Manuel Sam
Contributor
What you said about not having seen the Oceanics in 4 trips trips to the Red Sea highlights the fact that it is about luck and about improving one's odds by targetting the species that you wish to see during the peak season (if there is one) for those species. Choosing a good operator is also a factor.
My suggestions to you were based on destinations that you apparently had not been to before and that I think are good for the late winter/Spring timeframe that you chose. If you were considering a late Spring/Summer timeframe, for example, I would have a different set of suggestions.
The Oceanics seem to be almost fearless. But the fact that I am here typing this reply to you says that you can lessen the risk if you follow the dive operator's instructions. As best as I know, there have not been any incidents reported from these encounters in Cat Island.
Those of us with a larger housed camera used it not so much as a ram but as a barrier when they got a bit too close. For those without a large housed camera, Epic Diving provided a 1 meter long PVC pipe to present as a barrier to the approaching shark. To me, the key is to always remain alert when they are in the water, with your head pretty much on a turret turning 360 degrees, and always maintaining eye to eye contact before, during and after they swim by you. Other types of sharks pass by and keep on going. This one is the only one I have seen that passes by, might already be 2-3 meters past, but seems to sense that I turned my head to look elsewhere and turns right around and comes again.
Ultimately, you have to dive within your comfort zone, and if these types of encounters are going to become stressful and less enjoyable, maybe it might be better to choose something else.
My suggestions to you were based on destinations that you apparently had not been to before and that I think are good for the late winter/Spring timeframe that you chose. If you were considering a late Spring/Summer timeframe, for example, I would have a different set of suggestions.
The Oceanics seem to be almost fearless. But the fact that I am here typing this reply to you says that you can lessen the risk if you follow the dive operator's instructions. As best as I know, there have not been any incidents reported from these encounters in Cat Island.
Those of us with a larger housed camera used it not so much as a ram but as a barrier when they got a bit too close. For those without a large housed camera, Epic Diving provided a 1 meter long PVC pipe to present as a barrier to the approaching shark. To me, the key is to always remain alert when they are in the water, with your head pretty much on a turret turning 360 degrees, and always maintaining eye to eye contact before, during and after they swim by you. Other types of sharks pass by and keep on going. This one is the only one I have seen that passes by, might already be 2-3 meters past, but seems to sense that I turned my head to look elsewhere and turns right around and comes again.
Ultimately, you have to dive within your comfort zone, and if these types of encounters are going to become stressful and less enjoyable, maybe it might be better to choose something else.
