Shark Diving... Florida? Bahamas?

[HalcyonDaze]

I go out on the Emerald and Guy and I have had our disagreements on here about the operation, but Randy does push it. That's why I said it's not for the inexperienced; those dives are in over 80 feet of water, in heavy current, and I don't think anyone does them on standard air. On top of that you will be seeing big sharks flashing their pearly whites at close range. You couldn't pay me to try the nose-rubbing bit in proximity to bait, and I'd balk at getting as close as Mickey, Cameron, and Alan Egan get for "the shot."

I would strongly suggest not doing an Emerald trip unless you have a lot of drift dive experience at depth and on nitrox. I would also strongly suggest making an honest assessment of how you react to sudden stress underwater. My first shark dive with Randy I had a silky shark get in my face a few times, and panicking underwater isn't a good thing even without depth, current, and sharks.


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[drbill]

I did shark feeding dives with Blackbeards and Stuart Cove in the Bahamas last year. I was pleased with the footage from both of these dives which I used to produce a short video on why not to (unreasonably) fear sharks.

If I were to return to the Bahamas, I'd probably go with Cristina Zenato at UNEXSO and film some tigers.

Some of my best shark diving though was in Tahiti where the dive operators I dove with did not feed them.

 

[taymag]

Thanks for the info guys. I will further my experience and comfort in the water a bit more before venturing into the topic. I was just curious on the answers I would get and just wanted to know if these things were possible locally even though I do plan on heading to the the Bahamas eventually whether its shark diving or to other popular dive places there

 

[motorref]

I dove with Fred and Melinda Rieger at Grand Bahama Scuba in Freeport several times (Grand Bahamas Scuba - Meet Fred Riger ); they don't feed or bait and we always had good luck with them. As for being afraid, they never came very close (not less than 4-5 ft). My wife was one the boat when I took my daughters, and said it was pretty neat to watch the sharks come up with us as we ascended.

KevinL

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Thanks for the info guys. I will further my experience and comfort in the water a bit more before venturing into the topic. I was just curious on the answers I would get and just wanted to know if these things were possible locally even though I do plan on heading to the the Bahamas eventually whether its shark diving or to other popular dive places there

If you want to start local I highly recommend Ocean Quest or Narcosis out of Riviera Beach. Both are stellar ops, good at showing you the ropes of Palm Beach County diving, and love looking for sharks.


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[guyharrisonphoto]

I agree with Halcyon, and would also add Jupiter Dive Center as an op that is non-feeding but regularly reports shark sightings. Shark diving without the feeding/baiting/spearing is a whole different thing, as the sharks tend to stand off, there is rarely if ever a feeling of threat, and you see "natural" behavior of the sharks cruising the reef instead of coming for the bait. It is something even newer divers can be comfortable with once they know what to expect and shark sightings are still a thrill for me even after 40 years of diving.

 

[coraldiver5]

Here is a really cool video from Epic Diving's Tiger Beach trip.

[video=youtube;iuxmJeeyIZk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuxmJeeyIZk&list=UUBBbm1kAlN6CS3YuvHlPjqA[/video]