T
IGER SHARKS.People fear them,
controversy surrounds them and
underwater photographers and
adrenaline junkies, like me, seek them
out. While their habitat worldwide is
huge, stretching across much of the
tropical and temperate zones of the
Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, there
are few places where tiger sharks are
habitually seen.
If you want the best chance of seeing
them in shallow, warm water with great
visibility, Tiger Beach is the place to go.
A shallow sandbank off the Bahamas,
Tiger Beach has become one of the top
destinations to see tiger sharks, with
sightings almost guaranteed, especially
from October through June.
Several day-boat and liveaboard
operations visit the area, bringing divers
face to face with this apex predator.
Liveaboards are my preferred method
of getting the most out of a dive trip (and
the food is usually fantastic), so I set out
with Master Liveaboards for a week of
tiger-shark diving.
It took about 12 hours to get to Tiger
Beach from Freeport, Bahamas. We stayed
in the same general area all week, leaving
the schedule wide open for shark-diving.BIG ANIMAL DIVER
27 divErThere were two types of dives: feedings,
where a shark-handler would give fish to
the sharks; and “open pool” sessions,
where no active feeding occurred but
there was bait hanging on the surface
from the boat to attract sharks.
These tigers are known to be docile,
but you could still feel the anticipation.
We were willingly going to jump into the
ocean near a bucket of fish-guts and wait
for the sharks to come. I couldn’t wait.
Arriving mid-morning, we were briefed
on the sharks and rules. Tiger sharks,
named for their dark, shadow-like stripes,
can grow up to 5m long and weighIf you enjoy the
company of sharks,
Tiger Beach in the
Bahamas is the place
to be in winter and
spring, says BRANDI MUELLERAbove: Shark-whisperer
Logan feeds the tigers.☛
divErNEt.com