Hawaii Shark Encounters

[CabinForFour]

DH wants to do the shark cage swim, but I'm not sure if I'm up for that. Anyone been on this just as an observer? Would you recommend it, or does it get boring after a while. I went whale watching in Alaska and enjoyed it, so I can only assume that this would be equally entertaining. I welcome the thoughts and comments of anyone who has done it. :)

[dcikon2]

I talked to a couple of people while in Hawaii who did this and really liked it.

 

Gary

[bankofdad]

Awesome tour!! We've done it three times now. The last time we had about 20 sharks around the cage including a very large (and pregnant) 12-foot Galopogos shark. Then, and even larger tiger shark made an appearance.

 

You'll see a lot from on the boat. DW said it was one of the best tours we went on, and she never got in the water. You'll have a great time, and the crew is fantastic!

 

We thought about doing it again last month during our land vacation, but had so many other things we wanted to do that it didn't happen.

 

Have fun!!

[Bucky3]

Did you do this shark excursion on Oahu and with what company? Also, I know you have enjoyed the Captain Zodiac trip in Kona and the Fairwind excursion there. Have you been on the new Hula Kai boat that is run by the same Fairwind people? Our 40 something kids really enjoyed the new boat, Hula Kai, and we are thinking of doing that one this time in Kona, but we always love the Fairwind, so we're still debating. Your thoughts appreciated. Thanks

 

Bucky

[Crusinman29]

I am scheduled to take this tour later this month. I have booked my excursion through North Shore Shark Encounters. I am very excited as we are fascinated by sharks!

[bankofdad]

Did you do this shark excursion on Oahu and with what company? Also, I know you have enjoyed the Captain Zodiac trip in Kona and the Fairwind excursion there. Have you been on the new Hula Kai boat that is run by the same Fairwind people? Our 40 something kids really enjoyed the new boat, Hula Kai, and we are thinking of doing that one this time in Kona, but we always love the Fairwind, so we're still debating. Your thoughts appreciated. Thanks

 

Bucky

 

Hi Bucky,

 

There are now two companies doing the shark cage tour on Oahu's North Shore (Haleiwa). We've used them both.

 

The first two times we used North Shore Shark Adventures http://www.hawaiisharkadventures.com/. We had a great time both times.

 

The third time we did it we used Hawaii Shark Encounters http://www.hawaiisharkencounters.com/, and they were great, too. This company was in part started by one of the tour captains that used to work for North Shore Shark Adventures.

 

Our preference? Probobly North Shore Shark Adventures. It's a close call, though. The reason for my preference is that Hawaii Shark Encounters put DS-14yo & I in the same cage as two other people, so it was a bit crowded. North Shore shark adventures will only put 2-3 in unless they are with your group and you request it.

 

Both leave from the small boat dock in Haleiva, which is very easy to get to (about 45-60 minutes from Waikiki if you take the most direct route).

 

Regarding Fair Wind, we haven't sailed on there new boat yet, but I'm sure we'll give it a try in the future!! If you try it, please let us know what you think! Have a great trip!!!

[Bucky3]

Thanks for the quick reply. My 40 something kids took the Hula Kai in May and they really liked it. Said the seats were really comfortable, they went faster and farther than Fairwind and snorkeled in a couple different places. Still served the lunch and had lots of toys, minus the diving boards and slide. We'll be sure to report back if we do it in December. Thanks, too, for the shark encounter details. That doesn't sound like our kind of adventure, but I bet my grandchildren would love it - and maybe the Dads too. I doubt my daughters would enjoy!!!

[MommyJamiex4]

Dh and I want to do this as well. We emailed the company, Hawaii Shark Encounters, and they never got back to us though. Maybe because it's still a while out. I guess I will try again now that we are closer. I am a little nervous, but dh is so psyched. LOL

[CabinForFour]

Thanks, everyone, for the info.

 

Bankofdad, do you recall what types of things your wife saw/experienced from above? I think I read that the crew aboard the boat interacts with and feeds the sharks above the water as well. Was this your experience?

 

Also, someone told my niece that their friends went on this type of excursion and had to throw away their swimsuits because they were all covered with chum. Was this the case when you went?

 

Finally, were you also able to see the spinner dolphins on your way to or from the shark site?

[bankofdad]

Thanks, everyone, for the info.

 

Bankofdad, do you recall what types of things your wife saw/experienced from above? I think I read that the crew aboard the boat interacts with and feeds the sharks above the water as well. Was this your experience?

 

Also, someone told my niece that their friends went on this type of excursion and had to throw away their swimsuits because they were all covered with chum. Was this the case when you went?

 

Finally, were you also able to see the spinner dolphins on your way to or from the shark site?

 

Hi CabinForFour,

 

The first two times we did this excusion, we did see spinner dolphins on the way out. The third time, the surf was up and it was a little rough.

 

Regarding the chum, they don't put that much in the water, just enough to attact the sharks. The site they go to used to be used by fisherman for cleaning their catch at sea, so they naturally come here. Just the sound of the boat engines is enough to bring them up from the depths. There defginitely is no concern whatsoever of getting anything on yourself other than refreshing salt water.

 

DW suggersts bringing polorized sun glasses if your watching from deck (so that you don't have the glare from the sun on the water). The earlier you do the excursion in the morning the better, as the sharks are more active early and the surf and wind are calmer (especially in the "winter" months of mid-October through mid-May). The water is so clear you'll perfectly see the sharks, and with the crew throwing fish parts in, they quite often come up to the top, so you will see them bite/feed. It's a real treat!

 

I would rate this excursion in my top three for all of the things we've done in Hawaii. If you're really into dolphins, consider this one www.dolphinexcusions.com. It was a fantastic feeling snorkeling in the wild among a pod of more than 100 spinner dolphins!!

 

I hope this helps!!

[GoneCruzn]

My hat's off to you adventurous types that do this kind of thing. I didn't know this type of tour existed. Are you certified divers? Although I'd never go in the water and have them come at me in a cage, I'd enjoy watching sharks from a boat -- a really big safe boat. Just curious, but don't you ever for one tiny second get nervous that something will go wrong in the cage? How do you keep from having a panic attack? What type of preparation or training do they give you before you go in the cage? Somebody mentioned their 14 yr old -- this is a safe tour for kids? You've got me really curious now.

[Ottawa_Guy]

We are booked for the Hawaii Shark encounter on Oct. 13 and looking forward to it .

[clott]

I'm writing as someone that stayed on the boat. First off let me say that I am terrified of deep water so I was a little scaried as we went out but when we got there I would have gotten in the water with the sharks in a heartbeat had my wonderful husband not ask the guys how deep the water was. It was awsome seeing all the sharks that close. The two guys that wook us out were great. There were only us and another couple on the tour at the time so we got to stay out as long as we wanted.

[bankofdad]

My hat's off to you adventurous types that do this kind of thing. I didn't know this type of tour existed. Are you certified divers? Although I'd never go in the water and have them come at me in a cage, I'd enjoy watching sharks from a boat -- a really big safe boat. Just curious, but don't you ever for one tiny second get nervous that something will go wrong in the cage? How do you keep from having a panic attack? What type of preparation or training do they give you before you go in the cage? Somebody mentioned their 14 yr old -- this is a safe tour for kids? You've got me really curious now.

 

The tour (if you get in the water) is a snorkeling tour. The top of the cage is attached to some very heavy dty floats. It does get the adrenaline going when you see the sharks (especially for the first time).

 

My 14yo son has done a ton of snorkeling with me over the years in many places in the Caribbean, Mexico & Hawaii. I think the biggest thing is to just be very comfortable snorkeling in the water, and enjoy the show outside the cage. The tour is very sfe if you follow the rules the crew will outline, and don't try to reach out and touch the sharks. They can be reactive and bite just as they would bite almost any marine creature that would bump into them (including other sharks - we've witnessed this from the cage).

[CabinForFour]

I'm writing as someone that stayed on the boat. First off let me say that I am terrified of deep water so I was a little scaried as we went out but when we got there I would have gotten in the water with the sharks in a heartbeat had my wonderful husband not ask the guys how deep the water was. It was awsome seeing all the sharks that close. The two guys that wook us out were great. There were only us and another couple on the tour at the time so we got to stay out as long as we wanted.

 

You're not alone in your apprehension about the deep water. The sharks don't freak me out. I was ready to go, and then I watched a video on their web site that showed the deep (yet beautiful) water underneath. I'm a very good swimmer, but I have a moderate fear of heights that apparently also translates into a fear of depths! :) I think I've definitely decided to go on the boat, and I'll just wait to see how I feel about getting into the cage when the time comes. DS will be 8 1/2 at the time, and he has learned to snorkel quite well in our pool this summer. It will be interesting to see if he really takes the plunge like he says he will when we go shark-watching.

 

Thanks so much to everyone, especially bankofdad, for taking the time to respond to my questions with such detail. The info you provided was exactly what I was hoping to receive. Thanks again!

[MommyJamiex4]

We booked our Hawaii Shark Encounter last night!!!! WooHOo, dh is thrilled!!