Tiger Beach Dive Operators

[CWK]

This thread is solely for identifying dive operators who continue to dive Tiger Beach after the fatality there in November 2023 so that divers who wish to dive Tiger Beach can know whom to contact.

Are any dive operators in Freeport or LOBs still diving Tiger Beach?

 

[Knockneed Man]

I don’t believe that any have changed their schedules. That said, out of them I would strongly encourage using the Dolphin Dream, both for safety, as well as comfort and professionalism.

Tiger Beach Liveaboard

Tiger Beach Liveaboard departing Florida for the best shark diving in the Bahamas on the Dolphin Dream. Specializing in Tiger Beach and Bimini shark diving trips.

www.sharkexpedition.com

 

[Johnoly]

who continue to dive Tiger Beach

There also are private guides on go fast boats that continue to take photographers there even on day trips. It's only 50 miles away from Miami. You'll be taking pictures of tigers by 10am and then sipping a cocktail at the dock back in Miami by 7pm. It's done by fisherman all the time.

 

[Dan]

I highly recommend to go with Dolphin Dreams. @Captain Scott has been taking divers there since late 1980’s. Experience matters when you want to do shark diving with Tiger Sharks.

You can find a more detail info in my trip report here:

Trip Report - Tiger Beach October 2021

Summary This is a liveaboard diving trip (23-29 October, 2021) to Tiger Beach, Bahamas, with M/Y Dolphin Dream. The itinerary, as shown in Table 1, includes 5 days of shark diving, 1st diving day is without bait. We did a total of 13 dives. Figure 1 shows the M/Y Dolphin Dream ~80 mile (130...

scubaboard.com

Another excellent report to read:

Trip Report - Tiger Beach and Bimini on the Dolphin Dream, March 11-19, 2022

Tiger Beach and Bimini on the Dolphin Dream, March 11-19, 2022 My friend and dive buddy, @Dan and I recently had the pleasure of going to Tiger Beach and Bimini to dive with Tiger Sharks, Lemon Sharks, Reef Sharks, a Great Hammerhead, a few Bull Sharks and many Nurse Sharks. Reservations: I...

scubaboard.com

 

[Knockneed Man]

There also are private guides on go fast boats that continue to take photographers there even on day trips. It's only 50 miles away from Miami. You'll be taking pictures of tigers by 10am and then sipping a cocktail at the dock back in Miami by 7pm. It's done by fisherman all the time.

Would you mind putting any day trip outfitters that you know of in here for posterity? That probably opens an opportunity for many that can’t do a week long dedicated trip.

 

[Johnoly]

trip outfitters

Before referring an expensive day excursion trip, they are going to want you to do a local checkout dive first before giving you a referral to a guide so they can see how you dive. All four of the local WPB/JUP shark boats know the different private guides & can refer. Those 4 are Emerald, Calypso, Shark Addicts, & Salty Divers.

 

[Dan]

@living4experiences wrote a trip report on diving in Grand Bahamas, including trying to go to Tiger Beach with local (Bahamas) operators, back in April 2022.

Here’s her experience:

I chose April based on the possibility of getting to Tiger Beach on a day trip from Reef Oasis Divers or Neil Watson's. Both these ops cancelled their Tiger Beach trips and Epic Diving went out the day I left the island. Tiger Beach is a bucket list thing for me, so hopefully someday I'll get there.

Neil Watson's does not provide a refund if they cancel, just a 1-year credit. Epic gives no refunds and no credits if they cancel the trip. Even at close to a $500 price tag, a day trip to Tiger Beach is a heck of a lot cheaper than a liveaboard, plus I'm not very trusting of the liveaboard industry right now. I believe the Bahamas Master is the only Bahamas liveaboard that goes to Tiger Beach, and since they had the collision last year and not providing refunds to guests, there's no way I'll sail with them. They're owned by Master Liveaboards, who also owns or is affiliated with Blue-O-Two and the Siren fleet, which tried to keep $7500 of my trip funds for 2020 trips that I eventually got returned to me through the credit card dispute process.

Here’s the full report:

Trip Report - Grand Bahama-April 2-11, 2022

I went to the island for 9 days of diving but was blown out most all of those days. Out of the 7 days available to dive, I got out for three morning dives, plus one cavern dive at Ben's Cavern. The reef is very bland and boring with not many fishes and not a colorful scene. The only site worth...

scubaboard.com

 

[Dan]

Another dive operator that has been doing shark diving in Tiger Beach for a long time is Scuba-Adventures.com on M/V Shear Water operated by Jim Abernethy & crew.

Our Liveaboard Vessel – Scuba

 

[Knockneed Man]

It seems like it’s coming from every direction that the Bahamas Master isn’t the way to go

 

[scubadada]

This is me, 4th from the left in the green shirt

This was a fantastic trip, probably the only baited/fed shark dive I will ever do. This was a great experience, very glad I did it.

Trip Report - Tiger Beach and Bimini on the Dolphin Dream, March 11-19, 2022

Tiger Beach and Bimini on the Dolphin Dream, March 11-19, 2022 My friend and dive buddy, @Dan and I recently had the pleasure of going to Tiger Beach and Bimini to dive with Tiger Sharks, Lemon Sharks, Reef Sharks, a Great Hammerhead, a few Bull Sharks and many Nurse Sharks. Reservations: I...

scubaboard.com