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Shark Diving in Australia
Australia has some of the most
diverse scuba diving destinations available anywhere in the world, making
this vast island nation undoubtedly unique. The Neptune Islands The Neptune Islands provide an ideal habitat for great white sharks. Great whites like rocky outcrops and volcanic islands because the shear drop-offs around the edges of the islands into cool, deep water provides the sharks with the temperature and depth that they need, while the seals and other animals that live on the islands provide an easily accessible food source. The great whites can arise easily from the depths to feed and escape just as quickly away. The Neptune Islands sit on a shelf south east of Port Lincoln, South Australia, and provide just such an ideal habitat. This small group of rocky islands, composed of grey granite and coastal loam, supports a large colony of seals as well as a colony of endangered Australian sea lions. Underwater footage for the movie "Jaws" was shot here because the waters around these islands are a natural feeding area for Great Whites, and are also one of the single best great white dive destinations in the world. The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is not
just one
reef, but actually a collection of reefs, comprised of over 2,700
smaller reefs, and dotted with hundreds of islands. Considered one of the seven natural wonders
of the world, the Great Barrier Reef forms a chain hugging the
north-eastern coast of
Australia for thousands of miles, running all the way from Bundaberg in
the North, down to the tip of the Cape York Peninsula in the South. The reef plays host to numerous organisms
and marine life, including over 350 species of coral, thousands of
species of fish, molluscs, and crustaceans, birds, sea snakes, and
turtles. Sharks on The Great Barrier Reef Two of the sharks most commonly encountered on the Great Barrier Reef are the black tip and the white tip reef shark. These sharks, like other fish-eaters, have small, pointed, needle-like teeth, perfect for catching fish and small prey on the reef. As long as they are not harassed or provoked, they normally pose no threat to divers, and chance encounters with these shy, timid sharks are the exception rather than the rule. The grey nurse shark can also be encountered on the reef, and just as with the reef sharks, divers who keep a respectful distance from them are more likely to have an enduring encounter rather than just a fleeting glimpse.
Conservation
Efforts for the
In recent years,
experts have feared the population of grey nurse sharks has reached a
critical stage. Once prolific in the waters of Australia, these
sharks were harmed by over-fishing, as they were hunted for their flesh,
oil, skin, and fins. They were also killed in large numbers by
recreational fishermen, largely due to the fact that their ferocious
appearance creates the mistaken impression that they are dangerous to
humans. Their slow reproduction rate makes it especially hard for
this species to rebound from a population decline, and although amazing
to dive with, interaction between divers and these sharks has to be
regulated to protect the sharks. To minimize the disturbances of
their feeding and breeding activities, a code of conduct has been
developed for diving with grey nurse sharks. For more information on
this topic, visit: |
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Top
Shark Diving Bahamas
In the early to mid-seventies,
ironically at the height of the popularity of the movie
"Jaws," the Bahamas became known world-wide as a pioneer in
shark diving and shark feeding dives! With it's clear, pristine
waters, and dive sites including great wall diving and blue holes, and
its abundance of reef sharks, the Bahamas have become known as one of
the world's best places for divers to encounter sharks in their own
natural environment. Sharks can be found in literally all waters
around the islands, and a number of experienced dive operators can
assist you in shark encounters around the islands.
California
In the past 20 years, researchers
made startling discoveries about California waters. One is that
they discovered that great white sharks were returning to the Farallon
Islands and Ano Nuevo Island, off San Francisco and Santa Cruz,
year after year, to make dinner out of the resident population of seals
there. And another was that the remote Isla de Guadalupe, 200
miles south of San Diego, was home to a population as well.
South Africa
Undoubtedly one of
the top shark diving regions of the world, South Africa offers
everything from shark diving with raggies to the ultimate experience of
cage diving with Great Whites! With an enormously long coastline,
South Africa offers an array of diving opportunities. With it's
warmer waters in the north, tropical and sub-tropical species inhabit
the reefs, and whale sharks, turtles, dolphin, and ragged-tooth sharks
(another name for what we call sand tigers in the U.S.) can be seen on
occasion in specific places. Temperate waters to the south provide
opportunities to dive in magnificent kelp forests, as well as the chance
to dive in a cage surrounded by great whites! |
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This is your year to meet "Mystery" at Isla Guadalupe
Email us at
staff@divingwithsharks.com or call us anytime 619.565.0208
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