Calling all adrenaline junkies and shark lovers! Are you looking at ways to fuel your adrenaline? Look no further, we have compiled a collection of our top shark diving destinations, so you never run out of ideas. Here at Ultimate Diving the team love to get up close and personal with what sometimes can be seen as intimidating creatures but after hundreds of shark dives under our belts we have a different view of these big pelagic.
Today, our oceans are home to around 400 species of sharks including the Sixgill Shark, a common species of deep water, the Bull Shark with it's stocky figure and a broad, flat snout, the Hammerhead Shark which happens to be one of the most famous sharks amongst divers, Great White Sharks and Thresher Sharks the list goes on.
If you are fascinated with shark diving then this is the blog for you, it outlines our favourite shark diving destinations where adrenaline fuelled dives are 100% guaranteed.
1. The Cocos Islands in Costa Rica features an amazing amount of pelagic action and it is famous for it's wide range of shark encounters. The nutrient rich currents flowing around the island attracts schools of Scalloped Hammerheads, Silvertip, Whitetip, Blacktip, Guitar and Galapagos Sharks.
Bajo Alcyone is a legendary dive site and an absolute must visit for Shark lovers, it is located in a pristine marine national park that provides sightings of some of the largest and most beautiful marine species in the world.
2. Malapascua in the Philippines is a Thresher Shark mecca. Monad Shoal is home to regular encounters with this beautiful and shy creature. The dives here are easy going and always rewarding. Normally, Thresher Sharks are not often seen by divers as they live in deep water and are nocturnal but in Malapascua divers encounter them on a regular basis.
3. The Galapagos Islands is likely to be the pinnacle point of your diving adventures. This destination is famous for big animal diving and shark encounters! As soon as you embark and commence your check dives you will get to see cow rays and Galapagos sharks. Most divers look forward to Darwin and Wolf as they encounter various species of sharks including the ubiquitous hammerhead sharks, your constant companions on these dives. Expect to see individual sharks, groups of 4 to 5 sharks and large schools numbering 100 or more sharks. During Manta Season you can even see the sharks form a solid wall of hammerheads. A phenomenal diving experience is guaranteed!
4. Tiger Beach in the Bahamas is on every shark diver’s bucket list as it famous for Tiger Shark encounters, the fourth largest shark in the world. The flat underwater topography here allows divers to meet one of the most efficient predators on the planet within a close distance, almost an eye-to-eye encounter with equal respect for each other. Joining the scrum includes the occasional Hammerhead and Lemon Sharks.
5. Guadalupe in Mexico is a top destination for encounters with the very respectful Great White Shark. Guadalupe offers one of the world’s most exiting cage diving expeditions in crystal clear blue waters with 30 metres of visibility and multiple sharks per dive. Great white sharks are one the most powerful predators in our oceans and shark lover’s attraction to be up close and personal is just as powerful.
6. Beqa Lagoon in Fiji is home to eight species of sharks including the feisty stars of the show Tiger and Bull Sharks that frequent the feeding sites on a regular basis. Other shark encounters include Lemons, Gray Reefs, Wawny Nurses, Blacktip Reefs, Whitetip Reefs and Silvertip Sharks. As an added bonus, any diving done in the Shark Reef Marine Reserve funds the local shark research and compensates local fishermen for lost income due to the creation of no-take zones.
