Harry Kreigh
Registered
- Messages
- 35
- Reaction score
- 6
This was a shark expedition (tiger, lemon and Caribbean reef sharks) to the Bahamas (via Riviera Beach, FL). I boarded the Shear Water (Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures, http://www.scuba-adventures.com/) with nine other divers for a 5-hour cruise to Grand Bahama Island and seven days of diving in the Little Bahama Banks. Weather was generally sunny (air temp: 70s; water temp: 77-79) with calm seas and mild currents. Upon arrival, we had to clear customs in the Bahamas ($50 port fee each), which was delayed and resulted in the loss of one-half day of diving. We did have two days of limited diving and poor conditions due to wind and rough seas.
The Shear Water is 65’ long and a very basic boat, somewhat cramped with 10 divers and 4 crew members. There are 3 cabins and an open bunk area in the bow with two shared heads/showers. The cabins are tiny with very limited storage space or standing room, but the beds are adequate. One of the guests found the A/C control and kept it turned off, so the cabins were too warm for other guests (we left the cabin door open at night). In my opinion, the guests should not have access to the A/C controls. Food was basic, lots of chicken and pasta dishes, served buffet style and desserts were still in store packaging. With camera gear everywhere, it was difficult to walk around the salon. Housekeeping could be improved after dinner (desserts, dishes and cups were left on the dining table overnight and were not removed until the next morning). The bow deck is a good place for sun and solitude (no furniture and a lingering smell of fish from the crates stored in bins up there), but access is difficult through very narrow passages on either side of the boat. The dive deck has enough space and all dives are done off the platform. There is a fresh water shower, and fresh water coolers for rinsing cameras. Space is limited for hanging wetsuits and non-existent for hanging cleaned gear at the end of the trip (expect your gear to be damp when you pack). Nitrox is available, but not needed for such shallow dives (75’ max with most dives in the 20-50’ range). If comfort and amenities are important, this may not be the boat for you.
When we arrived at Tiger Beach (sandy area in shallow water [20’ depth]), plastic crates containing fish parts were hung off the stern, and we waited for the sharks to arrive. The lemons were there on cue, and the tigers were not far behind. The crew “wrangled” the sharks by throwing a float line with fish behind the boat and bringing the sharks close to observe feeding activity at the surface.
After a comprehensive briefing, we entered the water (groups of five divers in two shifts) and sat on the sand, forming a “V” around and downcurrent from the divemaster, who shook a crate of fish to attract the sharks to the divers. The sharks repeatedly followed the scent corridor and passed near the divers on the way to the divemaster; it was a continuous shark parade all day long. The sharks were not hand-fed; occasionally, the divemaster placed a piece of fish on the sand for a shark snack (sometimes the tigers totally ignored it). We had three excellent days at Tiger Beach (75-100’ vis) diving with 5-10 lemon sharks (6-8’
and 3-6 tiger sharks (9-15’. It was initially intimidating to have large sharks approach within 1-2’ of you, especially with lemon sharks continuously circling the divers, but after a few dives (1-1.5 hour duration) the sharks and divers seemed comfortable together (we were oblivious to the lemons by then). The tigers were awesome and approached very slowly and deliberately, watching our movements closely. One regular tiger shark (Emma, 14’ came very close to divers and then slowly turned away, careful not to strike anyone with her tail. She was spectacular and it was thrilling to be close to her. Several of the sharks were very cautious and kept their distance. There were some huge tigers (18’+) in the background. Each group made 3-4 dives daily, and we had small plastic rods to use as vertical barriers, if the sharks got too close. Everything was calm and relaxed until Nacho showed up.
Nacho (15’ with a notch in the dorsal fin) is a newcomer among the local tiger sharks and didn’t follow the script. She approached the divemaster, and lunged for the fish crate, which had to be yanked out of her jaws. Nacho did not like it and rushed over to bump a photographer before grabbing the divemaster’s camera and swimming away with it. Unfortunately, there was no video, but one of the divers got a rare photo of the shark with the housing in its mouth and strobes hanging out either side (how many pictures of shark photographers have you seen?). That was very unexpected and exciting. We were all on guard and gained more respect for the sharks after that incident. But things calmed down, and there were no other problems. It was a wonderful experience diving with these magnificent sharks.
We also did some reef dives with 10-20 Caribbean reef sharks (fish crates were placed on the reef), and a few tigers cruised by. The trip was billed as a tiger and great hammerhead expedition, but we didn’t find any great hammerheads. There is an oceanic whitetip/silky shark trip in June to another area of the Bahamas.
Jim Abernethy runs the operation and is quite animated in and out of the water. He has been running shark trips to the Bahamas for at least seven years and thoroughly enjoys it. His exuberance is contagious and adds to the experience. He is open to suggestions for improvements. Underwater he puts on a show, shaking the fish crate with one hand, shooting photos with the other (sometimes with a video camera between his legs), jumping up and down, shouting at divers and sharks and wearing a full face communications mask to provide commentary to crew on the boat – this guy is wired and a non-stop manic shark wrangler (a real cowboy)!
I think the dive operation is relatively safe (considering the high risk situation without cages), but the divemaster should probably lose the camera and focus his full attention on the sharks. Overall, I don’t think you could find a better tiger shark experience (Jim has perfected it for optimum encounters), and I highly recommend it for an adrenaline rush (you will be very close to big sharks and get some incredible pictures [sorry, I’m not a photographer]). Not a trip for everyone, but if you are comfortable around sharks, try it. You won’t be disappointed.
The Shear Water is 65’ long and a very basic boat, somewhat cramped with 10 divers and 4 crew members. There are 3 cabins and an open bunk area in the bow with two shared heads/showers. The cabins are tiny with very limited storage space or standing room, but the beds are adequate. One of the guests found the A/C control and kept it turned off, so the cabins were too warm for other guests (we left the cabin door open at night). In my opinion, the guests should not have access to the A/C controls. Food was basic, lots of chicken and pasta dishes, served buffet style and desserts were still in store packaging. With camera gear everywhere, it was difficult to walk around the salon. Housekeeping could be improved after dinner (desserts, dishes and cups were left on the dining table overnight and were not removed until the next morning). The bow deck is a good place for sun and solitude (no furniture and a lingering smell of fish from the crates stored in bins up there), but access is difficult through very narrow passages on either side of the boat. The dive deck has enough space and all dives are done off the platform. There is a fresh water shower, and fresh water coolers for rinsing cameras. Space is limited for hanging wetsuits and non-existent for hanging cleaned gear at the end of the trip (expect your gear to be damp when you pack). Nitrox is available, but not needed for such shallow dives (75’ max with most dives in the 20-50’ range). If comfort and amenities are important, this may not be the boat for you.
When we arrived at Tiger Beach (sandy area in shallow water [20’ depth]), plastic crates containing fish parts were hung off the stern, and we waited for the sharks to arrive. The lemons were there on cue, and the tigers were not far behind. The crew “wrangled” the sharks by throwing a float line with fish behind the boat and bringing the sharks close to observe feeding activity at the surface.
After a comprehensive briefing, we entered the water (groups of five divers in two shifts) and sat on the sand, forming a “V” around and downcurrent from the divemaster, who shook a crate of fish to attract the sharks to the divers. The sharks repeatedly followed the scent corridor and passed near the divers on the way to the divemaster; it was a continuous shark parade all day long. The sharks were not hand-fed; occasionally, the divemaster placed a piece of fish on the sand for a shark snack (sometimes the tigers totally ignored it). We had three excellent days at Tiger Beach (75-100’ vis) diving with 5-10 lemon sharks (6-8’
and 3-6 tiger sharks (9-15’. It was initially intimidating to have large sharks approach within 1-2’ of you, especially with lemon sharks continuously circling the divers, but after a few dives (1-1.5 hour duration) the sharks and divers seemed comfortable together (we were oblivious to the lemons by then). The tigers were awesome and approached very slowly and deliberately, watching our movements closely. One regular tiger shark (Emma, 14’ came very close to divers and then slowly turned away, careful not to strike anyone with her tail. She was spectacular and it was thrilling to be close to her. Several of the sharks were very cautious and kept their distance. There were some huge tigers (18’+) in the background. Each group made 3-4 dives daily, and we had small plastic rods to use as vertical barriers, if the sharks got too close. Everything was calm and relaxed until Nacho showed up.Nacho (15’ with a notch in the dorsal fin) is a newcomer among the local tiger sharks and didn’t follow the script. She approached the divemaster, and lunged for the fish crate, which had to be yanked out of her jaws. Nacho did not like it and rushed over to bump a photographer before grabbing the divemaster’s camera and swimming away with it. Unfortunately, there was no video, but one of the divers got a rare photo of the shark with the housing in its mouth and strobes hanging out either side (how many pictures of shark photographers have you seen?). That was very unexpected and exciting. We were all on guard and gained more respect for the sharks after that incident. But things calmed down, and there were no other problems. It was a wonderful experience diving with these magnificent sharks.
We also did some reef dives with 10-20 Caribbean reef sharks (fish crates were placed on the reef), and a few tigers cruised by. The trip was billed as a tiger and great hammerhead expedition, but we didn’t find any great hammerheads. There is an oceanic whitetip/silky shark trip in June to another area of the Bahamas.
Jim Abernethy runs the operation and is quite animated in and out of the water. He has been running shark trips to the Bahamas for at least seven years and thoroughly enjoys it. His exuberance is contagious and adds to the experience. He is open to suggestions for improvements. Underwater he puts on a show, shaking the fish crate with one hand, shooting photos with the other (sometimes with a video camera between his legs), jumping up and down, shouting at divers and sharks and wearing a full face communications mask to provide commentary to crew on the boat – this guy is wired and a non-stop manic shark wrangler (a real cowboy)!
I think the dive operation is relatively safe (considering the high risk situation without cages), but the divemaster should probably lose the camera and focus his full attention on the sharks. Overall, I don’t think you could find a better tiger shark experience (Jim has perfected it for optimum encounters), and I highly recommend it for an adrenaline rush (you will be very close to big sharks and get some incredible pictures [sorry, I’m not a photographer]). Not a trip for everyone, but if you are comfortable around sharks, try it. You won’t be disappointed.
