Shark Diving Hot Spot Suggestions

[Wick]

I enjoy diving with sharks and am always looking to dive with more species when given the chance. I reference the 'Shark Watchers Handbook' for finding certain hot spots but it does not include everything. If anyone has any good destinations (ocean or aquarium dives) to see any species I haven't encountered, please let me know. Places with multiple species I haven't seen are a big plus.

So far I have seen the following diving:

Great White - Isle de Guadeloupe (in 1 week)
Blue - Rhode Island
Carribbean Reef - Turks and Caicos
Nurse - Turks and Caicos
Sand Tiger - North Carolina, Pittsburgh Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium
Whale - Georgia Aquarium
Great Hammerhead - Georgia Aquarium
Bonnethead - Pittsburgh Aquarium
Sandbar - Georgia Aquarium
Zebra - Pittsburgh Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium
Blacktip - Pittsburgh Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium
Ornate Wobbegong - Georgia Aquarium
White Spotted Bamboo - Pittsburgh Aquarium

I am looking for great/high guaranteed spots to see:

Mako - California? Rhode Island?
Tiger - Tiger Beach or Stuarts Cove?
Bull - Tiger Beach or Stuarts Cove?
Oceanice Whitetip
Whitetip Reef
Lemon - Tiger Beach or Stuarts Cove?


Any good aquariums to dive at too see other species I haven't seen?

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

For up close Tigers, Lemons, and Great Hammerheads, you will want to go to Tiger Beach. It is only accessible by liveaboard, but it was the best week of my diving life!

For Bulls, I have seen many times at Jupiter, Florida. You will see alot if you dive with spearos. I have seen Scalloped Hammerheads there too. In February, the Lemons are there in mass for breeding.

For Whale Sharks, I have been on expeditions to the Sea of Courtez Mexico with the Shark Research Institute.

Reef Sharks are in abundance in the Bahamas. I had many on my dives in Freeport. Stuarts Cove in Nassau are famous for their feed dives. They also have a dive out to the deep sea buoy to dive with Oceanics.

I would look into the expeditions by Shark Diver Magazine. They dive all over the country and each trip is designated by the shark they wish to see.

Carolyn:shark2:

 

[shontellee13]

I saw a Thresher Shark in Malapascua, Philippines on our first dive. It came within arms length of me.

Palau has so many sharks you actually get bored of seeing them...

Anyone know where to find wobbegongs (besides Australia --or an aquarium)? Are there any in Thailand?

 

[arfy]

Personally speaking, if you want to have a seriously good shark trip and to see at the very least Tigers, lemons and reef sharks (with the possibility of bulls and great hammerheads also, between November and April), do a one week trip to the Bahamas on Jim Abernethy's boat the Shearwater. See scuba-adventures.com.

I've done two of these trips - they're simply the most amazing, most exciting and fun dive trips I've ever done. There are also one or two other boats that do similar trips, including the Dolphin Dream, but I get the sense that they're not a patch on Abernethy's operation. Abernethy also does oceanic white tip trips in May / June.

Not sure if I would bother with Stuarts Cove for the big stuff - I think it's mainly reefies they deal with.


Ben

 

[SEA MONKEY'S]

Well, you should have had a great time in Guadalupe, I was there right after you, October 2009.

Isla De Mujeres in Mexico would be my suggestion for Whale Sharks.
I was there in July 2009 and we saw over 150 in a couple mile area. It's kind of fast paced, snorkle only, 10 minutes at a time, we saw 2-3 every time in the water. They are only here for a couple of months, if even that, each year to feed on the plankton.

We were in Roatan in June 2009 and saw White Tips,Black Tips and Nurse Sharks. Utila, between Honduras and Roatan has Whale sharks, but not the masses that Isla De Mujeres has in July.

I'll be going to Tiger Beach in Feb with Jim. My first time there so I'm pretty excited!

You should check out the site "idivesharks.com" alot of great info there as well.

 

[Doubler]

Lemons, this weekend Jupiter Florida. Happens every year at this time.

 

[Jupiter31]

Lemons, this weekend Jupiter Florida. Happens every year at this time.

We hope - but so far this year, like the director of the porno movie says "Not yet, not yet"

Seriously, Jupiter is a GREAT spot to see sharks - reef, nurse, bull, and the aforementioned lemon - w/out the expense and hasse of a foreign destination - to me, the best diving in the USA is in Jupiter. But I want to keep it a secret, so don't tell anyone!

 

[mooney]

I saw quite a few lemons in Bora Bora

 

[DennisS]

This week off of Florida would be a good place to see them

YouTube - !!SHARKS CLOSE FLORIDA BEACH!! 1/28/10

 

[Jcsgt]

For bulls and tigers, I like Beqa Lagoon, Fiji Islands. On my last trip down there, December of 2008, we had a 12' pregnant tiger present herself on our last dive. She cruised over me, so close I could have rubbed her belly. Anyway, besides the bulls and tigers, you also get treated to a wide array of other sharks, such as humongous nurse sharks, lemon, black tip, silver tip, white tip, etc, etc, etc.

I enjoy Roatan for reef shark encounters. Incredible photo op's, and if you're lucky and the sharks are calm, you are allowed to actually swim amongt them.