Sharks?!

Most people think sharks are scary creatures with their tough gray skin that is roughened by toothlike scales, their long muscular bodies with pointed snouts, their sharp triangular teeth in their gaping mouths, their thirst for blood, and of course with all the scary movies that they starred in. In reality, people go cage diving and even no-cage diving with wild sharks in the middle of the ocean. Over the summer, my family and I went shark cage-diving in Oahu, Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Getting Ready

To shark-cage dive, you do not need to be able to swim or even do any training. When you go to the shark-diving company, you will wear your swimming costume and immediately get on a small boat off to sea. The ride was 30 minutes long for us, and we stopped in the middle of nowhere, a cage floating in the middle of the dense blue waters.

Instruction

Next, the crew tells us how it will work. They give us a clear set of instructions on how to enter the water and how to be in the cage properly. They do not need to give us life vests or oxygen tanks, as we will be somewhat close to the top of the ocean water. Because the water is saltier than our bodies, our bodies will automatically float, meaning that no life vest is needed. And to enjoy the experience you need to be able to go to the bottom part of the cage to be next to the wild sharks. Our captain tells us that to enter the cage, we must be extremely careful as this part of the process is the most dangerous. If you can imagine a boat and a cage. The cage is not tied to the boat, as it floats around in the sea. When you turn to step out of the boat you are between the boat and the cage, exposed. Then you climb down a small ladder which is a part of the cage, in this part, your feet and legs are also exposed. Finally when you are finished climbing down the set of steps you push off and grab a medal bar on the opposite side of the cage. Our cage was a 10ft x 10ft x 10ft. And with only three of us in there, we had a lot of room. You are to keep your legs and hands inside of the cage. Inside of the cage is sort of a railing so that you can hold on to something if you are too scared to let go. Otherwise, you are free to swim around the cage.

My Experience – Through The Lens

As you are in the cage, at least 20 sharks surround you. Each shark was between 8 ft and 15 ft long. They were swimming around the cage, on the bottom of the cage, and some circled the cage. After getting used to it for a few seconds, you can enjoy the wondrous sharks. You can see the scars in their tough gray skin, their pupils eyeing you, their muscular body, their pointed snout, and their sharp triangular teeth. The crew on the small boat throws food all around the cage to attract more sharks. 

The sharks feed and surround the cage. Beneath you, you can see the deep, dark blue water, with a visibility of 50 ft+. More sharks, of different sizes, swim up and look at you. You look at them too. After a few seconds of looking, you come up and take a deep breath, and then dive back into the water to the bottom part of the cage, careful of keeping your limbs inside the cage. Each wild shark has a story. You make up stories of how the sharks got their scars and you wonder what other wonders are beneath the sharks and farther than your range of visibility. As you come back for another breath, a huge salty wave comes over you. You gagg on the water but quickly return to the deep blue waters, taking pictures and hoping you can hold on to them to remember the epic experience. Then you remember what the crew upstairs on the boat was telling you. These sharks you were seeing with your own eyes were the second most deadly shark known to hurt humans. Why?

Returning to the Boat

After your time is over, you are instructed to climb back into the boat, deserting the lonely cage. This part is as challenging as getting into the cage. To get back into the boat, you climb back up the steps of the cage and onto the rim of the boat. You will be helped up by someone and are washed off with a bucket of tap water. You grab your towel and sit down. The journey back to the island begins.

Risks

Shark Cage Diving does come with risks, as does everything else that happens in the middle of the ocean with wild predatory animals. However, the risk is much less than those who choose to shark dive without any cage.

Photo Credit: Riya Shah (taken by me)

Other Activities in Hawaii

I know that not everyone is keen to go into the ocean and swim with dangerous wild sharks, regardless of a cage. So here is a list of a few other amazing experiences my family and I had on our trip to Hawaii.

• Doors-Off Helicopter Tours – Kauai, Hawaii
• Underwater Scooter Adventure – Oahu, Hawaii
• Shark Cage Diving – Oahu, Hawaii
• Snorkeling – Oahu, Hawaii
• Jurassic Park – Kauai, Hawaii
• Haleakala National Park – Maui, Hawaii
• Road to Hana – Maui, Hawaii
• Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea Volcano – Big Island, Hawaii
• Haleakala Crater – Maui, Hawaii