Ally Encounters

experiences that give back to Shark conservation

 We’re teaming up with shark diving operators and ocean outfitters around the world who are keen to donate 15-20% of trip fares back to Shark Allies. Diving and tourism is an industry we deeply believe in and where the organization started. Encountering charismatic species is a renewable resource that values animals alive and gives birth to ocean advocates of every background. Don’t pass up this opportunity to travel with purpose!

How does it work?

1. Explore what our operator partners specialize in below (photos credited to the respective crew).

2. Book your experience through the operators’ website linked in each description.

3. This is key! Use the respective promo code or email for each experience listed below to ensure Shark Allies receives a donation from your trip!

4. Giving an experience for the holidays? Reach out and we’d be happy to send you a Shark Allies branded certificate to put under the tree.

5. Already going on your adventure? Tag @sharkallies in your posts, we’d love to share your story with fellow advocates!

6. Check out our booking disclaimer and shark diving FAQ at the bottom of this page.

Ally Encounters FAQ

We are in favor of Shark diving for several specific reasons

1. In the last decade, the majority of shark conservation leadership came from shark diving. Take a look at most of the advocacy groups pushing the movement forward to protect sharks, and you will see they were powered by people that have gone diving with sharks. All of the fabulous images that have made people shark fans around the world are been taken and published by divers. Seeing the beauty of sharks, coupled with awareness campaigns has changed the way many of us perceive sharks. Even the public opinion has changed to a certain degree. Dare we say, not far enough yet, but we are well on our way.

2. The dive and tourism industries generate income that undeniably makes sharks worth more alive than dead. Sharks and rays are one of the top earners when it comes to money divers will spend to see something awesome and rare. This alone is a powerful reason to protect the animals from the commercial fishing industry and the fin trade. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to put a value on an animal in order to protect it, but with the massive pressure from commercial fisheries, and with the majority of decision makers being driven by economic numbers as well as job security, dive tourism is the best alternative we have to offer. As a matter of fact, it is such a powerful alternative that regions can afford to ban shark fishing altogether. Dive into the nitty gritty of valuing sharks alive here.

3. Shark Allies began as a non-profit arm of a shark diving business, Hawaii Shark Encounters. It was there that Stefanie Brendl, the founder of Shark Allies and then owner of HSE saw first-hand the effect of people meeting sharks in real life. On a daily basis, Stefanie observed the personal transformation people experience when they get in the water and see sharks in their natural environment. Attitudes can change with a single encounter, decades of irrational fear of sharks can be erased in one dive. Thousands of people turned into shark fans and advocates every year.  

Booking disclaimer

This is a list of adventures that we have personally experienced and love. But that doesn’t mean every day is perfect. Every person has different expectations, requirements and priorities. Some prefer rugged adventure, others seek comfort and convenience. Diving is a wilderness experience and one should expect to be outside one’s comfort zone.

By featuring these businesses we cannot vouch for anything that happens during your booking or the day(s) of the activity, how staff behaves, how the weather turns out, how many animals will appear and whether anyone gets seasick on a boat. Every operator has different return policies, so make sure you are aware of these details.

Please consider the skill level and physical/mental fitness of the person you are purchasing a trip for – there are options that are suitable for someone without experience, and there are others that are going to be tough if you are not a trained diver. Even for the easiest tours it helps to at least be comfortable in water and not claustrophobic when wearing a mask.

Our adventure list provides a way to find operators that provide amazing animal encounters. Please spend time to read through their websites and ask them questions directly, should you have doubts or questions. They are the most qualified to address any concerns.