Sharks

Hi everyone! I am in the planning process for a family cruise, it's two weeks on the Escape Jan'19. It's my BIL and SIL's first cruise. My SIL is OBSESSED with sharks and really wants to go shark diving. Not necessarily cage diving but she would really like to go on a shark dedicated dive, either feeding or cages. I am having a hard time finding anything. To complicate matters, she's not a certified diver so it would have to include a resort course. I found one place in St. Kitts but it looks like they're out of business. Anybody have any ideas? I posted here instead of on the port boards because we have a lot of options where to do it. Here's where we'll be stopping: San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Tortola, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and Barbados.

Thanks in advance!

She may have a tough time seeing sharks, not being a certified diver but.....Dominica is a good place to possibly see a black tip or nurse sharks. The sharks prefer to keep their distance from divers. I've been to Dominica 3 times, twice spending a week with my dive club and once on a cruise ship excursion and we saw sharks each time...from a distance. Never close enough to take a decent underwater photo. We saw sharks at the southern tip of the island, at Scott's Head but that is not a beginners area for diving. I'm not much help, eh?

Not easy to find in the Caribbean without getting way from the madding crowd and that most likely means off a dive boat. Given that, for a newbie she would be more likely to be limited to kinder water for her resort dive; off a beach or such. My advice would be to get the PADI certification done between now and then so that she hits the ground (water) running and with some experience come your cruise. You will almost CERTAINLY need to book a private dive trip from one of your ports to avoid the crowd and vanilla operations. Bottom line is... not straightforward. That said, some snot-nosed-kid shouted SHARK last time I was sipping a cocktail at GSC and they pulled everyone out of the water for 90 minutes. That was of course total BS from beginning to end... but you could try the same approach ;o))))

Not easy to find in the Caribbean without getting way from the madding crowd and that most likely means off a dive boat. Given that, for a newbie she would be more likely to be limited to kinder water for her resort dive; off a beach or such. My advice would be to get the PADI certification done between now and then so that she hits the ground (water) running and with some experience come your cruise. You will almost CERTAINLY need to book a private dive trip from one of your ports to avoid the crowd and vanilla operations. Bottom line is... not straightforward. That said, some snot-nosed-kid shouted SHARK last time I was sipping a cocktail at GSC and they pulled everyone out of the water for 90 minutes. That was of course total BS from beginning to end... but you could try the same approach ;o))))

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Snorkeling off Nassau (private island) we saw sharks daily; maybe just aim for those type excursions.

We went to Coral World in St Thomas and did their shark activity. It was honestly amazing. Coral World is quaint. But they outfitted us with snorkel gear and weight belts and we got to go into a small pool with nurse sharks and lemon sharks. We got a ton of information from the guide who was working on his masters in marine biology. And it was just the 3 of us in the pool with him. The price was excellent for the activity and the time spent with the sharks. Btw... these were all young sharks and they rehab them for release into the wild. We did not book thru the cruise line, we booked ourselves and took a open air “taxi” to Coral World. The price included admission to the park. I understand that due to the hurricanes they are working on reopening many of the exhibits still. So it may not work for you.

We went to Coral World in St Thomas and did their shark activity. It was honestly amazing. Coral World is quaint. But they outfitted us with snorkel gear and weight belts and we got to go into a small pool with nurse sharks and lemon sharks. We got a ton of information from the guide who was working on his masters in marine biology. And it was just the 3 of us in the pool with him. The price was excellent for the activity and the time spent with the sharks. Btw... these were all young sharks and they rehab them for release into the wild. We did not book thru the cruise line, we booked ourselves and took a open air “taxi” to Coral World. The price included admission to the park. I understand that due to the hurricanes they are working on reopening many of the exhibits still. So it may not work for you.

This sounds like a great option! It is closed at the moment due to the hurricane but we have a year to go so hopefully it will be open by then. Thanks for the great info!

we have seen smaller sharks just by snorkeling.

If you really want to dive, I completely agree with the previous post about getting your PADI certification before your trip. If you do go diving on the cruise, I also strongly advise making your plans independently rather than through the ship. Not only will you save serious money, but NCL dive excursions are both much more crowded than ones you will book independently, but are also famous for cancelling at the last minute if not enough people sign up (which tells you how crowded they are if they do go off). Enjoy

Have her get dive certified, she has a year to do it. Then plenty of options, and I agree a smaller private trip would be the best option if she really wants a lot of shark encounters.

And petting a shark in the open water is quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever done while diving, so I highly recommend it if she really likes sharks.

At Atlantis in Bermuda there is a water slide that sends you through a tank of sharks!

I thought Atlantis was in the Bahamas.

I thought Atlantis was in the Bahamas.

Technically... it's lost ;)

Hi everyone! I am in the planning process for a family cruise, it's two weeks on the Escape Jan'19. It's my BIL and SIL's first cruise. My SIL is OBSESSED with sharks and really wants to go shark diving. Not necessarily cage diving but she would really like to go on a shark dedicated dive, either feeding or cages. I am having a hard time finding anything. To complicate matters, she's not a certified diver so it would have to include a resort course. I found one place in St. Kitts but it looks like they're out of business. Anybody have any ideas? I posted here instead of on the port boards because we have a lot of options where to do it. Here's where we'll be stopping: San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Tortola, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and Barbados.

 

Thanks in advance!

Depending on when your cruise is, your SIL might get lucky before you even leave Florida, as the shores around the Florida coast get swarmed by migrating sharks pretty much every year (they swim pretty close to the beaches). I believe the period for this happening, is some time between January and March/April (just google it to get more details plus videos). I wouldn't advice getting in the water at that time, though.... ;p

EDIT: I see that your cruise is end of January 2019, and that might be a little early for this special "shark experience"....

If you dive at all, you're bound to see Caribbean Reef Sharks. They're more active at dusk, and are very timid. Keeping your distance and understanding their body language is important. They won't bother people, but they will attack and flee if provoked.

Some can get quite big, 4-6 feet is common, and supposedly they grow up to 10 feet. I've never seen one that big though.

I can also add that there are shark feeding dives in the Bahamas in Nassau... although they are subject to a large source of controversy because you could say they associate people with food. It is certainly an experience of a lifetime though.

http://www.golfanddiving.com/services/packages/shark-feeding-course-bahamas/

Enjoy! PM me if the link gets removed. It's not cheap.

I was surprised by this post because I am terrified of sharks. Normally I do not like going in the ocean for fear for fear of a shark attack. For some reason I haven't had the same fear snorkeling while on Caribbean cruises.

Just as an FYI. Most ports have their own boards as well. You may want to post this question on the specific ports you'll be visiting so you'll reach a wider audience.

You do not have to dive, we snorkled and fed nurse sharks in the Bahamas.

If your SIL likes sharks, tell her to visit Chatham, Massachusetts during the summer. I don't recommend diving, because these are great whites.

It sounds like you are looking at Eastern Caribbean Cruise. My friend and I swam with sharks at a rescue center on Roatan. It was on an island that's called Maya Key. I don't know if it has changed since 2014.