Used with permission by ©Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas.
With our recent Bahamas VLOG on YouTube, there were a lot of comments from you guys about the Stuart Cove’s shark dive clips, especially with the shark wrangler calming down and petting a SHARK! Because of this awesome feedback from you guys, we’ve decided to write a separate blog post, and post a YouTube video (above) showing the shark diving adventure experience with Stuart Cove’s.
If you haven’t already seen our Bahamas VLOG, click here
We’ve done a whole post on our trip to The Bahamas already. If you want to read more about Riu Palace, Atlantis, Paradise Island, and Downtown Nassau, click the link below.
Read more about our trip to The Bahamas
Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas is located on the southwest coast of Nassau. It’s such a beautiful place, totally picturesque with palm trees, a little inlet, and the dive boats all ready to take out the nervous passengers! No doubt I was!! Ironically, when I got in the water with the sharks looming below – I completely forgot I was nervous and had a huge sense of excitement.
Should you do it?
Yes, yes and yes! If you’re a SCUBA diver, and you contemplating doing Stuart Cove’s Shark Dive – DO IT! Do it without a doubt! It will be one of your most memorable dives! At first, I was a bit ambivalent about the dives, for reasons such as: being nervous about diving with sharks, and questioning if I had the experience. Being an amateur diver (<20 dives), the staff at Stuart Cove’s goes out of their way to make you feel comfortable and safe throughout the entire experience. All-in-all, I took away a new appreciation for sharks, and it completely changed my opinion of sharks being ravenous killing machines (as they’re portrayed in the movies), to beautiful and graceful creatures.
Used with permission by ©Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas.
The Package – What’s Included
I chose the “Shark Adventure 2-Tank Dive Trip” package. The dive itself runs $182 + $50 for your rental gear (BCD, regulator, mark, fins, and wet suits). That is quite a bit more than your average dive, however, this is not your average dive. The price also included round-trip transfers from your resort – I was staying on Paradise Island, which is a good 45 minute drive from the dive shop. In addition, they also provided ice water on the boat, snacks and other beverages were available at a cost. Looking back, I feel it was worth every penny. Would do it again? In a heartbeat (with a dive buddy to experience it with – Mona??)
Used with permission by ©Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas.
Used with permission by ©Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas.
“The Wall”
The first of the two dives was on “The Wall”. There were sharks nearby, but they more or less left us alone. We followed the leader around the reef scoping out the marine life. Some notables were lobsters, shrimp, and schools brightly coloured fish! 🙂
“The Arena” – Shark Encounter
After a short break, it was time for our second dive in “The Arena” – quite a fitting name for a shark encounter! As we submerged, easily 20-30 sharks could be seen below, waiting for their master (and his crate of chum). Surprisingly, I wasn’t scared or concerned for my safety at all. I couldn’t wait to get to “The Arena” and hang out with the Caribbean reef sharks!
When we got to the bottom, we were instructed to choose a rock, and kneel with it between our legs. This is supposed to help you stay in one place during the encounter. We were also given clear instructions to not reach our hands out – unless we wanted to lose them. Apparently, reaching out is a similar motion the feeders use when baiting the sharks. Also, if we are nudged or bumped over by a shark, you are suppose to let yourself fall over, and lay there until one of the dive masters comes over and props you back up! This is to prevent sudden reaching outwards, and your hand being mistaken for a chunk of squid! Fortunately, no one on our dive (or any previous dives) has been harmed in any way on the dives.
Used with permission by ©Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas.
The encounter starts with the feeder joining us on the bottom with his crate of chum. The feeder takes turns going around the circle and feeding the sharks in front of each party. What an exhilarating experience!!! So many sharks! It’s unbelievable when they all crowd around the feeder fighting over the piece of chum! One of the wranglers was able to bring a shark nearby, calm it to stillness, and pet its nose and top of its head! We were also able to touch the relaxed shark. It feels like slightly rough, wet rubber.
After the encounter, we were given 5 minutes to rummage through the sand in hopes of finding a souvenir – a shark tooth from the days feeding! No luck for me!
Final Thoughts
I can not overstate how amazing this experience was. I find myself looking at the pictures and videos from the adventure over and over again, and sharing them with friends and family. Even very experienced divers are very interested in the videos, and are very excited for their next trip to The Bahamas!
If you’re in Nassau and looking for an exciting dive, make Stuart Cove’s Shark Dive part of your itinerary! You will not regret it.
Feel free to share this post with a diver or friend who would love to dive with sharks. Or…. if they’re not keen on getting in the water with “the ravenous killers”, enjoy it from behind your screen with our YouTube video.
Thank you so much for reading our post, check out our other posts from the Caribbean here! Also, don’t forget to follow us on social media to find out Where We Going Next!
