You might not have noticed, but the Bahamas has been popping up just about everywhere (well, everywhere underwater related, anyway). Seen an epic shot of a tiger beach slinking across a sandy bottom? Tiger Beach off Grand Bahama Island. How about a close up of a great hammerhead smiling? That will have been Bimini. Then there's the unusual capture of a diver feeding a harem of hungry Caribbean reef sharks - more unusual because said diver is clad in chainmail. The Bahamas is undoubtedly one of the best places in the world for shark encounters but the archipelago is vast and varied, so read on to discover some of the most epic shark encounters…
Caribbean Reef Sharks: New Providence
Probably one of the most photographed scuba diving experiences in the world, Shark Arena attracts more than 30 Caribbean reef sharks a day who come to feed on delicious scraps of fish head. Yum. Descending down 11 metres to the sandy ocean floor, divers are positioned in a semi-circle before the shark feeder - clad in chainmail - enters to feed the sharks. All you need to do is watch the action unfold. For the best shark encounter, do the dive at night when the sharks are more active. If you're not a fan of shark feeding, there are plenty of opportunities to see them in the wild as they often navigate the reefs around New Providence (in fact, the whole archipelago).
WHEN: February - April
LEVEL: Open Water +
HIGHLIGHTS: Lots of Caribbean reef sharks! Plus some lingering nurse sharks and a rather large potato cod
Great Hammerheads: Bimini
The chances of seeing the elusive hammerhead shark on a dive are famously rare, except in Bimini. Visit the island between January and April when great hammerheads congregate. So reliable are these odd-shaped predators that scientists have been tagging and monitoring in the hope of helping in their conservation.
WHEN: January - April
LEVEL: Open Water +
HIGHLIGHTS: Great hammerheads, Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, bull sharks, lemon sharks
Tiger Sharks: Grand Bahama Island
Diving with tiger sharks is one of the most thrilling experiences a diver can have. Measuring up to five metres and topping the scales at 1,400 pounds, these whopping striped sharks can be spotted off Tiger Beach, roughly an hour's boat ride from the West End of Grand Bahama. A shallow sandbank in crystal clear water (not a beach, as the name implies), divemasters will bait the sharks to attract them. While the jury is still out on whether baiting sharks is good practice, scientists have been utilising this to document shark behaviour in order to fuel conservation regulations.
WHEN: October - May
LEVEL: Open Water +
HIGHLIGHTS: Tiger sharks, reef sharks, lemon sharks, nurse sharks
Oceanic Whitetips: Cat Island
One of the world's most threatened species (their prominent fins are highly sought after in the global shark fin trade), seeing an oceanic white tip in the world is an increasingly rare occurrence. The exception being Cat Island where scientists believe females congregate here each year to feed on migrating schools of tuna as they prepare to mate and give birth, and sightings are all but guaranteed.
WHEN: March - June
LEVEL: Open Water +
HIGHLIGHTS: Oceanic whitetip sharks, silky sharks, dusky sharks, blue marlin
Get in contact with one of our Original Diving Specialists today to organise your own epic Bahamas shark diving adventure.
