Responsible shark diving destinations/shops?

[jmfitzgi]

Hey! Newly certified OW diver here - it's my first post so please forgive me if I've found my way to the wrong forum!

My first few logged dives have me hooked. Sharks have been my favorite critters since before I ever considered scuba. I'd love to be able to dive with them in a way that is respectful, safe and unobtrusive; I do not support chumming or feeding to attract sharks. Instead, I'd love to just visit a site that is frequented naturally by them and observe at a distance. All species are of interest.

I'd like to plan a trip somewhere to continue my dive training. With responsible shark diving in mind, does anyone have recommendations? Ecological/animal welfare is my chief deciding factor, and I'm not attached to any particular island/nation/area, although I'm from Canada so Western hemisphere destinations are preferred for the time being simply due to price. Bonus points for a shop that offers the AWARE Shark Conservation course.

 

[drrich2]

'Responsible,' implying that those conducting dives with different views are irresponsible? To each their own.

You'll need more experience, comfort with deep diving and probably AOW and nitrox cert.s, but when you're ready, I think you'll love the diving with sand tigers out of North Carolina. Trip report with logistics.

A live aboard trip to the Bahamas or Turks and Caicos could also get you shark action. If on a Bahamas boat they did a baited dive once, would you just skip it or do you boycott op.s who do any such dives? Not a critism, just something people need to know to help you.

Richard.

 

[jmfitzgi]

'Responsible,' implying that those conducting dives with different views are irresponsible? To each their own.

You'll need more experience, comfort with deep diving and probably AOW and nitrox cert.s, but when you're ready, I think you'll love the diving with sand tigers out of North Carolina. Trip report with logistics.

A live aboard trip to the Bahamas or Turks and Caicos could also get you shark action. If on a Bahamas boat they did a baited dive once, would you just skip it or do you boycott op.s who do any such dives? Not a critism, just something people need to know to help you.

Richard.

Thanks for the link! I will check it out. Hoping to chip away at the AOW / adventure dives over the next year or so here in Canada.

Re: baiting on a liveaboard - I would prefer to simply not give my money to an operation that engages in the activity. My view, if you're looking for it: the sharks are there anyway, in places like the Bahamas. Baiting and feeding only serves to alter their behavior in the presence of divers (associating them with food) and, unfortunately, make them easier for finning operations to find. Many species occur at depths not normally reachable by recreational/OW divers, but are lured into shallower water nearer to shore where they stay for longer periods than normal due to the area being repeatedly chummed. So, yes - if the goal is shark awareness and conservation, baiting and feeding leaves the animals vulnerable and hence hampers that goal for the sake of profit. No "implying" about it; I feel that the practice is irresponsible and unsafe, and I would prefer to dive with a shop that abstains from the practice.

 

[diversteve]

There's no baiting in the Turks/Caicos yet I saw more sharks in their natural state there than anywhere I've dove except for one feed site in Cay Sal (Bahamas) where I was enveloped in about 20 hoping I was the feeder.

The best is West Caicos or tiny French Cay - both about 45mins. from Provo (Providenciales) If you don't see sharks there you're not trying. One dive a spotted nurse shark followed us around the reef like a puppy, another I almost dropped onto a reef sharks back and as we moved down the wall we'd see 5-6 on every dive. Plus too many stingrays to count - around one mooring I counted 25 during my stop. One night sharks fed in the bow lights while we hung off the stern ladders 110' away - it was pretty cool.

Lots of lush coral since some of the walls are 1000's of feet deep - a lot of nutrients flow up. Plus the water is stunningly clear so it's clear and bright at 100' or more. Most of our dives were 40-80' and we didn't miss much.

Two liveaboards work the area summer-late fall an Aggressor or an Explorer. Also most of the dayboat operators on Provo launch from a south side marina - since most accommodation are north (Grace Bay is one of the world's best beaches, they pick you up, do two dives and lunch and return by 2:30. Add a 3rd dive and it's 4:30. They also dive out past Grace Bay and along one point of the island but I don't think we saw any sharks there in two days of diving. And we would have definitely been looking/filming if we had. We also heard, but did not see a pod of dolphins off West Caicos.

Pricey but IMO the spot for shark encounters of the non-baited kind. Easy direct flights on AA from Charlotte every Saturday. I've never found a T/C dive portal but they're all listed here:

www.turksandcaicostourism.com

When you get a lot more dive experience - probably the ultimate natural shark diving is this hemisphere is the Socorros (Revilligigados Islands) - 4 tiny islands hundreds of miles southwest of Baja. All liveaboard only, rough crossing but there can be 20 species of sharks, pick the right time of year and add humbpbacks and other fin whales also - plus hammerheads school there. Not to mention about 2 dozen 20' wide Manta Rays that seem to like the diver interaction. Not unccommon to have giant tuna flash by while diving also

Since they're the only thing out there, they attract fishlife also. . It's been called the "best big animal diving on earth". Here's a couple of links:

Solmar – Welcome Aboard Solmar V
Nautilus Explorer Luxury Scuba Diving Safari Liveaboard Socorro Giant Mantas

 

[DivealotZA]

Western hemisphere destinations are preferred for the time being simply due to price.

Your dollars will go a long way in South Africa but I'm probably biased.

If you would like more info about what you can do around here, send me a PM

 

[Dan]

I just came back from Isla Mujeres, Mexico in 1st week of July for swimming with whaleshark. Here's a video I took:


Also I went to Galápagos to see schooling hammerheads in December 2016. Here is a video I took:

 

[Steve_C]

Not all NC dives require nitrox or AOW. The Hyde out of Wilmington, NC has Sand Tigers in the early summer and Fall. I have seen a lot of folks dive it with AL80s and on air. It is 60 ft to the top deck and 70 ft to main deck. (80ish to the sand). It is pretty much intact. I have seen a number where it was their first ocean dive. I have had instabuddies on that dive with far less experience than you. As long as you can control your buoyancy well and monitor your air it is a great entry dive to NC diving. It is also popular with those with a lot more experience. I counted 31 species of fish a couple weeks ago. Once in a while you will see a sand bar. Pretty shark. Aquatic Safaris and any of the other ops offer all kinds of training. The Hyde is a popular site for several parts of courses including boat, deep (they go to the sand), fish ID, wreck.

 

[herman]

Based on your location and interest, North Carolina is the closest and easiest place to go. The diving is somewhat advanced since the dives tend to be a long way off shore (a 2-3 hr boat rides are common) and the dives are on the deeper side with 80 to 120 ft dives common. Nitrox is recommended. It is also "big boy" diving, there are no DM's to lead you around or set up your gear for you. You and your buddy are responsible for the dive. Since dives are commonly canceled due to weather/sea conditions, scheduling several days with alternative things to do is a must. Trust me, if our captains don't want to go out, neither do you. 4ft to 5 ft seas are common but we also get glass slick days. You need to be prepared for both.
With that said, Sand Tiger shark encounters are very common and often times up close and personal. We do not feed or otherwise bait them but for whatever reason they tend to react to divers in 2 ways, totally ignoring us to the point that divers who are not pay attention to their surroundings have been know to run into the sharks (the sharks just zip away at that point) and others that will alter course, swim up next to you...often times within arms reach...and swim along side of you for several minutes. It is really unnerving the first time a 8-10 ft shark turns as it passes you, comes up from behind and "schools" with you at arms length. It is also very exciting and happens a lot.
For close, natural shark encounters, NC is the place, just be prepared for the diving style we have.

 

[Steve_C]

Based on your location and interest, North Carolina is the closest and easiest place to go. The diving is somewhat advanced since the dives tend to be a long way off shore (a 2-3 hr boat rides are common) and the dives are on the deeper side with 80 to 120 ft dives common. Nitrox is recommended. It is also "big boy" diving, there are no DM's to lead you around or set up your gear for you. You and your buddy are responsible for the dive. Since dives are commonly canceled due to weather/sea conditions, scheduling several days with alternative things to do is a must. Trust me, if our captains don't want to go out, neither do you. 4ft to 5 ft seas are common but we also get glass slick days. You need to be prepared for both.
With that said, Sand Tiger shark encounters are very common and often times up close and personal. We do not feed or otherwise bait them but for whatever reason they tend to react to divers in 2 ways, totally ignoring us to the point that divers who are not pay attention to their surroundings have been know to run into the sharks (the sharks just zip away at that point) and others that will alter course, swim up next to you...often times within arms reach...and swim along side of you for several minutes. It is really unnerving the first time a 8-10 ft shark turns as it passes you, comes up from behind and "schools" with you at arms length. It is also very exciting and happens a lot.
For close, natural shark encounters, NC is the place, just be prepared for the diving style we have.

Good points. This post applies more to the diving out of Moorehead or Hatteras. The Hyde out of Wilmington is a bit shallower as noted and the boat ride is around 1.5 hours out depending on which boat you take. If you do not have a buddy and feel uncomfortable with an instabuddy some of the ops like Aquatic Safaris can rent you a DM for a modest fee.

 

[EVMia]

We'd love to have you onboard the Turks & Caicos Explorer II! @diversteve did a great job giving the low down on the diving here and he's right about the sharks! None of the dive operators feed the sharks and there is still lots of action. In the first clip of our promo video, look in the right corner. You can see the silhouette's of Nurse Sharks that breed just off French Cay - cool! And every once in awhile there is a Hammerhead sighting too.
We offer up to 5 dives a day, but you don't have to do all of them; there is something very special and relaxing about being on a boat in the middle of the ocean, especially in the evenings under the moon when you're not diving. You'll also find that your skills as a new diver usually improve drastically over the week with lots of diving and support from a pretty awesome crew as well as more experienced guests diving with you. Send a message to info@ExplorerVentures.com with your preferred travel dates and any questions you might have and hopefully we can see you on board one day!