[dropcap]D[/dropcap]iscovery’s Shark Week ran early this year, but if you are headed to the Bahamas, you can visit many of the places featured this year and in years past. The Bahamas is known as the Shark Diving Capital of the World and is also home to some incredible research facilities including the Bimini Sharklab and Cape Eleuthera Institute. If you want to experience your very own Shark Week, It’s Better in the Bahamas!
Bimini
Bimini Biological Field Station (Sharklab): Featured on Shark Week every year, this world renowned research station offers public tours and research experiences for the more adventurous. Daily tours can be scheduled by radioing the lab on 88 A or asking your hotel to call and schedule. For more information on the research experiences check out www.biminisharklab.com .
Great Hammerheads: The great hammerheads of Bimini have drawn scientists, conservationists, divers and film crews from around the world and are definitely a must do! The Sharklab offers encounters as part of their research experience and local operator Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center offers daily trips during season. To learn more about dive options check out www.biminiscubacenter.com
Caribbean Reef Sharks: Whether you snorkel or scuba, Bimini offers an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to have an incredible shark encounter. Anywhere from 5-to-25 Caribbean reef sharks can be seen on a single dive along with nurse sharks and blacknose sharks making an appearance. The Sharklab and Bimini Scuba Center both offer excursions.
Grand Bahamas
UNEXSO’S Cristina Zenato: Cristina is a shark diving legend and she has been featured on dozens of programs around the world. Open water certified divers can join a Caribbean reef shark dive or take a shark feeder class with Cristina for a more personal shark encounter. www.unexso.com.
Tiger Beach: There are no tigers and it is not a beach, but the big beauties that frequent the area have long been global celebrities on countless television shows. Tiger sharks and lemon sharks are the main stars of the show, but nurse and reef sharks are also seen. Check out Epic Diving to book the trip of a lifetime. www.epicdiving.com.
Cat Island
Oceanic Whitetips: Magnificent and enigmatic, oceanic whitetips have garnered a lot of attention in recent years due to their regular appearance off of Cat Island. Scientists are tagging these sharks to gain a better understanding and divers are traveling from around the globe to photograph and film these striking creatures. Epic diving offers season trips and more information can be found on their website.
Year round, you can have your own Shark Week in the Bahamas and these are just a few of the options to help you make it a reality. Humans kill 100 million sharks each year and the Bahamas is one of just a handful of Shark Sanctuaries in the world. Diving in and learning more about these incredibly important animals is a great way to do your part to save sharks.
Jillian Morris Brake, the executive director and education coordinator at Oceanic Allstars and founder of Sharks4Kids, is an ocean educator, advocate and explorer. “In this underwater world I wear many hats, which makes each day completely different from the last and keeps me on my toes. I am a free diver, scuba instructor, photographer, educator, outreach coordinator, rebreather diver, videographer, writer, underwater model, marine biologist and ocean advocate.” For more information, visit www.oceanicallstars.com and www.sharks4kids.com.
