Sharks... fascinating and frightening in equal parts. An aura of myth surrounds one of the most evolutionary successful animals that has populated our blue planet. Of these, the tiger is considered the second most dangerous shark to man. It holds, in addition to the dismal record of being the one that has taken the most lives of surfers on beaches around the world, the record of being the largest shark ever caught, even larger than the largest white shark ever documented.
While these claims are true, the truth is that very little is known about the behavior of large sharks and the gaps of ignorance are systematically filled with a mixture of fantasy, supposition and mythology.
However, when presented with the opportunity to dive with tigers, one can't help but get a certain shiver on the back of one's neck. Diving with these super-predators of rather scavenging and opportunistic habits, and doing so without a cage, seems more like something out of a Hollywood movie than a proper activity.
In one book the following text was read: "Generally, it is rare for a diver to see such an impressive species, targeted encounters with large specimens of this species should be avoided by getting out of the water".
Far from the truth, it happens 15 miles northeast of Grand Bahama, TIGER BEACH, the birthplace of the tiger shark, a sandy shallows located 6 meters from the surface. The activity with these animals, specimens of up to 5 m. is exciting and the physical contact with these giants is a unique experience in the world.
The briefing
Once at Tiger Beach, a couple of hours before the first dive, it is important to listen to the previous explanations given by the expedition leader about diving with sharks, especially when they are tiger sharks.
Assuming that everyone must be calm, the main attitude underwater, the following topics are highlighted in this talk:
- Descents and ascents. They should be somewhat faster than usual because the surface is where tiger sharks usually feed.
- Hood and gloves. It is mandatory to wear them so that the tiger does not confuse our skin with fish.
- Dark equipment. Do not wear a suit or light fins to avoid the contrast between black and white shades.
- Slow movements. It is recommended to move little and slowly so as not to attract the attention of the animals.
- "V" formation. It is very important to keep all divers together in a V-shape to control the entry and exit of the tigers.
- Communication with the divers. Signal to the other divers if a tiger approaches from behind.
- Under no circumstances you should touch the bait being carried by the guide. In case of breakage of any of the fish boxes, divers should move as far away as possible from it.
- It is very important to go down with plastic poles to use them as a barrier between the shark and the divers.
Wrangling
This word extrapolated to tigers sharks can have, in principle, a somewhat dramatic consequence: what can we dispute with a tiger shark of 4 meters in length and almost 500 kg? Nothing, although in this case the dispute is for food but in a "controlled" way.
Wrangling consists of trying to lure the sharks close to the boat with bait. To do this, a line is used with several pieces of fish and a small buoy attached to one end. The other end is made firm inside the boat in case the individual wrangler is not able to withstand the pulls of the sharks when they take the bait.
Wrangling is one of the most exciting parts of the tiger encounter. The sharks, by persistently following the bait, come within inches of the boat. At this point, if the shark does not let go of "the prey" and the line handler is a little skilled, you can see the shark pitching from one place to another, with half its body out of the water, trying to get the fish. Just to see the sharks hovering near the boat or watching them follow the bait on the surface is worth coming to Tiger Beach.
The dive: challenging inside the limits
Eight, maybe nine tiger sharks prowl around the boat after wrangling for a while. With the bait on the line and five boxes full of fish underwater, the sharks stay just a few meters away from the boat and keep circling. The adrenaline starts to rise the moment they signal to jump. The bottom is only five or six meters away, so the descent is very easy. The most complicated thing is not to attract too much attention from the sharks and above all... not to fall on top of them.
Once perched on the bottom with the pole and camera, and in a "V" formation as the guide indicated in the briefing, the divers just have to be calm to take their pictures.
The tigers, at first a bit shy, circle around, several meters away from the group. They approach and move away as they please. At the beginning of the dive, they follow each other in groups of two or three. At some point, the most daring one enters through the mouth of the "V" and slides smoothly and slowly through the corridor formed by the divers. The expectation is incredible. At this moment, the shark can be seen at a distance of only two meters. The cameras begin to fire, a sign that the photographers are starting to get quiet.
The tigers begin to be at ease with the divers. The atmosphere that "breathes", never better said, is one of tranquility. At that moment, as the sharks are totally confident, the extreme approaches begin. The tigers get closer and closer, to one meter, to half a meter, even... they contact the divers. The impacts are light, almost all against the cameras and the sticks. Their sniffing along the bottom looking for bait is the main reason for these impacts.
Now they do not stop approaching. They swim very close to the group, just a few centimeters away. There are moments when five sharks of almost four meters are counted among the divers in the group. Speechless... They pass by the sides, overhead, from behind, sniffing, colliding, looking at you at less than thirty centimeters. The sensation is one of the best in the world with sharks.
At the moment of the ascent you look to all sides. Once you are sure that there are no tigers around, you start the "accelerated" ascent. In a few seconds you are on the platform of the boat. At that moment, when you see the huge silhouettes of the sharks just a few meters from the surface, you ask yourself: "Have I been there? The answer is yes, body and soul, but always thinking that this challenge has been done within the limits.
