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.


Location: Oahu Surfing Experience, 59-12 Holawa Street, Haleiwa, HI 96712

Comments

Post a Comment

Leaving a comment is a great way to provide feedback, ask further questions, and inspire more answers...so go for it.

Popular posts from this blog

Secret Maui Waterfall

Image
  No matter how quick a trip to Maui might be there will be hidden gems found and great times had. After a little snafu with my flight I made it standby to Maui, picked up my rental car, and rushed off to meet my friends on the road to Hana. We met at Frog Pond, one of our favorite swimming holes near the beginning of the road to Hana. After some rock hopping and cliff jumping here we decided to check out the hidden waterfalls at mile 11. I'm not sure what the name of these falls are but there are two of them, each with their own swimming holes. It is just off the highway but separated by lush jungle. A rope swing beckons the adventurous and rocks warmed by the sun give you more than enough reason to while away the afternoon.
Read more

Hidden Ulupalakua Lava Tube, Maui

Image
  High above the crowded beaches of South Maui lies a hidden secret adventure that only those in the know will ever experience. Hidden only a thousand yards or so off a well traveled road around 4,000ft in elevation sits a massive cave which angles slowly down the side of Haleakala volcano. The amazing formations inside and the cave itself were formed by lava, creating an underground tube to transport the lava farther down the slope of the volcano. The same thing can be seen actively happening on the Big Island currently. Luckily this lava tube is all dried up making it much safer to explore. However the loose rocks and obvious cave ins leave some cause for concern.   Part of this adventure is just finding the entrance. This included a dirt road, a jeep trail, jumping an old stone wall, then bushwhacking through dense brush for about tweny-five minutes before finding the lava tube entrance. It was surrounded by ferns, just like the famous Thurston Lava Tube in Volcanoes ...
Read more

Search for Chameleons, Maui

Image
  You never know what might be hiding in your backyard. Here on Maui there have always been tales of people finding Jackson's chameleons in their bushes. The trick is to travel a few thousand feet up Haleakala volcano to Makawao, Pukalani and Kula towns where the temperature is a little cooler and it is a bit wetter, perfect conditions for chameleons.   There are no native reptiles on Hawaii. These beautiful chameleons were released or escaped from the pet trade. Luckily they have not become invasive like many other introduced species, however they have increased in population and seem to be doing quite well in the higher elevation areas. Heidi and I went on a search the other day at our friend's house in Kula and were shocked to find a dozen different chameleons in her side yard hedge. They were mostly at eye level, and were curled up asleep for the night. We found them easily enough with flashlights since they seem to sleep near the outer edge of the hedge at night. ...
Read more