(dramatic music intensifying)
(booming)
(riveting instrumental music)
- Welcome to Tiger Beach.
A world famous destination for shark diving.
More specifically, tiger shark diving.
And not only will you see tiger sharks,
you can encounter up to five different species.
All formidable, all top marine predators,
all on the same dive.
And if that isn't intimidating enough,
this would be our first shark dive ever.
Mario, I'm usually really confident about everything we do,
but today, man, I hope we didn't bite off
more than we can chew.
Regardless, I got your back.
- [Mario] Got your back, too, man.
Let's do it. - All right, you ready?
- [Mario] Ready.
- Let's do it.
Well, with every shark dive comes the moment
where you actually have to dive in with the sharks.
That moment is right now.
Oh, boy.
(music intensifies, suddenly stops)
(dramatic music)
As I plunged beneath the surface,
cool water rushed through my wetsuit,
sending an instant shock up my spine.
My eyes scrambled, struggling to adjust,
just as they always do when first entering the water.
However, this time was different.
This time I knew I was completely surrounded by sharks.
But something strange happened
as the environment around me came into view.
The nerves I felt above the water instantly vanished,
and were replaced by laser focus.
In a snap, my vision and other senses
elevated to a hyper state.
A sensation I had never felt until this very moment.
Within these few but critical milliseconds,
my entire perspective changed.
I was indeed aware of the countless lemon sharks around me,
but I could also sense their intentions were not to attack.
If anything, they seemed curious.
Oddly enough, I actually began to feel calm.
Then I quickly remembered my training.
Do not stay at the surface in the feeding zone.
So with that, I began my slow descent to the bottom.
(ominous music)
The water clarity was incredible.
Light beams cut through the surface
and glistened all around me.
Sharks and reef fish of all sizes float in and out
of view in perfect harmony.
And my heightened sense of awareness made this journey
all the more spectacular.
As I neared the bottom, the crew came into focus.
Only another ten feet to go.
And like the lunar module coming in for a moon landing,
I prepared for impact.
Then with a slow and subtle thud,
I had landed at Tiger Beach.
The thud quickly triggered my mind and body
into action mode.
It was time to survey the sharks I could see,
but more importantly, start searching
for the ones I could not.
(suspenseful instrumental music)
Lemons, reef, and nurse sharks circled the group,
making an eclectic mix of predators.
And although they were a pretty good size,
they nearly vanished in plain sight.
My eyes were searching for one thing, and one thing only.
Tiger sharks.
I know it's hard to fathom how a giant 10-foot plus shark
could literally appear out of nowhere,
but trust me, they really can.
And the most dangerous shark is always the one behind you.
Suddenly, a dark shadow began to appear.
Moving like a stealthy submarine
from the edges of the ocean.
My heart must've been racing a million miles a second.
And then a quick burst of adrenaline allowed me
to process the fact that an enormous tiger shark
was headed straight for me.
I couldn't believe my eyes as the shark glided past.
It was so big.
Its mass literally displaced the water around me,
pushing my body aside by the power of its wake.
And just as I was coming to grips with the reality
of the situation, like a phantom, it was gone.
To be honest, I never imagined
I would find myself in this situation.
Kneeling at the bottom of the ocean,
face to face with the tiger shark.
And the crazy part was I couldn't wait for it to come back.
(dramatic music)
Knowing where the sharks are at all times
is the only way to prevent an accidental attack,
which is also the most frequent kind of attack
that occurs in these situations.
And knowing the location of the sharks is a team effort.
Everyone checking their surroundings,
and signaling to unsuspecting divers
of a shark's whereabouts.
Sharks by their very nature are curious.
You can sense this immediately being in their presence.
Their eyes constantly scanning,
their movements subtle and calculated.
But the one thing sharks also do
is investigate with their mouths.
And this is not what you want to happen to your body
40 feet below the surface.
Even a taste test in these situations can be fatal.
So knowing where and how a shark is approaching you
is vital to avoiding any regrettable situations.
When we first arrived at the bottom,
the sharks were still very cautious,
circling us at a distance of 15 feet or more.
But with every lap, they became more and more confident.
Especially when the dive master began to introduce food.
Seeing the sharks chow down giant chunks of fish
was a quick reminder of the seriousness of those teeth.
The way they could just devour fish after fish
after fish was extremely impressive.
In fact, their jaws are so strong,
they can even crack the shell of a sea turtle.
While in feeding mode, this initiated the sharks
to investigate the rest of us.
Almost as if they were thinking,
"Who else has some tasty fish for me?"
Well, none of us did.
So when this happened, it created some spectacular flybys.
(dramatic music)
One after another, they would approach
and veer to the right, and then to the left.
And sometimes right overhead.
(dramatic music)
The overhead shots were by far the most fun to film.
In fact, the sharks got so close you could actually see
the electro receptors in their snouts,
which are used to detect prey.
At this point, Mario, Coyote, and I were having a blast.
Even Jonathan was getting into it.
I could tell how mesmerized we had all become
by these apex predators.
Their intelligence just as formidable as their jaws.
Then, just as their curiosity and comfort levels
hit their peak, came the contacts.
As scary as this sounds, it's actually quite simple
to redirect them away from you.
The key to this maneuver is to gently palm down
the shark's snout, and push it away from you,
letting its momentum do all the work.
Check this out.
Look at that barrel roll.
Believe it or not, it was actually kind of fun
having these contacts.
But then there are times when the contacts
get a little bit dicey.
And to no fault of his own, Coyote,
well, let's just watch.
Yikes.
That was close.
So, so close.
In fact, let's watch that again in slow-mo.
(dramatic music intensifies)
See, one thing you don't want to happen
when making contact with any shark
is place your hands or any part of your body under its nose.
This will trigger a reflex that drops the shark's jaws
and yeah, you can kinda fill in the rest on why this is bad.
Good thing Coyote got lucky and was able
to quickly avoid that chomp, or this would've turned
into a horrific bite episode.
Definitely not something we ever want to happen.
(heart beating, intense music)
After Coyote's close call, we all realized
our air was running low, and it was time
to head back to the boat.
One by one, we ascended to the safety stop
just below the ship.
At this point, I could see the smiles all around.
We had done it.
We successfully completed our first major shark dive.
And what made it most special is that
we had done it together.
Whoo!
That was pretty amazing, guys.
- Wow, were those some up-close encounters
with some gorgeous sharks.
I don't think you get much closer to the tiger shark
than I got on that dive.
Amazing.
Whoo, all right, let me get this gear off.
- Well, guys, we did it.
We dove with some really giant sharks.
Dude, that was awesome.
What a great way to start off the Blue Wilderness series,
and I for one cannot wait until our next adventure.
I'm Mark Vins.
- And I'm Coyote Peterson.
- Be brave. - Stay wild.
- We'll see ya on the next dive.
While this is only the beginning
of our explorations on Blue Wilderness,
I will always look back on this adventure
as the one that truly reshaped my perspective of the ocean.
And more importantly, of sharks.
While the lore and fictions of pop culture
have painted them as menacing monsters of the deep,
the reality is they are highly intelligent
and inquisitive creatures.
Rightfully deserving to be respected, but above all,
cherished for what they truly are.
Survivors of time, ancient relics of an abyss
that is millions upon millions of years old.
In many ways, they have already discovered
the secrets of the ocean.
Our goal is to learn from them.
And with any luck, uncover some
of its mysteries for ourselves.
(dramatic music)
Oh, see that right there?
Hammerhead. - Oh, yeah.
- [Mark] 100% there's a hammerhead down there.
The hammerhead is here, guys.
(dramatic music)
We've like to extend an extra special thank you
to Jonathan Bird and the crew aboard the Dolphin Dream.
You can check out some of Jonathan's other adventures
on his YouTube channel, Blue World TV.
And in case you missed it, make sure to go back
and watch part one of our tiger shark expedition.
And don't forget to subscribe to join me and the crew
on future episodes of Blue Wilderness.
(animals roaring and howling, birds chirping)