shark diving. Am I qualified?

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zyntherius

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Sorry if I seem in a hurry. To be honest, I am.

I am currently on a holiday in New Zealand and wasn't planning to dive here. I did my open water course in Koh Tao last year and I only have 5 dives to my name.
It is a long time ago and I can't set up my own equipment without help at this point. I am inexperienced, but I think I am still skilled enough to dive. A quick course to refresh would make things okay

Now, I came to realize that I am close to the Fiji islands, and this is my only chance (lifetime) to visit them and dive there.
There are regular diving sites, but there is also a shark dive site (no cage) that allows you to have an encounter with huge bullsharks and tiger sharks while being in the presence of very experienced guides. All I'd have to do is go down, stay down, watch the sharks and go back up when they tell me to.

This has to be a unique experience, also for videos. You can take a look at the site here and see what I am talking about

http://fijisharkdive.com/shark-media/video-gallery/youtubegallery?videoid=5710620

I can already feel the adrenalin of being with animals 3 times my size.

But..

They recommend doing this with advanced divers who have at least 30 dives to their name.
I only have 5, from a while ago and I am an open water diver, not advanced. On koh tao they said I could go to 18m but not to 30.
And afaik, the shark dives operate below 18m.

Does this mean I have to miss out on this unique opportunity?

Getting my advanced license would be cheap on Koh Tao but extremely pricey on Fiji

Also, I recall a situation on Koh Tao where I lost my counter weights (I need 8 to stay down because my lungs are enormous, and there was a hole in my pocket) and I recall shooting to the surface.
If that would happen on this shark dive with bull sharks and tiger sharks around me when I was supposed to stay down, I am literally dead meat and the sharks would be likely to attack me.

What is your opinion about all of this?

I am booking my ticket to Fiji today, and I need to make up my mind about this asap
 
Sorry if I seem in a hurry. To be honest, I am.

I am currently on a holiday in New Zealand and wasn't planning to dive here. I did my open water course in Koh Tao last year and I only have 5 dives to my name.
It is a long time ago and I can't set up my own equipment without help at this point. I am inexperienced, but I think I am still skilled enough to dive. A quick course to refresh would make things okay

Now, I came to realize that I am close to the Fiji islands, and this is my only chance (lifetime) to visit them and dive there.
There are regular diving sites, but there is also a shark dive site (no cage) that allows you to have an encounter with huge bullsharks and tiger sharks while being in the presence of very experienced guides. All I'd have to do is go down, stay down, watch the sharks and go back up when they tell me to.

This has to be a unique experience, also for videos. You can take a look at the site here and see what I am talking about

Fiji Shark Dive - The Fiji Shark Dive

I can already feel the adrenalin of being with animals 3 times my size.

But..

They recommend doing this with advanced divers who have at least 30 dives to their name.
I only have 5, from a while ago and I am an open water diver, not advanced. On koh tao they said I could go to 18m but not to 30.
And afaik, the shark dives operate below 18m.

Does this mean I have to miss out on this unique opportunity?

Getting my advanced license would be cheap on Koh Tao but extremely pricey on Fiji

Also, I recall a situation on Koh Tao where I lost my counter weights (I need 8 to stay down because my lungs are enormous, and there was a hole in my pocket) and I recall shooting to the surface.
If that would happen on this shark dive with bull sharks and tiger sharks around me when I was supposed to stay down, I am literally dead meat and the sharks would be likely to attack me.

What is your opinion about all of this?

I am booking my ticket to Fiji today, and I need to make up my mind about this asap


I would do regular dives to get more experience. You pretty much answered all of your questions in your post. I highlighted some warning signs that you mentioned and should be paying attention to. Be smart about your dives so you can keep diving.
 
I would do regular dives to get more experience. You pretty much answered all of your questions in your post. I highlighted some warning signs that you mentioned and should be paying attention to. Be smart about your dives so you can keep diving.

But if you use these factors as permanent obstacles that can not be overcome, I have to miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I will never have another chance to do this as there are no predators like these in Europe.
I also do not believe that someone who has done 30 dives is that much more experienced than someone who has done 10.

I do agree that I absolutely need to freshen up my skills before I go, to avoid problems. But can't I do that in 3 fun dives + going through some theory? Instead of spending a fortune on 25 more dives.. especially on Fiji

The guys on Koh Tao told me that diving at 30m isn't that much different (skill wise) than at 18.
The advanced course didn't require a lot after the open water. I just didn't do it because I was happy diving at 18 meters.

I don't want to be reckless. But on the other hand I also don't want to throw away such a unique opportunity.
I emailed their staff but got no reply
 
I think you should get more dives and be more comfortable in the water before attempting a shark dive; the adrenaline rush you got when you see a shark can drive you to a potential dangerous situation if you are not experienced enough. Be safe, keep diving and rest assure that you will have plenty of opportunities to dive with such majestic creatures.
 
But if you use these factors as permanent obstacles that can not be overcome, I have to miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I will never have another chance to do this as there are no predators like these in Europe.
I also do not believe that someone who has done 30 dives is that much more experienced than someone who has done 10.

I do agree that I absolutely need to freshen up my skills before I go, to avoid problems. But can't I do that in 3 fun dives + going through some theory? Instead of spending a fortune on 25 more dives.. especially on Fiji

The guys on Koh Tao told me that diving at 30m isn't that much different (skill wise) than at 18.
The advanced course didn't require a lot after the open water. I just didn't do it because I was happy diving at 18 meters.

I don't want to be reckless. But on the other hand I also don't want to throw away such a unique opportunity.
I emailed their staff but got no reply

As others have said, you've answered your own questions. You already know you're not qualified for this dive. The big difference with the deep dive is narcosis and gas consumption. At this point, you have no idea how narced you're going to get, nor how much gas you will use. Both of these are factors that will absolutely be more severe given the adrenalin of the shark dive compared to a regular dive to the same depth.

Visiting a Third World recompression chamber would also be a unique experience...
 
As others have said, you've answered your own questions. You already know you're not qualified for this dive. The big difference with the deep dive is narcosis and gas consumption. At this point, you have no idea how narced you're going to get, nor how much gas you will use. Both of these are factors that will absolutely be more severe given the adrenalin of the shark dive compared to a regular dive to the same depth.

Visiting a Third World recompression chamber would also be a unique experience...

Looks like I'm gonna have to stick to 18 meter dives then. But If I can spot giant Manta's and turtles, I'll still be a little happy about it as a consolation prize
 
Think about the anxiety of being back in the water after a long hiatus with only a brief refresher, not yet secure/comfortable in your abilities and equipment, deeper than you've ever been, likely going through gas faster and without a good idea of how long a tank tends to last you, diving with strangers in a strange place surrounded by large potential man-eaters and concerned that if you somehow lost buoyancy control & headed up quickly the sharks would probably kill you (I'm not convinced, but your fear would be quite real).

What could go wrong?

I am sympathetic with your wanting to do this dive. I am, and I wish you could. But I agree with the others, this is way too risky at this stage of your life. And don't underestimate how anxiety provoking being in the water with large potentially dangerous sharks can be.

Here in or near the U.S., I know of 2 main opportunities for fairly reliable cageless encounters with large A-list sharks (e.g.: tiger, bull, maybe great hammerhead?); Emerald Charters out of the east coast of Florida (shark feeding dives) and some different providers hitting a place called Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. And I've mulled over whether this is something I'd like to do someday. I like sharks; I've been in the water with some reef sharks (and nurse sharks), and big barracuda and big green morays. I know sharks largely get a bad rap for dangerousness. And I've got quite a few more dives than you do now.

But search online and look at some of those roughly 14 to 16 foot tiger sharks in close proximity to humans. You've got a scuba mask, narrowed peripheral vision, it could come from behind or above, you couldn't hear it coming, and it looks enormous. The shark is highly unlikely to attack, of course, but I keep asking myself, am I ready to have that thing circling around me?

Richard.
 
This is complete and utter nonsense also:

The Bull Sharks and the Tiger Sharks however are clearly a class in their own. They are Apex Predators who grow to an impressive size and have a notorious reputation for attacking humans.
Bulls are usually afraid of you and Tigers are more interested in Turtles - and seals if they're lucky. Unless you're trailing a stringer of bloody fish....

For someone who is claiming to do it for research purposes they're certainly spreading the bull**** pretty deep. Makes me question whether it's someone that even understands how to do those dives properly. I suppose spreading fear is one way to sell more dive trips though...

If you really want to see Tigers go to Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. For one thing it's only about 25' deep. For another there's also usually a bunch of Lemons sharks nearby - another deadly apex predator....LOL Tiger Sharks of Tiger Beach - YouTube

You've got a scuba mask, narrowed peripheral vision, it could come from behind or above, you couldn't hear it coming, and it looks enormous. The shark is highly unlikely to attack, of course, but I keep asking myself, am I ready to have that thing circling around me?
Seriously dude - you're probably not...
 
Seriously dude - you're probably not...

That may be. There's the logical angle to this - that a large tiger shark in the vicinity on an organized shark dive is probably very low risk on a given dive. I know myself well enough to know it's very unlikely I'd panic and bolt for the surface, start hyperventilating, etc… But it would be a bit nerve-wracking. Tolerable, but there. Something to think about in a recreational 'for the fun of it' activity.

One reason I emphasize the drama a bit is because in a real life encounter, the psychological impact can be fairly dramatic, which can affect how people react, which can have real world consequences (probably not a shark attack, but maybe an anxiety attack).

This issue came up awhile back when I decided to take a trip to Jupiter, Florida, and check out the goliath grouper aggregation. Jupiter is known for sharks, and I wanted to see some. Emerald Charters operates there, and with shark feeds, I could've probably had plenty of encounters. After mulling it over, I decided on Jupiter Dive Center instead, and had a great time. Maybe someday I'll book with Emerald; just not now.

Richard.
 
I am booking my ticket to Fiji today, and I need to make up my mind about this asap

I have done the shark dives with Beqa Adventure Divers. They are more underwater shows than dives. The guides take you down, you lay on a rock and you watch. When the show is over, you ascend with the guides. It is not challenging diving, BUT five dives is just too few. My diving wasn't controlled at five dives, I'm sure this applies to everyone. At 50 dives, I was starting to get the hang of it. At 500 dives, I was pretty much where I wanted to be, but still learning. I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but you did ask for an opinion. It's too soon.

While you're in NZ, why not do a little diving? Water is cold, but marine life is awesome :)
 
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