Best place in the Caribbean for shark diving?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Lamnid

Contributor
Messages
121
Reaction score
0
Location
Cambridge, UK
# of dives
25 - 49
I am an avid shark diver and am thinking that the Caribbean will be the holiday destination this year (over new years actually). So which is the best island to go to for some nice shark diving and tropical paradise :)

I have dived in the Bahamas before and whilst it is awesome and I loved it I think I would like to try somewhere new. Can anyone recommend an island and a reputable dive centre?

PS - I have done dives that have been baited with a bait ball before but I would prefer to avoid this and definitely no feeding. I prefer to see less sharks but to see them behaving naturally than to see lots which have been enticed in by bait.

Thanks!

Caz
 
I haven't been there yet but I'm thinking that Turks & Caicos is going to fit the bill for you. I'm headed there in about two weeks and from what I've researched, Turks (Provo) has absolutely stunning beaches and awesome diving with lots of big fish...namely sharks. They claim to have even more sharks than the Bahamas...you can read the link from Caicos Adventures about the stats of how often they typically see sharks at their dive sites. I have dove Blackbeards in the Bahamas and saw sharks naturally on at least half of our dives....apparently the chances are greater in Turks with the certain dive ops like Caicos Adventures. I'll let you know when I get back!

Bahamas Shark Diving With Caicos Adventures! You Won't Find Caribbean Reef Shark Diving Like This Anyplace Else!
 
Well, planning a trip myself...very last minute of course. So, how was this place? Looking at their website and they look awesome...your feedback would be greatly appreciated!
 
I worked for over a year in Turks and Caicos as an Instructor, and 4 years in the Bahamas. This article is pure diving propaganda. I found both destinations averaged about the same number of sharks. This is over about 300 dives in Turks and over 1000 in Bahamas. The south of Nassau has the highest concentrating, Freeport also having a lot. Although this may be as a result of feeding, they are still around when not feeding. French Cay in Turks is where I found the most natural sightings. But it is a long boat ride and most shops will not go all that way without a full boat.
 
Last month while diving in the Turks we saw many reef sharks on every dive. All but one dive was either at West Caicos or French Cay. I'm amazed when people diss these locations because of "the long boat ride". Each location took approx 45 minutes which was fine by me; allowed us to enjoy more time on the water on a beutiful day (you can't be under water all day and i'd rather be out on a boat on the water than on the beach all day).

In addition to reef sharks, we saw a hammerhead on three different dives but each hammerhead moved quick and we didn't get to interact with those hammerhead much. However, the reef sharks border on being tame and curious so they get real close to the divers.
 
There's a place in the Bahamas that raises chickens and throws the 'by-products' in the water...Been doing it for years....Over several generations the sharks, especially the Tiger Sharks have gotten very large [20 footers are common] from being well fed...One of the SB members might know if there are dive charters to that island.......
 
I'll 2nd the recommendations for Turks and Caicos. We've been there twice and have seen sharks on 19 out of our 21 dives there. We dove with Dive Provo on our first trip, and Caicos Adventures for the next trip (October 2011). Caicos Adventures' catamaran makes the 45-minute trip to the dive sites MUCH better. We dove French Cay, West Caicos, and Sandbore Channel (very cool and different) on both trips and enjoyed them all.

There is no "official" shark feeding, but the DM's carry Hawaiian slings to kill lionfish and the sharks are diligent about their clean-up duty. Our first trip was in 2007 and we saw sharks but they didn't really stick with us. As of 2011, the sharks have become accustomed to their lionfish treats and will follow the dive group throughout the dive. I've only seen reef and nurse sharks, but apparently I was stuck on the boat still in 2007 and those first in the water had a 12-foot hammerhead under the boat when they jumped in.

On our most recent trip in 2011, we also had a small family of dolphins (two adults and one juvi) swim through our group just as we hit the bottom sand before heading off over the wall. I have a nice photo of "dolphin butts". :D

All-in-all, I really enjoy the diving in T&C, and we've been to several destinations in the Caribbean. And the beach in Provo is amazing (we're not "lay-on-the-beach" people, but that beach deserves some love). Check out Da Conch Shack if you go!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom