Swimming with sharks in Hawaii

[TomK]

There are things I still plan to do, there are others I want to do but are a little unrealistic, and then there's stuff I would like to say I've done but won't happen because I'm not that brave. Having said that, the video is breathtaking.

https://youtu.be/plCKTW2DriM

[HI_Someday]

In the 90's I did a live aboard dive trip in the Coral Sea off north eastern Australia. 7 days living on a boat with no land in sight. It was the best vacation I've ever had. We did a shark dive, only the cages were on the bottom (left there permanently) in relatively shallow water. The sharks assemble when the boat arrives, knowing chum buckets would soon be in the water. We had to enter the water and dive down into the cages, with the sharks swimming about. If someone had told me beforehand that this was the method I think I would have reconsidered doing it, however once in the water I felt zero trepidation or fear. It was amazing diving in the open ocean with them. Magical. Once in the cages they put the chum buckets in and things got real interesting. I think using chum is no longer the standard practice anymore...

The second best was a dive vacation in Palau. Holy cow - we saw sharks on every single ocean dive (wreck dives inside the lagoon wasn't a sure sighting). No cages or feeding - just sharks in their natural state/behavior.

I should say that while it could have been possible they would show up, none of the sharks were Tigers or Great Whites. Honestly, if those were seen I would not have gotten in open water.

[Guest]

quote:

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Originally posted by TomK

There are things I still plan to do, there are others I want to do but are a little unrealistic, and then there's stuff I would like to say I've done but won't happen because I'm not that brave. Having said that, the video is breathtaking.

https://youtu.be/plCKTW2DriM

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Go go Guadalupe Island 300nm S of S. Diego and swim with the Freight Trains that live there.

[Carey]

Tom, With my Aquarium volunteer work, & my passion, I have snorkeled & dove with sharks around the world...& have seen them on occasion around this island (Hilo Bay is a wonderland for sharks!).... When you are in the ocean, most likely you are swimming with them, I feel it is a honor when they allow us to get close enough to see them.
I have been on organized Shark Encounters (never in a cage... & never with the chainmail suits & never with bait near the divers.... Not sure how many people realize how trainable these fish are, & how food motivated they are!) and most are now done with reasonable pre-cautions, thanks in large part to the work of Surfrider.
From my "Coral Reef Diver" work, I have a tiny shark tooth scar from feeding behavior training, Although most people falsely believe sharks will go crazy at the scent of our blood, most reports by captive & non-captive bites, are that sharks actually do not like our flavor (usually shark bite victims only have one bite) & will avoid any contact with us if they scent our blood, as long as they are not harassed, are not starved & have not gotten used to red meat blood sources (believe it or not, there were shark encounter operations that used red meat as chum, Surfrider has been wonderful at pretty much eliminating that stupid practice!)

[HI_Someday]

Carey - which aquarium did you volunteer with? I volunteered for a few years at the Monterey Bay Aquarium when I lived down there. Amazing place and a fantastic experience.

[Carey]

Shedd, "Coral Reef Diver" for over a decade

[TomK]

Thank you, Carey and HI_Someday. I've never visited the Shedd Aquarium but have certainly spent some time at the Monterey Aquarium - what a fantastic place! The last time we were there, they even had a rescued juvenile white shark - even though it was only a few feet long it looked pretty menacing! I also attended a talk there about Great Whites and was surprised to find that many often migrate towards the Hawaiian islands from the West Coast, something I think was a very recent discovery at the time.

About a decade ago, Pam and I visited the Waikiki Aquarium and have to admit that compared to Monterey, it was very disappointing. Then again, it's easy to get into the ocean here and see things for yourself!

Carey - I definitely understand your comment that when we swim in the ocean we're most likely swimming with sharks. I used to snorkel a lot at Beach 69 (before it was upgraded) and loved exploring the lava flow that splits the beach. However, when I swam around it, the color of the ocean below became dark, the fish got a lot larger, and always wondered what was out there beyond what I could see. It always made me a little apprehensive! Remember, I came from a place where if you swam in the ocean, your only real concern was avoiding hypothermia!

[HI_Someday]

TomK - you can Google White Shark pacific Migration Map and see their migration routes from the west coast of the Americas out into the Pacific. Indeed, a few of the studies tracked Great Whites to Midway and around most of the other Hawaiian islands, including the BI.

A newspaper story:
http://www.mercurynews.com/2009/11/03/gr...sco-bay-2/

White Shark Cafe. 3rd pic down shows migration around the islands.
http://www.whitesharkcafe.com/news/mappi...-cafeagain

As volunteer divers we could go to any of those talks/seminars. Great opportunities. I wasn't there when they had the White shark, but they did have a "small" oceanic white tip for a short while. It wasn't doing well in the exhibit (the open ocean tank - which is huge but not enough for the shark) so they needed to get it out and release it back to the sea.

They asked if me and my friend would help and we lept at the chance. Found out they wanted us to dive the tank and "herd" it up towards the surface at the edge, wherein they would net it! They gave us short pvc poles to help keep some distance. If you've ever seen how gracefully and seemingly effortless a shark moves around you can imagine how comical it was for us lumbering divers to try and herd it anywhere! In the end they got the shark, we gasped through an hours worth of air in 15 minutes and had an awesome experience.

[TomK]

Thank you, HI_Someday, wonderful story!