, Vasiti Fong, who had moved from the Kalokolevu area since her husband’s death, said divers and police only found his shorts, underwear, goggles and spear.

“His body was never found,” she said, adding that her husband went missing during low tide.

He was reported drowned in early October 1983.

Mr Wong said he wanted to warn all divers to be careful while diving.

He said Kalokolevu villagers did not go diving often but the night divers from Suva came to the area because they were attracted by the abundance of fish and other marine life there.

Mr Wong said they sold their catch along the Queens Rd.

“I used to dive quite often at night and during the day but since we’ve seen the shark, we’ve stopped.”

On August 5, they were surprised to see the shark surfacing to feed.

Mr Wong said they wanted to catch it, but realised the shark was much bigger than their punt and it could have overturned their boat.

A neighbour, Ben Suka was fishing the previous week just inside Joske Reef when he noticed bubbles on the surface of the water about 200 metres away from him.

“I saw the shark’s fin and tail,” he said.

“A little while after it surfaced, it started chasing a big turtle and it kept hitting the turtle into the air for about 15 minutes.”

Mr Suka said some women who were collecting seafood near the seashore left their fishing gear and ran ashore when they saw the shark.