Adventures

Shark Diving

To those unfamiliar with the day to day patterns and behavior of shark, it seems almost unfathomable that anyone would willingly put oneself close to them. This, however, is precisely what our passengers do every week. Since we started shark dives in 1992, there have been no incidents of customers being bitten. There are no records of divers being bitten in the Bahamas other than those that were that tried to grab or touch a shark, were spearfishing or were hand-feeding sharks. To keep our shark dive safe for both customers and crew, we pull a shark-kebob down from the surface with a line and several blocks so that no humans get near the food. The primary sharks we have on our dives are Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks. The video at right was filmed by passenger Rick Murchison of Montgomery, Alabama. It'll give you a reall good idea of what a shark dive is like to experience!

While humans are seldom at risk from shark attacks, sharks are under serious threat from humans. Shark populations have suffered large declines because of humans. The demand from Asia for shark fins traditionally used for making soup, has led to the slaughter of many sharks by fisherman. The fishermen remove the fins and discard the rest of the body. A typical shark takes 3-4 years to reach sexual maturity at which time she gives birth to 1-4 pups per year. Less than 25% of these pups reach sexual maturity. If something isn’t done soon to protect sharks, their decline may become irreversible. Shark feeding dives in the Bahamas have helped educate people about the threat sharks are facing. Several years ago after long-line fishermen slaughtered over 50 sharks, the Bahamas passed laws outlawing this practice. Recently the Bahamian government has moved to establish no fishing zones around many of the feeding sites.

Ned and Anna De Loach of REEF have been guests in the past. This shark educational video was filmed while on board our sister ship the AquaCat. Click Here To View

Passengers share their experiences with pictures and now on Youtube! Check out this excellent adventure posted by our Ikelite divers.Click Here To Watch

Ballet of the Loggerhead

Passenger Rick Murchison captured this graceful dance of a very old loggerhead turtle while diving with us October 18-24th, 2003. Divers enjoyed a curious exchange with the prima ballerina and Rick got it all on tape for us to see. Pirate's Lady passengers as well as Morning Star and Sea Explorer passengers see turtles each week in the western Bahamas.

Whale Stories We sometimes get lucky and come across the giants of the ocean while diving...here are a few occasions! While we don't offer whale watching trips, we do enjoy their company every now and then.... On an August trip the Sea Explorer and a group of passengers from Ontario, Canada, were thrilled to have 11 Orca Whales swim alongside the vessel for over an hour. According to the Miami Seaquarium it is extremely rare for these whales to be sighted in this area.

The Morning Star on a trip out of Nassau to the Exumas had a Sperm Whale swim with the boat.

Whale sharks pass through the Exuma Cays and lucky divers get to swim with them on occasion. This young whale shark hung around for quite awhile allowing everyone the chance to take a ton of great pictures!