Sounds crazy right? Well tens of thousands of people from all over the world disagree. Shark diving is getting increasing popular all over the world as tourists and scuba divers face their fears to take the plunge with some of the most feared animals on earth. Whether it is from the safety of a cage or in the open water, shark diving is becoming huge draw card for shark infested waters like South Africa, Australia, The Gulf of Mexico and California.
South Africa is leading the way in shark diving eco tourism. South Africa is probably the best place for seeing the so called “man eater”, the Great White Shark. The Great White is the most feared predator on earth. Fears fuelled by movies like “Jaws” and “Deep Blue Ocean”. There are literally hundreds of places in South Africa where you can go shark diving and just as many operators willing to take you there. From the safety of a solid steel cage, you can view Great White Sharks of up to 6m in length.
The dive operators take you to spots between two and fifteen kilometers offshore and throw dead fish and blood on the water to lure in any sharks in the area. Some sharks can small a drop of blood up to two kilometers away; to we’re talking a lot of sharks. Once the sharks are in sight the cage is dropped and some fake seal lures are hung over the boat to attract the sharks even closer. You can expect to spend between twenty and forty minutes in the cage. Sharks are often curious about the cage, so close encounters are not uncommon.
Diving with sharks from the safety of a cage not extreme enough for you? Well there are plenty of places where you can dive in the open water with different species of shark. Most sharks will not attack humans unless they feel threatened or they think they’re prey. This makes scuba diving with sharks relatively safe.
Some of the best areas you can dive in the open water with sharks are in The Caribbean, Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, CoCos islands, Mexico, The Maldives and The Bahamas. There are literally dozens of species of shark on offer. What sharks you’re likely to see depends on what time of the year you go. For more information visit our site.
One experience that will literally take your breath away is diving with a Whale Shark. The whale shark is the biggest fish in the world, measuring up to 46+ feet! Scared? You shouldn’t be, the Whale shark is a herbivore! The biggest shark in the world doesn’t eat meat. In fact, the Whale shark is the most docile of all sharks and doesn’t mind a bit of human interaction. Sharing space with this enormous fish truly a life changing experience. Whale sharks are found anywhere in the warm waters near the equator, but they are hard to find and you often need to travel quite a distance offshore.
So does swimming in shark infested waters still sound like a crazy idea or have I wet your appetite for some shark diving? For more information on diving with the sharks you can visit our website, sharkdiving.us. So next time you’re stuck for a summer vacation idea, maybe you should think about going diving with the sharks!
Word count: 563