FettSolo
Contributor
Why Rhode Island for shark diving?
I absolutely love sharks, and thus have been interested in diving with blue and shortfin mako sharks. There are couple spots around the world to potentially dive/snorkel with blues and makos: Azores, Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), Montauk (NY), New Zealand, Rhode Island, and San Diego. Rhode Island is the closest for me, being a 3.5hr drive.
Dive Operator and Boat
I actually had previously tried to see blues and makos with two other companies last summer: Snappa Charters out of RI, and SD Expeditions in San Diego. While I had no issues with either of them, and the lack of a single shark was not their fault (wildlife is... wild! Who knew?), I was interested in trying a different operator this year. I had heard good things about Pelagic Expeditions, so I booked three days with them.
PE is run by Brian Raymond and Joe Romeiro. Romeiro is an underwater cinematographer who films for Shark Week every year, among other projects. Both of them have a ton of experience with blue and mako sharks, especially when it comes to filming and photographing them. Both of them were on the boat, along with Lauren, their super friendly assistant, and a boat captain (I forgot his name).
The boat was a decent size, fitting the crew and the six customers without it feeling tight. There are a couple camping/lawn chairs out back to sit on. There is shade somewhere on the boat at any given time of day. There is a cooler to store food and drinks (they bring water and soda for you), as well as a head below.
The Dives
First off, I should clarify this is not actually scuba diving. You are snorkeling with the sharks. Each day consists of meeting at the dock at 630am, heading out 90min or more out into the open ocean, setting up shop in a location, chumming, and then waiting for the sharks. Once a shark shows up, it is a gradual process. Brian and Joe want to make sure it is comfortable and will stick around. After that, the first person (whomever has the most shark diving experience) enters the water. If the shark is comfortable with one person, then the next person gets in, and so on. Rarely were all six of us in the water at the same time.
First day was blown out due to weather. Second day, a minke whale came to say hello in the morning, which was awesome. The blue sharks did not show up until around 11am or so. Because of the aforementioned gradual process, I did not enter the water with a shark until around 1pm, but I had plenty of time with them that afternoon. The highlight was at one point being alone in the water with two blue sharks. In total, we saw ten different blue sharks that day (no makos). We reached land around 530 or 6pm.
On the third day, we stopped the boat at 8am and the first blue shark appeared at 830am. There were nonstop sharks all day. At one point, I was in the water with four, which was exhilarating! In total, we saw 20-30 different blue sharks (no makos). We reached land around 430 or 5pm.
Brian, Lauren and Joe will assist you in getting ready, give you advice on how to position yourself for the best shots, and overall were very helpful. That being said, they will not coddle you, and I could easily see a scenario where someone might find them rude or off-putting (and I had heard many negative things about their personalities prior to this trip). I never personally felt this way; just something to keep in mind.
Both days, the sharks got very close. You need to keep space between you and them, which I did with my DSLR camera rig. A shark would bump my rig every few minutes, and one shark bit my dome port (scratched it up very nicely)! I never felt in danger or anything like that, but at the end of the day, these are wild animals and you need to pay attention to where they are. I've been around other large animals before, above and below the water, so I was comfortable - but this is not the same as, say, snorkeling with manatees.
Lodging
I camped at Fishermen's Memorial State Park, which was a mere three minute drive from the docks. I like camping, and it was a fraction of the cost of any lodging in Narragansett and the surrounding area, so it was a no-brainer for me. It is also located next to a bird sanctuary, which meant I saw plenty of birds on my way to/from the docks. I would camp there again.
Food
Since I was camping and being cheap, I stuck to making my own food. My one meal out was at Gansett Wraps, which was delicious and affordable.
Bottom Line
This trip is not for the faint of heart. Long hours on the water (10-12 hours) each day, in conditions that could definitely make one feel seasick, and in the water you need to pay attention at all times to these large sharks moving around you. This is not a relaxing trip, so if that's what you want, go elsewhere. That all being said, I had an awesome time! The blue sharks were beautiful to watch from the boat for hours, and in the water it was amazing to see them so up close. Having been out with both RI operators, I preferred Pelagic Expeditions to Snappa, and if I was to go again, I would definitely choose Pelagic.
I absolutely love sharks, and thus have been interested in diving with blue and shortfin mako sharks. There are couple spots around the world to potentially dive/snorkel with blues and makos: Azores, Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), Montauk (NY), New Zealand, Rhode Island, and San Diego. Rhode Island is the closest for me, being a 3.5hr drive.
Dive Operator and Boat
I actually had previously tried to see blues and makos with two other companies last summer: Snappa Charters out of RI, and SD Expeditions in San Diego. While I had no issues with either of them, and the lack of a single shark was not their fault (wildlife is... wild! Who knew?), I was interested in trying a different operator this year. I had heard good things about Pelagic Expeditions, so I booked three days with them.
PE is run by Brian Raymond and Joe Romeiro. Romeiro is an underwater cinematographer who films for Shark Week every year, among other projects. Both of them have a ton of experience with blue and mako sharks, especially when it comes to filming and photographing them. Both of them were on the boat, along with Lauren, their super friendly assistant, and a boat captain (I forgot his name).
The boat was a decent size, fitting the crew and the six customers without it feeling tight. There are a couple camping/lawn chairs out back to sit on. There is shade somewhere on the boat at any given time of day. There is a cooler to store food and drinks (they bring water and soda for you), as well as a head below.
The Dives
First off, I should clarify this is not actually scuba diving. You are snorkeling with the sharks. Each day consists of meeting at the dock at 630am, heading out 90min or more out into the open ocean, setting up shop in a location, chumming, and then waiting for the sharks. Once a shark shows up, it is a gradual process. Brian and Joe want to make sure it is comfortable and will stick around. After that, the first person (whomever has the most shark diving experience) enters the water. If the shark is comfortable with one person, then the next person gets in, and so on. Rarely were all six of us in the water at the same time.
First day was blown out due to weather. Second day, a minke whale came to say hello in the morning, which was awesome. The blue sharks did not show up until around 11am or so. Because of the aforementioned gradual process, I did not enter the water with a shark until around 1pm, but I had plenty of time with them that afternoon. The highlight was at one point being alone in the water with two blue sharks. In total, we saw ten different blue sharks that day (no makos). We reached land around 530 or 6pm.
On the third day, we stopped the boat at 8am and the first blue shark appeared at 830am. There were nonstop sharks all day. At one point, I was in the water with four, which was exhilarating! In total, we saw 20-30 different blue sharks (no makos). We reached land around 430 or 5pm.
Brian, Lauren and Joe will assist you in getting ready, give you advice on how to position yourself for the best shots, and overall were very helpful. That being said, they will not coddle you, and I could easily see a scenario where someone might find them rude or off-putting (and I had heard many negative things about their personalities prior to this trip). I never personally felt this way; just something to keep in mind.
Both days, the sharks got very close. You need to keep space between you and them, which I did with my DSLR camera rig. A shark would bump my rig every few minutes, and one shark bit my dome port (scratched it up very nicely)! I never felt in danger or anything like that, but at the end of the day, these are wild animals and you need to pay attention to where they are. I've been around other large animals before, above and below the water, so I was comfortable - but this is not the same as, say, snorkeling with manatees.
Lodging
I camped at Fishermen's Memorial State Park, which was a mere three minute drive from the docks. I like camping, and it was a fraction of the cost of any lodging in Narragansett and the surrounding area, so it was a no-brainer for me. It is also located next to a bird sanctuary, which meant I saw plenty of birds on my way to/from the docks. I would camp there again.
Food
Since I was camping and being cheap, I stuck to making my own food. My one meal out was at Gansett Wraps, which was delicious and affordable.
Bottom Line
This trip is not for the faint of heart. Long hours on the water (10-12 hours) each day, in conditions that could definitely make one feel seasick, and in the water you need to pay attention at all times to these large sharks moving around you. This is not a relaxing trip, so if that's what you want, go elsewhere. That all being said, I had an awesome time! The blue sharks were beautiful to watch from the boat for hours, and in the water it was amazing to see them so up close. Having been out with both RI operators, I preferred Pelagic Expeditions to Snappa, and if I was to go again, I would definitely choose Pelagic.
