Shark Cage Diving with No Cage

Galapagos Shark

  A few years ago I went on the shark cage dive tour on the North Shore here in Oahu. They took us three miles out of Haleiwa harbor, dropped us in the cage and we were able to see lots of pelagic sharks in very clear, blue water. Since then I have been wanting to lead a mission back to this spot with our own boat and jump in for pictures without the cage.

Another Close Pass

Curiosity

  I put the mission idea out there to some friends of mine on the North Shore and was surprised how quickly the plan was put into action. My buddy Alex has a jet ski he uses to tow surf into big winter swells. Now we just had to wait for the perfect morning with light wind conditions. With room for three on the ski our friend Nani jumped on board and away we went. Now we just had to retrace my steps from years earlier to find the cage 3 miles off where the sharks gather.

Nani with 2 Galapagos Sharks

  The first buoy we came across must have been for fishermen so no cage and no sharks. That's when we noticed one of the shark boats heading back towards the harbor. We used the reverse of their trajectory to search out the cages. We zipped out to the 3 mile drop spot in no time thanks to the powerful jet ski, although conditions where getting a bit windy and choppy by the time we drove up to the shark boat. I wasn't sure how they were going to react to us jumping in nearby with the sharks but they didn't look too displeased...or surprised.

Watch Your Feet

Alex getting the GoPro footage

  Before I even got in the water I could see the shadow of a shark swimming right underneath us. Even though it was a bit rough on the surface the water was the most beautiful deep blue color below. I counted six galapagos sharks at one time. The biggest shark was a little bigger than me but seemed even bigger as it closed the distance between us coming in for a closer look. The sharks seemed interested in our fins flapping below us, which definitely unnerved Alex and Nani as they pulled their feet closer in.
   The mission was a huge success despite losing a piece of my camera housing, a bit of a hangover, and some sea sickness. Being able to reach out and almost touch sharks with no cage in between, and nothing but clear blue water underneath created a magical experience. Living in Hawaii provides endless amounts of adventures, and I plan to do them all.