Florida Shark Diving

[Biotech Diver]

I’m considering doing a shark dive here in Florida. I have mixed feelings about it but just wanted to know what others on here who have done them thought about their experience?

 

[jejton]

I had mixed feelings about it too. Ended up doing a dive with Narcossis. Felt safe the whole time and loved it. Still have mixed feelings about it.

 

[Biotech Diver]

Looks like a lot of the dive operations are out of Jupiter.

 

[RKO]

If you looking for sharks, plenty down in the Keys, go to the reefs and you will see a variety sharks and rays in water from 10ft to 40 ft deep.

You have mixed feeling? Is this an issue with sharks or the depth you have to go to see them?

 

[Johnoly]

I’m considering doing a shark dive here in Florida.....

Guessing you are talking about a baited dive and there's only 2 regular waters offering it, Key Largo & Jupiter.
All the Jupiter divers that offer it we are good friends with and talk often, we all know each other. But since there are many choices of Ops, you really need to state what you are looking to accomplish. Do you want >>>
* Photography with sharks 1-2 feet from you and probably bumping you.
* Photography with sharks 6-15 feet from you, not really getting in touching distance
* Photography where you can see the jaws wide open and looking inside
* Photography 30 feet away just watching them circle
* No camera, just want to sit on the bow of a wreck and watch below
* Do you want to be in a cage for safety, cause it's available too
* Just want to swim along the reef and see sharks naturally

What do you want,,,cause that will help tell what operator will suit you best.

 

[Biotech Diver]

If you looking for sharks, plenty down in the Keys, go to the reefs and you will see a variety sharks and rays in water from 10ft to 40 ft deep.

You have mixed feeling? Is this an issue with sharks or the depth you have to go to see them?

Neither. It’s the feeding of sharks to bring them in I have mixed feelings about.

 

[Biotech Diver]

Guessing you are talking about a baited dive and there's only 2 regular waters offering it, Key Largo & Jupiter.
All the Jupiter divers that offer it we are good friends with and talk often, we all know each other. But since there are many choices of Ops, you really need to state what you are looking to accomplish. Do you want >>>
* Photography with sharks 1-2 feet from you and probably bumping you.
* Photography with sharks 6-15 feet from you, not really getting in touching distance
* Photography where you can see the jaws wide open and looking inside
* Photography 30 feet away just watching them circle
* No camera, just want to sit on the bow of a wreck and watch below
* Do you want to be in a cage for safety, cause it's available too
* Just want to swim along the reef and see sharks naturally

What do you want,,,cause that will help tell what operator will suit you best.

6-15 feet away or seeing them naturally.

 

[RKO]

Neither. It’s the feeding of sharks to bring them in I have mixed feelings about.

Do not feed the sharks down here! That is a big NO NO!

The cool thing about Key's this time of year is that sharks are everywhere. If your bayside, on a dock, look down in the water and you will probably see a few without getting wet.

If your at the reefs, you will see a verity of sharks and rays without any enticement. If you in Palm Beach or Stuart you will not see the same wildlife, you have to entice them to attract them up there.

 

[drrich2]

Hi. I researched this topic online and compiled that info. in with my trip report diving with Emerald Charters in 2017. I'll link you that report, and some follow up thread links:

Emerald Charters Trip Report 2017 - Emerald Dive Charters Trip Report
——Thread discussing owner & shark feeder Randy Jordan bit on arm by a shark - Jupiter diver in trauma center after ‘upper extremity’ injury
——7 Missing Divers - Jupiter - All Found - 7 missing divers - Jupiter - all found
——Breaking…Emerald Loses Divers off Jupiter 6/21 - Breaking...Emerald Loses Divers off Jupiter 6/21 (Note: all recovered safely).
——Economics of shark diving - Economics of shark diving: split from Jupiter diver in trauma center after ‘upper extremity’ injury
Be mindful that the risk of getting bitten is reasonably expected to be much less for a customer than the shark feeder.

I had a good time and don't regret it. Seeing tiger, bull, lemon and even a pair of unseasonal silkie sharks (plus some nurse sharks) in 7 dives on one trip was phenomenal to me.

But...be mindful I had prior trips encountering reef sharks elsewhere (Key Largo, and particularly Belize), then a non-feed trip with larger sharks (sand tigers out of Morehead City, NC), before I deliberately went looking for close up tiger shark encounters! And having done that, experiencing near 10-foot tigers close up...I have no real desire to head to Tiger Beach in the Bahamas looking for 14 - 16 footers. As the great safe Dirty Harry Callahan once said, 'A man's got to know his limitations.'

If you'd like to see a trip report using another operator (Jupiter Dive Center) to enjoy the area without baiting or a shark focus, here you go:

Jupiter 2014 - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/491927-jupiter-trip-report-9-7-14-9-11-14-a.html

If you want to see fairly big sharks in the U.S. without shark feeding, a couple of options spring to mind. The lemon sharks aggregate in the Jupiter area in winter; I haven't done a trip then. Or, you could try the offshore deep wreck diving out of North Carolina - and here's a link to cover that -
Morehead City, NC August 2015 - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/no...us-dive-center-aug-9-13-2015-trip-report.html

 

[Johnoly]

6-15 feet away or seeing them naturally.

That's pretty much every dive boat in Florida. But if you want 100% guaranteed to see a shark(s) on a reef non-baited then ask your Jupiter or West Palm Bch dive boat if they will take you to the Jupiter dive site called “Tunnels”. It is impossible not to see a shark on that dive site 365 days a year.

Neither. It’s the feeding of sharks to bring them in I have mixed feelings about.

So there is a difference between hand feeding and closed milk crate baiting. Jupiter sharks will come in 6 – 15 feet of a closed baited milk crate to investigate it. Some sharks may stay around, but if there's no handouts, the smart sharks leave and go look for a charter hook & line fishing boat nearby that is bottom fishing and just steal from them. Dive boats that are routinely known for closed baited milk crates are:

Calypso Divers
http://www.calypsodivecharters.com


Ryan Walton
https://ryanwaltonofficial.com/


Shark Addicts
Shark Diving Florida - Shark Addicts


Florida Shark
Florida Shark Diving | Daily Shark Cage & Freedives


Cracker Charters
Cracker Charters


There are many other private or custom dive boats that will taylor make a baited shark dive trip to your liking, but there are too many to list. The above list does not include the routinely hand feeding shark boats since that's not what you want and there are many of them also. They will do closed milk crate dives also if you do a whole boat private trip with them.

I strongly encourage divers to become better educated about the temperments of sharks by doing a baited dive. In my opinion it removes a lot of fear and histeria that are common with newer divers and non-divers. Most sharks are pretty gentle and interesting when they get within 12 inches of your mask. I hope this small list above helps you find an op that will teach you more about sharks.

I'm diving Jupiter tomorrow and will probably see or radio all the above boats on the water since it's a holiday weekend and many are sold out. I'll very likely see a dozen or more sharks on my 2 tanks and get “ approached(?) “ since I'm spearfishing also. In 25 year's of spearing, I've never killed a shark, but have had many “disagreements” on who's having dinner that day.