Shark Diving

Shark Diving

Published: February 1998

For those of you that are tired of Jack Frost nipping at your nose and want a little warmth and excitement, maybe the Bahamas might be the answer. What's that you say...laying on the beach and soaking rays is too dull and you want something with a little more bite to it. Then maybe shark diving may be the answer for you!

Nassau Undersea Adventures (NUA) specializes in non-stop diving adventures. If you have a day, week or more; they'll fill it with more diving adventure and excitement than you ever experienced. NUA is located on the Nassau Island in the Bahamas. Chosen for years by major motion picture studios as the underwater filming location for such blockbusters as Jaws, Splash, Cocoon, and the James Bond thrillers it is now accessible to divers largely to the work of Stuart Cove, former diving and support coordinator for the movie studios and now owner/manager of NUA. Stuart and his team have scouted underwater filming locations, wrangled sharks, built underwater sets, and salvaged and re-sunk a 200 foot freighter as an artificial reef for divers.

The adventure begins early at NUA as the boat crew preps and polishes the vessels for the day's action. Participants check in at the desk and sign up for the day's dive. Instructors show videos to the divers and explain what will happen during their shark dive. One instructor jokes with a hesitant diver who is wondering what to do if there are too many sharks close to you. The instructor tells her of a trick that makes the sharks go away. When they come at you just cover your eyes with your hands and they'll go away.

The participants for the dive board the boat and head out for the morning dives. Their first stop is a place called "Stingray Runway." Divers swim along side of some of the largest stingrays in the area. Some have a wingspan of over eight feet long. On this particular dive, a couple of Morrey eels are seen hiding in some rocks. Divers cautiously feed the eels, who have to battle hungry fish that have gathered for their feast.

The divers then board the boat and are speeding on their way to the next stopthe shark buoy. The boat docks at the buoy and the crew prepares the divers for their next adventure. As with any shark expedition, it starts with baiting in the small fish and chumming the water with bloody bait. This attracts the smaller sharks, which then attracts some larger ones. When the sharks get so thick that you can reach in the water and grab one, divers put on their gear and hit the water.

As the divers approach the buoy, the sharks begin to circle curiously at firstbut when the food bag comes out, their attention is captured and they approach closer. "When we first started diving we were terrified when we would got in the water and the sharks would come up," said Stuart. "We would get-back-to-back with each otherwe all had big stick with nails nailed in them and we would jab at the sharks." "Now after a few hundred dives we've realized they're not going to bother anybody at all." "They're just there to eat the food and not interested in biting the divers."

After a half hour in the water with up to 30 of the sleek beautiful Silky Sharks, fear is usually replaced with awe and wonder. As sharks swim near the divers taking the bait from their hands, many adventurous souls reach out and touch the sharks as they glide gracefully by. But in case a diver forgets that the sharks have teeth, they do occasionally remind them when they grab a piece of bait and thrash around ripping it in their mouth.

If the shark buoy doesn't provide the extremist with enough shark action, NUA has more. "Oasis Wall" offers the opportunity to see the resident 12-foot Hammerhead Shark (Bruce). "Seventh Heaven," their most distant and virgin sight offers advanced divers, escorted by armed dive masters, to experience truly wild shark action. Fearless Bull Sharks are lured near the wall sensing blood from the bait. Bull Sharks averaging ten feet in length and nearly 500 pounds in weight cruise in around the divers attacking the bait. On these dives, divers do not attempt to touch or handle the sharks. Because of their size and ferocity, a Bull Shark could inflict some major damage on any diver that foolish enough to get too close.

NUA is not just for expert divers, their certified instructors offer everything from one-day resort courses, to full-week certification and specialty classes. Accommodations on the Island offer a wide range in prices and luxury. Nassau is very accessible with non-stop flights from most major cities throughout the U.S. on more than a dozen major airlines. So what are you waiting for, leave the cold behind and head for the warm place where you'll have a cool timeshark diving in the Bahamas. Anyone interested in booking a shark dive adventure can check with their local dive shop or travel agent or call Nassau Undersea Adventures at 1-800-468-9876.