Hungry Sharks?

Think He is Hungry?

Marcel Champigny

Give us a general overview of your adventure:
I earned enough miles on my airlines credit card to get a ticket to the Caribbean so my dive buddy volunteered to join me for a shark dive in the Bahamas. This was something I’ve seen on TV and always wanted to try. With a little research I found it was very achievable. After a week of partying and diving in Nassau I earned my advanced PADI certification and was ready for the shark dive. I expected to see about 5-10 sharks but there were more like 50. It was an amazing heart-pounding experience.

What type of gear did you bring?
My main reason for this trip was to scuba dive, in particular the shark-feeding dive. I brought a scuba mask, fins, snorkel, underwater camera, sandals, and all the regular beach vacation stuff.

Was it difficult?: no
Why or why not?
In some ways it was difficult because you had to really get your nerve up to jump in the ocean with a bunch of hungry sharks. If you don’t dive regularly it is hard enough to get all your dive gear set up right, without worrying about a shark eating you if you make a wrong move. I personally wasn’t too worried since they told us no observer has ever been attacked by the sharks during the feed, only the photographer and feeder. So basically if you sit still and follow the instructions there should be no problems, except you might pee in your wetsuit; but that is ok because you are underwater anyway.

Would you recommend this adventure trip to someone else? Why or Why Not?
Most definitely! The Bahamas was the best diving I’ve ever done. The visibility was awesome on every dive we did all week. After we saw sharks earlier in the week on a regular dive we didn’t think the shark dive would be that great since you are basically sitting and watching. However once we got in the dive and our feeder started his routine the sharks were swarming around us like flies. It was simply amazing to be around all these wild sharks and observere their primal behavior.

What do you wish you would have done differently?
We took advantage of most of the dives they offered such as wall flying, but if I went again I would be sure to book a night dive which we missed out on.

What kind of advice can you give to other travellers going on this adventure?
While your not diving try to catch a junkanoo parade, its awesome. As for the diving part we dove with Stuart Coves on Nassau. I would recommend them since they seem to be the most professional outfit on the island. You can visit their website for all the details including a sample video of a shark dive www.stuartcove.com. If you decide to go on the shark dive I’d recommend diving a few days beforehand to get comfortable with the dive crew and how they operate. That way when it comes time for the shark dive you won’t sweat the little stuff.

Let’s pretend we don’t notice the 14 foot shark behind us
Where is your next big adventure? Why?
This summer my wife and I are taking an extended vacation in Europe using the 3 month Eurail train pass. We want to enjoy an extended vacation before we really settle down. If I ever do a shark dive again I’d like to try one in South Africa where you go down in a cage and watch great white sharks.

Did you travel before or after your adventure? If so, where?
Other than my certification tests the only diving experience I had before this trip was on Catalina Island in California earlier that summer.