Shark diving for a first-time liveaboard

[plumber]

For my husband's 40th birthday, I'm planning to get him a trip on a liveaboard with his brother. (I'm not such an avid diver, and I think I would cramp his style.) He's never been on a liveaboard before but has always wanted to. Additionally, it's always been his dream to see a shark while diving.

I'm looking for advice as to the best liveaboard that will let him see sharks. His birthday is in January so the trip would most likely be Jan/Feb timeframe. For budget I'm thinking around $2000 per person (for the cruise - flights would be on top), but am somewhat flexible as it's a couple of years off so I have time to save up.

I'm posting this under a "bugmenot" ID for anonymity - just in case anyone checks my posting history and it doesn't add up!

 

[diversteve]

Big sharks? - try Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures, Blue Iguana Charters or Dolphin Dream. It's almost guaranteed he'll see some. They leave from South Florida also. Blue Iguana from the Bahamas or Bimini depending on the trip selected.

Sharks of the Bahamas :: Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures
Blue Iguana Charters | Florida Liveaboard Dive Charters | Call Us at 561-797-2540
Bahamas Adventure Cruise Schedule for the Dolphin Dream.

Becky Kagan shot a great video of the trip:



Reef sharks with seriously excellent clear deep wall diving? Try Turks & Caicos on the Explorer or Aggressor. Fairly easy to get to thru Charlotte also. We did it two years ago. Saw everything in this trip report (thanks to Mike Southard) except the dolphins. It's a good boat and crew. At French Cay we dove with between 3-5 sharks on every single dive over 2 days. If Turks/Caicos is of interest get on Explorer's mailing list. Usually in the spring they discount some of their trips all during the year by as much as $500 and send out an e-mail. Limited trips, limited weeks and they sell out fast. We paid $1800 for a $2295 trip.

Saudio's Trip Reports
Explorer Ventures: Adventures in Liveaboard Diving
http://www.aggressor.com/turkscaicos.php

Some of the other Bahama Liveaboards also see sharks often.
Blackbeards, Cat Ppalu, AquaCat or Lost Island Voyages are options. All leave from Nassau IIRC. Except for AquaCat all are under $2K. On Blackbeards you can get both trips for under that. It's a lot like camping at sea...

If you can just about double the budget (start saving...LOL), the Socorro (Revilligegados) Islands off Mexico are epic for shark encounters. Solmar V has some video on their website showing the multiple shark species they encounter annually in winter. Plus Mantas, Dolphins, Whale Sharks, occasional Humbpack Whales. Rocio Del Mar and Nautilus Explorer are also other options - Rocio is slightly cheaper, Nautilus is more. They leave from Cabo San Lucas - it's an all day crossing so often a 10 day trip.

Socorro Liveaboard diving aboard Solmar V - Giant Mantas, Sharks and Humpback Whales at the Socorro Islands
Rocio Del Mar Liveaboard
Nautilus Explorer Luxury Scuba Diving Safari Liveaboard Socorro Giant Mantas and Guadalupe Great White Sharks

 

[Doubler]

Socorro without a doubt he would see sharks, lots of sharks, without being baited. In Socorro you view the sharks at cleaning stations or in the blue. Tiger beach and a lot of the other sites bait the sharks so it is not the same experience. Depends on what he wants to see.

 

[gizmo1972]

I would recommend the turks & caicois islands (providencialis) out of the 27 dives you do then your see sharks on at least 26 of them
the explorer is the cheaper option but i would go the Aggressor route (they have great deals ) and have great crew top captain and the food is sescond to none and the hot tub! but remember both boats go to the dom republic for whale watching feb time for 10-12 weeks have fun and check both web sites the explorer is based in caicos marina ship yard (middle of nothing!) Aggressor is bassed in turtle cove marina lots of bars and resturants remember the last night is on town!! can add $30 taxi fares (waste of beer money!)

 

[Shasta_man]

I'm thinking "lots of bars and restaurants" for the last night on the town with his brother may not be what she had in mind...

And "see a shark" is not the same thing as "surrounded by 12 foot Tiger sharks"....HA HA HA HA.... that trip is a good one but you definitely get all the "shark" you can handle...

 

[rongoodman]

The southern Bahamas trip with Explorer Ventures would be another choice. Lots of reef sharks and hammerhead cruise along the walls.

 

[CanadianTravelAgent]

As a first introduction to sharks and with your budget, I agree with the Turks and Caicos Aggressor. Even diving from there as a land-based option, you will see reef sharks on almost every dive. Lucked out once and saw a hammerhead cruising by as well! But as gizmo1972 has pointed out, you have to watch out for their schedule as they do pull out of T&C and do the whalewatching tours out of the DR mid to late Feb. Another consideration for this time period is the weather. Water is relatively cooler in the winter and you can get pretty chilly by the end of the week on a liveaboard.

 

[danvolker]

I suggest Jim Abernethy Scuba Adventures. Aside from being one of the top shark behaviorists today, no one enjoys, or has more fun than Jim when diving....his love and passion for the ocean is contagious. His Shark dives on the Liveaboard Shearwater are amazing....see his movie on sharks:
[video=vimeo;22148242]http://vimeo.com/22148242#[/video]

 

[tracydr]

I've been wanting to go to Socorro or Cocos Island. I loved Galapagos and they both look similar. Not sure if they are in your budget.