Tiger Sharks in Hawaii ???

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HDC

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Hi,
I have been told there are some dive operators in Hawaii (don't know which island ) who dive sites where there are Tiger sharks, is this true or just another dive boat myth. If anyone knows anything or dive operators who visit these sites please let me know any info would be much appreciated.
Cheers
 
i just saw a show on Discovery the other night where they said tiger sharks swim up to 30(or was it 60) miles a day..given that i'd be surprised if any dive boat could find them regularily..but i'll be interested to see the answer to your question..
 
Are you looking for an actual 'shark dive'? If so, I haven't heard of any, outside of the shark dive at the Maui Ocean Center. Having said that, I think that pretty much any dive site in Hawaii has the potential to have Tiger sharks present.

Your greatest chance of seeing them will obviously be at dusk or night.

Brian
 
wingnut:
Your greatest chance of seeing them will obviously be at dusk or night.
Brian

Drag a bag of bloody fish heads behing you to have even better luck :)

I don't know of any specific shark dives....but there are definately tigers there. Many reefs have sharks that are "local" to that reef.... So that would certainly increase the chances of encountering them.
 
HDC:
Hi,
I have been told there are some dive operators in Hawaii (don't know which island ) who dive sites where there are Tiger sharks, is this true or just another dive boat myth. If anyone knows anything or dive operators who visit these sites please let me know any info would be much appreciated.
Cheers

On Oahu's North Shore: http://www.sharktourshawaii.com/
They tend to attract Galapagos and bronze whalers. Also note that this operation is controversial. More than a few local fishermen and others say it's upsetting the eco-balance, bringing in more sharks than the local fish stocks can support and thereby endangering swimmers/surfers/others and reducing fish catches. For the operator's part, they claim that they're operating too far offshore to impact nearshore waters. I don't think anyone has conclusive data yet. Also note that their boat's name, Kailolo, directly translates to "sea crazy".

As for tigers, especially large ones, take a hint from local expert, NOAA biologist John Naughton -- get the heck out of the water.
 
Like bluemagoo says, there are a couple of operators that you can be in the water with the sharks in a cage and they chum the water.

I know when we have had some rain and the water gets murky we have seen tiger sharks at the YO/San Pedro and at the pipe...I don't know if they saw us at the other dive sites :wink:
 
If you wanted to pick the one best spot to see tigers I would have to vote for Puako on the big isle. Got chased by a 15 footer off of Maui a couple of years ago. Too cool! Awsome critters. If you rewaly want to get up close with a tiger go to MOC and dive the shark tank. Best dive I have ever done.
 
Aloha-

I am unaware of any dive operator that can find tiger sharks every day. Even the shark experience here on Oahu does not get them every time. Also notable- they don't let you use scuba or be outside the cage.

There are places to find Tigers on Oahu on a daily basis- BUT those spots can not be dove commerically. Some personal boats have gone to the locations but commercial operators have run into problems when attempting to dive those spots.

I would suggest a private charter that is willing to give you the support needed for such an expedition. A few aspects that would be required- Chumming outside the 3 mile limit- extra safety divers- and protection for the dive team in the highly unlikely event that something went wrong. Even then I doubt the operator would promise a sighting of them.

Enjoy~
 
I think Tiger sharks besides having a wide range of territory are also somewhat 'seasonal', if you will. I know a lot of them will move out to the outer islands like Midway and Kure islands when the gooney birds are fledging. We had a much higher Tiger population on Midway in the fall when the young goonies were learning to fly and would have to land on water to rest their wings before their muscles developed enough.
 
Aloha all
Mostly I just read posts here but it is time for me to speak up. Tigers have been sighted in Honokohau Harbor on the Kona side of the Big Island. Within 200 yards of the mouth of the harbor are 5 day-use moorings used by local dive oporators everyday. Sightings have occured. Most do not talk much about it. 2 years ago my x-wife and I filmed several Tigers, all female, and we gave one of them the name Laverne. A simple non-threatening code name that has caught on through-out Hawaii. 2 weeks ago an article was on the front page of one of the Honolulu news papers with Kendra's (my x-wife) photo of the original Laverne.

The problem:
Honokohau Harbor, like most small boat harbors, is mostly fishing boats. The practice of cleaning fish and dumping carcasses in the harbor is wide spread. Local rules (laws) say that this is not to happen, but it does... every day. Laverne comes in to the harbor and feeds on the discarded remains of caught game fish. It is not a leap of faith to conclude that food is the driving factor.

Facts:
Why the Tigers show up more in July, August, and September, I do not know, since fish remains are discarded in the harbor 365 days a year. I am little more than an observer here. I am concerned for the sharks well being. I have been in the water with them, a lot. I am more interested in filming the behaviors of others animals (mostly Eagle Rays) with Laverne near by. I have watched as Laverne entered the harbor, ignored a dead marlin floating on the surface waiting to be hoisted to the fish scale, and a man swimming in the water cleaning the hull of his vessel. Laverne ignored them all, picked up a discarded marlin head off the bottom and ate it. All in under a minute.

Diving with the Tigers:
No one has gotten hurt yet. But I doubt the charter oporators are advertising 'Come Dive with the Tigers'. Liability would be outragously high. However, as someone stated in another post, you are in the ocean where big animals live so there is always a chance to see them. Be aware that certain dive sites have a slightly increased "sightings" rating factor than others.

Lesser known and harder to prove facts:
A few years ago when the original Laverne was sighted and photographed, many divers got in the water to look for Laverne. A few fishermen claimed to have "caught and killed her for the safety of us all". Rumor has it that some branch of local government or water safety office silently "took care of the situation". I cannot prove any of it, nor have I tried. I can prove, ironicly, that the practice of indirectly feeding continues. That would be the practice of discarding fish remains in the harbor. Last, the thought of there being only one Laverne in the area is foolish. Photos and video that I have seen and filmed have showed that the scaring, cuts, and markings near the dorsal fins and pectoral fins are different in several different photos and video extractions. There is more than one, but I am not sure how many and I will not venture a guess.

In conclusion:
I tried to be as brief as possible without getting on a soap box. Not an easy feat for me.

Come diving in Hawaii, anywhere in Hawaii. The experience will be outstanding, I am sure of it. And if you get to see Laverne may it be only one check mark on a long list of great experiences during your visit.

Matthew J D'Avella
 

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