How challenging is Stuart Cove shark dive?

[butter_fly]

Hello,
going to Bahamas in early August The shark adventure dives with Stuart Cove is on my must list. The only problem is I am not that experienced diver, dive only on summer holidays. Do you know how challenging this dive is? Their website doesn't provide much info..
What other dives with this operator would you recommend?
And another question: is there any chance of freediving with sharks there (staying in Nassau, then going to Bimini)?

Many thanks.

 

[pconsidine]

This dive with Stuart Cove is not too challenging- 2 dive- first one is just swim around where you see a couple of sharks in area. 2nd dive you are over-weighted by around 10 lbs.- you just sit in circle in sand about 35ft down for around 1 hr. while crew feed sharks -got to bring camera to video-nice up close shots and video.

 

[diversteve]

Post #5 here seems to indicate they allow free diving - not sure if that includes at the shark dive but I sort of doubt it. Maybe the 1st one but for the 2nd one they're going to want you planted on the bottom. Been a while...got a question. Nassau Bahamas - Spearboard.com - The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Boating Social Media Forum

I read somewhere the Cove's themselves were certified as FII free divers a couple years ago so they may have become more free diver friendly.

What you could do is review the interactive map on their website and pick the sharkier sites. Stuart Cove?s Dive Bahamas Scuba Diving Nassau Bahamas New Providence Snorkeling - Dive Site Map <- hover over the dive flags. There's several where they congregate besides the feed area. Then promote diving that site to your fellow divers on the boat. I'm pretty sure Cove's DM gets input from the group unless weather conditions dictate otherwise.

Neil Watson's lists shallow sites off Bimini that a free diver could access easily. We dove Victory Reef - there were sharks there - but deeper closer to 60-70' or so. We also saw a few nurse/reef sharks at the Strip - it was really shallow also. I don't know operators there since we were on a liveaboard. http://www.biminiscubacenter.com/#!bimini-dive-site-map/c15hx

 

[butter_fly]

Thank you very much, diversteve for your detailed reply. Much appreciated
The prospect of freediving with Stuart Cove will cheer up my husband a lot as he's a keen freediver

---------- Post added July 2nd, 2014 at 10:42 PM ----------

This dive with Stuart Cove is not too challenging- 2 dive- first one is just swim around where you see a couple of sharks in area. 2nd dive you are over-weighted by around 10 lbs.- you just sit in circle in sand about 35ft down for around 1 hr. while crew feed sharks -got to bring camera to video-nice up close shots and video.

Thank you pconsidine. It's just they mentioned "a magnificent wall" for the first dive. I was wondering whether it drops down deep..

 

[pconsidine]

I did shark dive 2 years ago-I remember a wall on first dive,was not too deep 70 ft. range. I was in Nassau last year on cruise but just did 2 tank am dive-shark feed in pm dive. there was a nice wall dive- 1oo ft. range. If I were you I would definetly do shark dive, one of those Bucket list dives, I would do it again.

---------- Post added July 2nd, 2014 at 05:53 PM ----------

as far as experience- Stuart Cove has a great staff which will not let you dive above your cert. level- they have seperate dive boats for advanced open water and above,

 

[drbill]

I did it last year (as well as the one on Blackbeards). Although I've been diving for over 50 years, and may not be the best judge in your situation, there were a number of divers who were fairly new to SCUBA and they all did fine.

 

[emtee63]

Not physically taxing dives at all. You should be mentally prepared for lots of sharks and getting bumped by a few of them. Even the boat ride from the dive shop is short. It is an awesome dive. Must do on just about any diver's list!:goingdown:

 

[Christopher_B]

It's an easy dive. Go down, sit,kneel, or stand on the sand, watch. If you stand you might get a shark swim between your legs though, so sittlng or kneelong, or even lying down is best.
Freediving is not allowed on the shark feeds. You need to be where the dive guides can keep an eye on you.

 

[DiverJoy]

A definite "must-do!"-- a great experience, and really, you just kind of sit there and watch. Enjoy.