Divers, underwater photographers, ocean filmmakers, there’s no denying that sharks’ biggest allies are those dedicated to spending time underwater appreciating them in their natural habitat.

Here at Bluewater Travel, we are passionate about preserving the marine environment, and the success of many of our trips relies on positive encounters with popular and well-known animals. And when it comes to interacting with iconic species, it doesn’t get more exciting than diving with sharks. Appreciating and understanding sharks is the first step towards reducing the unfounded public hysteria and negative media attention these apex predators continue to receive. 

As divers, we are perfectly placed to promote shark conservation and to benefit from its success. Divers understand the underwater world more intimately than anyone and appreciate the unique and irreplaceable links and relationships between marine creatures and their habitats. Losing a single species dramatically impacts the entire ecosystem, and to remove sharks from the ocean would have hugely negative knock-on effects on their habitats and other species within. We hope that by allowing our customers to experience sharks in their own environment, they will spread the word and help demystify these phenomenal creatures.

Are you up for the task? We all have a vital role to play in marine conservation, so we’ve put together our top five global destinations where you can dive with sharks:

1) Socorro

This small rocky outcrop lies 240 miles from the southwest tip of Baja California and is a mecca for all things sharky.  Enthusiastic divers are happy to travel the 24-hour transit through sometimes lumpy seas in order to experience some of the best shark and ray diving in the world. The renowned Roca Partida is the highlight of any Socorro dive trip, showcasing the best of Socorro’s pelagic superstars. Vast numbers of Galapagos, silky, and hammerhead sharks jostle for position in the strong currents above a rocky reef crammed full of snoozing whitetip reef sharks. As a UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Mexican Natural Protected Area, the island is subject to a strict no-fishing zone.

2) Guadalupe

Over 200 miles south of Ensenada on Mexico’s west coast, the tiny island of Guadalupe is the best place in the world to cage dive with great white sharks. Between July and October every year, scientists, thrill-seekers, divers, and non-divers descend on Guadalupe for one thing, and one thing only; great white mating season. Dozens of these apex predators gather in Guadalupe’s waters to feed on the local fur seal populations before beginning their search for a mate. Designated a Pinniped Sanctuary in 1975, the island’s waters, and species within, enjoy a protected, even revered, status.

3) French Polynesia

In the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, the French Polynesian islands of Fakarava and Rangiroa boast some of the most spectacular warm-water shark diving anywhere. Gray reef, blacktip, and silvertip sharks patrol vibrant and colorful reefs, while the narrow Tumakohua Pass is home to a deep canyon populated by scores of lemon sharks, whitetips, and hammerheads. Fakarava’s notorious ‘wall of sharks’ perfectly describes the hundreds of sharks divers can expect to encounter on a trip here. The shark populations in French Polynesia are abundant and diverse, well protected within this unique UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and also one of the world’s largest shark sanctuaries.

4) Cocos

Famous for its massive schools of hammerhead sharks, Cocos Island is another remote Pacific outcrop accessible only by boat. The nutrient-rich waters around this far-flung jungle island attract enormous schools of fish, all manner of pelagic species, and of course the countless sharks that feed on them. As well as huge congregations of hammerheads finning lazily into the current, divers will encounter Galapagos, silvertip and silky sharks, and may even witness a whitetip shark feeding frenzy during a dusk dive. As a Costa Rican National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Centre, any extraction of marine resources and all commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities are banned.

5) Bahamas

Closer to home, the Bahamas is probably best known for Tiger Beach, an isolated sandbar off the northern tip of Grand Bahama that hosts a resident population of tiger sharks. There are also scores of lemon sharks and Caribbean reef sharks on every dive. But that’s not all; oceanic whitetips are frequently encountered at Cat Island, and great hammerheads visit the waters around Bimini. The Bahamas operates a strict ban on shark fishing, and sharks are thriving in the islands’ tropical waters.

Whilst the best destinations in the world to dive with sharks all enjoy a good measure of protected status, by their very nature sharks will travel outside the boundaries of conservation zones where fishing and hunting continue to wreak havoc on their population numbers. Only by reducing global demand for shark products and raising awareness of the value of sharks as a living entity, do we have any hope of eradicating this wasteful industry and saving an iconic fish.

Sadly, 2020’s unprecedented global pandemic has not only had a tragic impact on the human race. A sudden cessation in visitors and liveaboards to key shark destinations, as well as the reallocation of enforcement resources to COVID related tasks, has given poachers and illegal fishermen free reign to carry out shark hunting undisturbed. One of the best ways to ensure sharks are protected is to get back out diving, support local tourism providers, and ensure that shark-tourism continues to protect and raise awareness of the plight of our ocean’s sharks.