Beauty is dangerous, you say? Sharks are worth it. Here are the best places to get up close and personal.
1. Great Blue Hole, Belize
This incredible deep hole was only known by Belizeans until explorer Jacques Cousteau 1971 explored it in 1971. At around 1,000 feet around and 400 feet deep, it’s the largest hole of its kind around the world. Because of the surrounding coral reef you can expect to see many Caribbean reef sharks and the occasional hammerhead shark.
2. Tiger Beach, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas
With their tropical waters, the Bahamas are home to reef sharks, hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, nurse and lemon sharks – but the especially beautiful tiger shark has its own kingdom in a place aptly called Tiger Beach. Fortunately for the rest of us, they are happy to have divers come and visit them – as long as they get fed!
3. Monad Shoal, Malapascua, Philippines
With its many islands, plenty of shark types weave in between the scattered pieces of land offering many shark dives. But the one at Monad Shoal in Malapascua is known to be the best, featuring an underwater island and the highest record of sightings worldwide for thresher sharks.
4. Morehead City, North Carolina
Off the coast of North America is a collection of wrecked vessels laying on the ocean floor, with over 20 in total – including a German submarine and several US ships. As cool as it is to us, the sharks love it as well, year-round with a steady supply of nutrients from the combination of the Labrador and Gulf Stream currents. There are usually up to 100 sharks gliding around the wrecks at any time – and many divers have found scattered shark teeth around.
5. The Galapagos Islands
Galapagos, along with nearby Cocos Island and Malpelo, make up what has been called the “Shark Triangle.” Gordon Rocks, in particular, hosts many giant and smooth-headed hammerhead sharks – often in schools of 250 at a time. As a bonus, hammerheads are easily approachable for divers!