Shark Diver is going into it's 5th shark season at this site. We continued making history by setting a standard for safety with the use of cages and safety crews deployed at Tiger Beach. 2009 will see a continuation of benthic shark cages at this dive site. These cage systems allow divers and filmmakers unprecedented safety while filming anywhere from 2-12 Tigers at the same time, it is the next advance in Safe and Sane Shark Diving TM. Tiger Beach is the perfect next step from Great White shark diving at Isla Guadalupe for those who want to discover the "Wilder Species" of sharks from sub surface state of the art cages.
We'll introduce you to Tiger sharks ( Galeocerdo cuvier ) and Great Hammerheads ( Sphyrna mokarran) and many Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) up close and personal. Plus you'll get to snorkel and play with Spotted Dolphins, dive incredible sites complete with wrecks and more. Packing as much diving and shark encounters as we can into 7 days is what this is latest adventure is all about.
The Adventure
You and 12 other divers will join Shark Diver for seven days out of Florida aboard the 115' long range dive vessel MV Gulf Stream Eagle. The Eagle was our go-to vessel for this years Discovery Channel Shark Week show featuring the Mythbusters-seen by 29.1 million viewers. Our 7 day schedule is flexible, with a high emphasis on sharks and shark encounters.
Note: In 2008 a 14' pregnant female Tiger was killed and her pups left on the ground. The Bahamas have no laws to protect these magnificent sharks at this time. Stay tuned for upcoming conservation efforts. Shark Diver along with others in our community will be trying to change this, but we'll need your help.
Day 1
Welcome to Florida. Once you have arrived at our docks we’ll check you in between 6.00pm-8.00pm. Time to unpack, and familiarize yourself with your floating home for the week. Once you have settled in you are free to join your fellow divers at a local bar for some fresh Grouper Tacos and a cool beer. Later tonight we’ll have an orientation on emergency procedures and shark diving information. We depart the this evening for our short cruise to "Tiger Beach". This a great time to sit back and meet your fellow divers. The next morning will be busy with lots of diving.
Day 2
While your co-workers are drudging to work you will be shark diving with Tigers and perhaps if conditions are just right a Hammerhead or two. This morning we awake on Tiger Beach and drop cages. The crew has been chumming since early morning. Tigers start arriving in the morning, typically we see anywhere from 1-10 sharks, and they are hungry. Tigers are different from Great Whites in many ways. Here we'll be in 15-30 feet of water with a sandy bottom. Benthic shark cages drop to the bottom and we have Tigers chasing after hang baits right up to the cages. The shark diving operation will last all day long with regular shark rotations for our divers. If we feel like it or the action slows down divers can choose to run over to El Dorado where local populations of Caribbean Reef sharks swim close as you explore this reef. The game plan is to spend the entire day here where ever the shark action is the hottest. Note: Unlike Tigers, Caribbean Reef sharks and Lemon Sharks are considered a "safer" shark species. We do cage-less dives with these animals but always have a safety diver in place and do not chum on these dives if conditions dictate. The encounters here are completely natural and occur because these reefs are pristine.
Day 3
This is another full dive day with 5-10 dives at Tiger Beach. Wake up to breakfast onboard to the beautiful Grand Bahama Banks. We'll make a run over to the "Bull-Pen" it's a 60' dive with Caribbean Reef sharks, groupers, eagle rays if the Tigers are not playing today. From there we go to colorful Hogfish reef, then to Sugar Wreck for an afternoon and a night dive. We frequently snorkel & dive with large friendly turtles on this ancient wreck that was once a 330' sailing vessel. Nighttime we anchor up in a calm area for overnight known locally as Dry Bar....it's only a short distance from our Tiger shark site. Expect Tiger diving and lots of it if conditions and animals permit, this is the main reason we are here!
Day 4
More sharking at Tiger Beach this morning. Divers will spend as much time as they like getting shots and encounter time with these animals. We'll be chumming all night long to keep interest high. This afternoon for a change of pace we are off to discover friendly Spotted Dolphins. These are wild dolphins who love to play and interact with divers and they congregate off the coast a few hours north. Dolphin encounters are snorkeling only, in 15-20 feet of water. The prime dolphin ground is an ocean paradise named 'White Sand Ridge'. Make sure you bring your fins along as these animals like to interact with the swimmers. We have an option to extend the dolphin encounter with lights for a night encounter or jump in on a night dive on a local reef the choice is yours by group consensus.
Day 5
Breakfast around 8:00 am, with our first dive on The Mountains a beautiful 60 to 90 feet dive. We often come across huge turtles, rays, flying fish, large game fish and other open ocean wonders whilst cruising. See colorful sponges, deep water fish, schools of Jacks and tropical fish. In the afternoon we'll make a run to a mini wall that ranges from 40-80 feet featuring big swim through crevices, sponges, and more schooling fish.
Day 6
Last Chance for Tigers. This morning we will once again explore the ocean environment, spending the first part of the morning at Tiger Beach to say a fond good by to our local Tiger Sharks. If we would like we can also run to another site for a good old fashioned Caribbean Reef shark dive to round out your last day with us here in the Bahamas. In the evening expect a local night dive, and a few logger head turtles and a nurse shark or two.
Day 7
We will be heading back to Florida today. Congratulations, you have just completed the "Bahamas Ultimate Shark Tour"
Tigers, Great Whites and Safety:
A quick note about cage diving with Tiger sharks. Some operators have successfully arranged non caged Tiger shark encounters. While they have been successful to date and the images pulled from these encounters nothing short of stunning we have chosen to offer our encounters within the confines of a cage for safety reasons. With cages we can offer this encounter to a much broader range of divers, and couples who value safety and relaxed diving...after all this is your vacation. As well we have discovered many of our divers prefer the safety aspect of caged diving. They feel they can relax and shoot the animals without the fear of "bump and bites". It's the reason that cages are part of Shark Divers "Safe and Sane" shark diving encounters.
The Tiger shark is second only to the White shark in number of reported attacks on humans. Its large size and voraciousness make it a formidable predator in the ocean. Tiger sharks can be curious and aggressive towards humans in the water and must be considered with a great deal of respect. While we wish those that choose non cage Tiger encounters continued success, our divers realize that managed risk, and respect for large predators is paramount to a successful dive. Join us this year and discover the next great marine predator....the Tiger Shark, it's a wild adventure out there!
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$3500 per
person