 |
Want a diving experience that will get the hair on your arms raising? (even underneath the wetsuit)?!… give shark diving a try.It’s an impressive experience that reminds you why these creatures are revered and respected as the kings of the sea. Got a unique shark diving experience that’s different from the one below? Tell us about it! |
Carribbean Reef Sharks and BlackTip Sharks had already begun circling the boat as we arrived at the dive site. “You all have to jump in one after the other, descend quickly 25 feet to the bottom and sit in a half-circle where I tell you to,” the divemaster directed. “Stay where you are at all times, control your buoyancy, kneel on the sand and hold your arms together.”
As we arrived at the “bull run” this morning, a popular site for shark feeding dives, you could tell the sharks knew they would be fed shortly. So, if the stress of meeting hungry sharks on your way down to the bottom didn’t make you anxious, the stern directions from the divemaster might. This was a no error zone.
“Only when the dive master swims in the center and give everyone the ok symbol, then you are free to swim anywhere. At that point, I suggest you search the sand for shark teeth which sometimes break off during the feeding frenzy.”
Somehow we managed to all hop in a somewhat orderly choreographic way as if we were a very roughly practiced Cirque du Soleil show. Finding our spot in the sand banks and still getting used to balancing my buoyancy with my new underwater camera. We could almost hear their stomachs grumble, we were so close to them. I prayed that I wouldn’t become an appetizer at this feast.
Once we were all settled, the divemaster let the boat know we were ready. Then a zodiac boat moved towards a floating rope tied to a nearby buoy pulley centered over the “stage”. The guy in the zodiak securely tied a 2-3 foot radius frozen fish block – called “chumsicle” by divers – to the rope, then dropped it in the water and pulled on the other end of the rope so that the chumsicle would start to sink. From the moment the chumsicle stabilized its decent to 10 feet of depth, drooling sharks were already circling the prize.
|
|
|
And then they kept circling and circling… I never figured sharks had a patient nature especially when it came to their stomachs, but maybe they prefer their food at least a little more thawed before jumping in. Eventually, one shark broke out of the circle and grabbed on the chunk shaking it voraciously. Look closely at the video below to see this action.
VIDEO : Check out this video of the shark feeding — Look closely to watch the shark tearing away at the chumsicle / frozen fish popsicle (File Size: 10 Megs)
We could even hear the chains which held the chumsicle to the rope rattle. Everything especially metallic noises sound so strangely clear and crisp underwater no matter the distance. After a few seconds, the shark took a break and another one took a run at it… nibbling little bits off here and there.
From time to time sharks would swim in and out of the circle swimming as close as a couple of feet away from us. Surprisingly, there were some daring though not necessarily huge fish that actually swam near the sharks hoping to catch the little extra bits that the sharks ignored.
15 minutes later (an exceptionally long time for a shark feeding we were later told) it was over. Having filled their bellies and since the metal spoke which held the chumsicle was “licked clean”, many of the sharks started to leave the area.
At the ok from the divemaster, all divers rushed to the center on a treasure hunt for shark teeth. I looked around for a few minutes and found some funny looking triangular white stone (about 1cm width and height) which seemed much too small to be a shark tooth but tucked it away anyway in my pocket for closer observation at a later time. I found out later that it was in fact a shark tooth. It was truly a lucky find since no one else had found one that day.
After the feeding, some sharks continued to swim around the reefs – keeping an eye out for more chumsicles I suppose. This made for plenty of adrenaline-packed surprise encounters around the corners of reef pinnacles.
Overall I found this experience in Bimini, Bahamas (Dive Site: Bull Run, Dive Boat Operator : BlackBeard Dive) a very safe way to see the sharks… and it’s available to anyone with a basic diving certification, though mastering one’s buoyancy is of prime importance to staying safe.
Imagine what they will say at the office or at home when you tell them how you got that shark tooth or better yet… show them the videos ! 🙂