How to Choose an Ethical Shark Dive Charter

 

Are you a shark lover who plans all their vacations around where you can go see sharks next? Same girl. I will absolute book a trip solely based on the ability to go swim with sharks and that’s not an exaggeration! If you’re like me or maybe you’re looking to conquer your fear and dive with sharks for the first time you’ve come to the right place! 

There are a lot of charters all around the world that offer shark experiences from cage diving, snorkeling or boat watching. I’m going to go over a few things to look out for when finding a reputable charter that will make sure you’re safe and so are the sharks! If you’re wondering what I mean by the sharks, yes the sharks’ safety matters too! 

Some of the main red flags to avoid when booking a charter are hand feeding sharks, excessive touching/letting guests touch the sharks, captive animals and large crowds in the water at one time. Now these aren’t black and white so let’s elaborate a bit.

 

Feeding sharks

Feeding sharks is a controversial topic. Some argue can that excessive feeding/hand feeding wildlife in general can cause issues. You don’t want wild animals to associate people with an easy meal and become reliant on humans for food. There is some evidence suggesting It can disrupt their hunting habits and encourage them to approach people. If a shark is frequently fed by people on a tour you might not see why it’s an issue if it’s being done by a shark safety diver…but the question up for debate is what happens when a shark approaches a random diver expecting food? Does feeding sharks cause them to sharks associate people with free food and increase the risk of bite incidents? The answer here isn’t black and white. I encourage you to ask any charter you consider booking about their practices when it comes to feeding sharks  and decide for yourself. 

Touching Sharks

You’ve probably seen videos on instagram of people touching sharks. This is usually when a shark safety diver is redirecting a shark away from themselves or guests on a tour when they start to come in for a closer look. If it’s a reputable charter these divers are TRAINED on shark behavior and is not something that should be taken lightly. Do you know what that gill pop means, a pectoral fin drop? The sudden quick turns or jaw movement? The answer is probably not and even if you do.. you can just be sticking your arm out willy nilly and expect to know where and how to move your body to safely redirect these apex predators. So pleaseeee don’t go thinking you can touch a shark like a pro and lose a hand lol. Most of the time when a shark is coming to investigate they turn on their own and often don’t need a safety diver to touch them and that’s how it should be. The divers only touch the sharks when it is absolutely necessary and they definitely do not let guests touch the sharks. 

Crowds and Sharks 

I get it, there a ton of people who want to get a chance to experience time in the water with these gorgeous animals but here’s why a large crowd on one tour is a big no no. It should be pretty self explanatory that it would not be safe to have 20 people in the water with what could be any number of sharks that show up that day for the safety divers to be able to keep an eye on everyone properly. On the other end of the spectrum if you’re diving with whale sharks that are harmless to humans and you have 20 people in the water crowding one whale shark you can easily stress them out. A lot of charters in tourist hotspots all go to the same area to see sharks and you can easily end up with 5 boats that have 20 guests each all in the water trying to see 1 whale shark. 

Captive Sharks

Now this goes for any wildlife tours honestly but if they have these animals in a penned off area of the ocean or a pool, tank etc and are letting you hold them or are wrangling them to get guests a photo op… yeah that should probably be a big old reg flag. A few common examples of this are Nurse sharks and rays in the caribbean or dolphin shows at resorts. Animals should be observed in their natural habitat where they belong at a safe distance where everyone respects their comfort level and does not chase or harass them. 

Charters We Love 

If you’ve gone on an ecotour and after reading this are thinking “uh-oh I’ve gone on some bad tours!” don’t beat yourself up too much. It happens, we learn and we try better next time. If you’re looking for shark dive charter recommendations here are two we love! 

Go Adventure Hawaii located on the north shore of Oahu is an excellent choice. In summer you may get to see some Tiger sharks but all year round you’re sure to see some Galapagos sharks! They also offer Whale watching and more tours! Their crew is great at what they do from getting you gorgeous shots of your dive to teaching you about sharks and keeping you safe. 

If you’re on the east coast of Florida looking for a dive check out Xela expeditions who offers a unique experience being one of the few charters who offers trips specifically targeting larger species and night dives off West Palm Beach/Jupiter FL. 

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