Night Diving with Tiger Sharks

I just returned from a weeklong trip aboard Jim Abernethy's Shear Water. As has been posted here multiple times, it is an excellent shark/dolphin experience. This past week we spent 1 1/2 days at Tiger Beach and had the opportunity to do a Tiger Shark Night Dive. My daughter (age 16) and I jumped at the chance while my wife and son (age 12) showed better judgement and stayed onboard! Here are a few photos from the dive. Larger images and additional images from the trip are at:

http://debersole.com/layout/0001/gallery_view.cfm?g=66

16 year old daughter in the water with you on the night dive?! Surprised you still have a wife....

Some excellent images (the first two don't open for me)

I really want to do that trip!!

Mike

Mike:

This is the same daughter that Eric Cheng and I hung upside down from the boat with a bait crate during last year's Wetpixel Bahamas trip to celebrate her 200th dive. Needless to say, she's adventurous and quite comfortable in the water! The tiger sharks at night are still quite a rush, though!

Looks like you had a great time out there, Doug. I love the crisp and clear close up of your lemon shark. And of course who could not love the Sponge Bob Square Pants shots!?!? You nailed the perfect shot at El Dorado and the lemon nuzzling poor Sponge Bob is great. Hopefully he survived the week and didn't end up like poor Pepe.

Did you get a chance to swim with the dolphins? If so, did you see Darby?

I really like the Lemon shark shots.

We did not do the night dive with Tigers but maybe because Jimmy was on the IMAX boat.

Nice work

Laz -- yes, SpongeBob survived the trip. My son wanted to take him home but my wife thought he was a little "ripe' after several days of baiting sharks. We, therefore, left him on Shear Water for others to enjoy!

Unfortunately, we didn't have very good luck with the dolphins this year. Last year, we spent several afternoons playing with them. This year we tried twice with no dolphins whatsoever. On our last day, we did find a small pod that we swam with a short while, but it was nothing last past encounters. Unfortunately, I didn't see Darby at all.

Todd -- Jimmy was on the IMAX boat during our trip as well, but came back for the last day and a half. He arrived on our boat via Zodiac about 15 minutes into our night tiger dive. As you can imagine, he immediately suited up and joined us for the dive. Our original plan was for a short 30 minute dive. Only five of us were in the water, by the way. Anyway, we had such a great time that the dive lasted 90 minutes!

Laz -- yes, SpongeBob survived the trip.  My son wanted to take him home but my wife thought he was a little "ripe' after several days of baiting sharks.  We, therefore, left him on Shear Water for others to enjoy!

 

Unfortunately, we didn't have very good luck with the dolphins this year.  Last year, we spent several afternoons playing with them.  This year we tried twice with no dolphins whatsoever.  On our last day, we did find a small pod that we swam with a short while, but it was nothing last past encounters.  Unfortunately, I didn't see Darby at all.

 

Todd --  Jimmy was on the IMAX boat during our trip as well, but came back for the last day and a half.  He arrived on our boat via Zodiac about 15 minutes into our night tiger dive.  As you can imagine, he immediately suited up and joined us for the dive.  Our original plan was for a short 30 minute dive.  Only five of us were in the water, by the way.  Anyway, we had such a great time that the dive lasted 90 minutes!

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He crossed with us and then Michelle Hall and he came over to do a dive with Anna and myself.

Night Tigers would have been great but, we did get good dolphins so I can't be that disappointed.

I agree. It's a great trip. Last year it was just my daughter and I. This year I took the whole family (wife, son, and daughter). Everyone should do it, especially photographers and/or shark/dolphin enthusiasts.