Written by Jaime Bowers, March 2023 on a Shark Angels Shark Diving Adventure
How can you sum up the trip of a lifetime? A trip where you were privileged to meet and interact with so many sharks you lost count? The Great Hammerhead and Tiger Shark Liveaboard Dive trip to the Bahamas was one of those experiences you can never quite express the words for how amazing it was and how very lucky we were to be a part of the lives of the fantastic sharks that inhabit the waters off the Bahamian coast, even if only for a few days.
The Shark Angels group organized an action packed 8-day vacation, one in which every day of the trip we donned our dive gear and headed into the Caribbean to experience the lives of 6 different species of sharks including Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, lemon sharks, tiger sharks, great hammerhead sharks and the very elusive and barely spotted on the periphery bull sharks. Each dive was a new wonderland of shark viewing, interacting with and experiencing ocean life through these amazing fish’s eyes. To swim on the expansive reef where these gentle but giant creatures call home and see them living their daily lives was truly an experience beyond my wildest dreams. Of the 22 dives I completed on the 8-day adventure, not one single dive was without a shark spotting. This trip truly lived up to its name and reputation and gave each diver a one of a kind experiences to swim as close to sharks as one would like and see them swimming with grace through their natural habitat and interacting peacefully with one another.
We were honored by the presence of one lemon shark, who decided it was time to get its teeth cleaned by the closest remora fish. It settled on the ocean floor and allowed us to watch as it enjoyed its daily dental visit and had its teeth strategically cleaned in preparation for its next meal. In exchange for temporary room and board, this remora was helping to keep its shark host clean of parasites, dead skin and food scraps.
One of the most unexpected encounters I witnessed were all the sharks circling our dive boat in the dark. These beauties encircled our dive boat each morning and evening, most likely hoping for an early morning or midnight snack, but provided us with just a few more spectacular minutes to watch them while capturing some amazing photos of them doing what sharks do best.
Is that a Giant Hammer I spot? These amazing fish, weighing in at around 500 pounds and spanning almost 12 feet in length, have the biggest dorsal fin I’ve ever seen. Using its 360-degree view, they kept a keen eye on us as they glided by with ease, always with a bit of skepticism though. Pass after pass they’d assess the situation until finally going in for the fishy snack.
The shark diving trip would not have been complete without experiencing at least one feeding frenzy with a flurry of sharks. We not only witnessed several feedings by hand from our experienced Dolphin Dream Crew, but also baited reef feedings so the sharks could eat from the chum boxes within the surrounding reef. Each feeding brought in a different group of hungry sharks ready and willing to show off their dominance. The sharks truly are the masters of their domain on Tiger Beach, as expressed by their ability to dive bomb one’s tutu photo shoot. This curious reef shark surely wanted to know all about the colorful tutus we were wearing and where it could get one to show off for its fellow shark friends.
THANK YOU, Shark Angels, for organizing this magical adventure for me and my fellow divers and allowing us to see the very sharks you strive to protect, living their daily lives and existing harmoniously with all the other wondrous fish in the ocean. It was a life altering experience.