The Tiger shark: one of the world's most feared and dangerous sharks. It patrols the shallows
of tropical oceans looking for a meal.
But what would it be like to dive with a Tiger shark? How will it react to a diver? I'm going
to investigate Tiger sharks━and I'm going to do it without a cage!
Hi, I'm Jonathan Bird, and welcome to my world!
My adventure begins when I board the Dolphin Dream in West Palm Beach, Florida. This boat
will be my home away from home for a week.
We begin our journey by crossing the Gulf Stream on a course to the Bahamas. It's an
8- hour journey across some very rough water.
It's 55 miles of open Atlantic Ocean between Florida and the Bahamas and it can get pretty
rough out here!
Captain Andy drives the boat through the swells all day to reach West End, Grand Bahama, where
we go through customs and then continue to a secret spot called Tiger Wreck.
We anchor the boat securely. We will sit here for the whole week, looking for sharks.
Next we begin chumming. The boat's freezers are full of bait because we need a lot of
fish to bring Tiger sharks to the boat.
Within only an hour, sharks start coming to the boat.
( captain Andy counting )
This is incredible. We've only been chumming for about an hour, and there's already more
than 20 lemon sharks around the back of the boat. And I've got to go in!
Now it's time to suit up and get into the water.
I'm wearing a black wetsuit, black gloves, and even a black hood because underwater,
skin looks like fish, and the last thing that I want is for the sharks to think my hands
are pieces of fish that they can eat, so I have to go this length to make sure that I
have no skin showing.
I guess this is the part where I have to go in the water.
Oh well, this is what I came here for! Geronimo!
I grab my camera and head down to the sandy bottom, only 20 feet below.
Lemon Sharks are everywhere.
You can tell that these are lemon sharks by their two dorsal fins which are nearly the
same size.
You might be wondering why they call them Lemon sharks....I mean...they don't really
look like lemons.
They call them lemon sharks actually because they have yellowy skin and it really has nothing
to do with lemons.
There are also many fish around the boat that are also attracted to the chum.
With so many sharks and fish around, the sharks even get a few live ones.
Although there are no Tiger sharks, I had a fantastic dive full of excitement. I head
back to the surface for a rest.
Whoa! That's a lot of sharks! Wow! I think that's the most sharks that I've ever been
in with at the same time. The ladder probably is not a great place to hang out. Woo hoo!
That was incredible! I can only imagine what it's going to be like when the Tiger shark
shows up!
We will continue chumming and hope the Tigers pick up the scent.
Meanwhile, the Lemon sharks just keep coming and the water around the boat is starting
to look downright frightening!
Later, after sunset I start suiting up again.
Tiger sharks are nocturnal, which means they are more active at night. So it makes sense
that if I want to find tiger sharks I should go diving at night. There's really only one
small problem with that━it's dark!! Oh well...Here goes. (Jumps into water)
I descend towards the bottom and switch on my video lights.
On the ocean floor, gorgonian sea fans sway in the current. Then, out of the darkness
comes a shark!
It's not a Tiger━it's another Lemon shark. But it still provides a thrill as it swims
by and takes a look at my camera.
The Lemons seem just as active at night as they are during the day. I wonder if they
ever rest.
They find my video lights worthy of inspection.
After an hour underwater in the dark, I surface without finding a Tiger shark. I guess we
just need to chum and wait. Tiger sharks can be elusive.
Whoa! That was amazing! I have to tell you - no tiger sharks, but the lemons are pretty
spooky at night.
The next day I head back to the bottom once again.
There are still plenty of lemon sharks around.
But then, a shape in the distance catches my eye. It's a Tiger shark! At last, a Tiger
shark has appeared.
It takes her a while to get comfortable with divers in the water, but eventually she approaches
closer to investigate me!
She comes up and makes a few passes by the bait, cautiously keeping an eye on me. For
such large animals, Tiger sharks seem a lot less aggressive than you might expect. It's
as if they carefully consider each step, trying to decide if it is safe.
Finally she comes right up to a huge piece of bait and takes it away! In one bite
The shark is also interested in the chunks of fish that have fallen to the sand.
As the sharks go by, I take the opportunity to compare the two species.
There are several differences between the Tiger shark and the Lemon shark. Besides the
different type of dorsal fins, the Tiger shark also has a broader, flatter head, and the
distinctive "tiger stripes" for which they are named.
The sharks seem interested in my video lights. Even though they are not being used during
the day, the white housing of the lights probably looks like a piece of fish to the sharks,
and they often come up to closely investigate them. Occasionally a shark takes a test bite
out of the light, and if I don't see it coming, takes me by surprise.
I'm not prepared for a large Tiger shark to come in after my video light though. She
keeps coming, closer and closer, then as she tries to bite it and I try to keep it away
from her, we spin around on the sandy bottom, like two dancers. She eventually pushes me
into the bottom and gets a hold of my light. There is nothing I can do about it except
use my camera as a shield and hope she doesn't eat the whole thing! When she is satisfied
that the light isn't food, she turns and swims off...and I'm glad she does! That
was a little bit too close for comfort, and that's the reason we wear dark clothing
and gloves when we swim with sharks. If that had been my hand, I would be in serious trouble
right now.
I head to the surface, impressed by the strength of the large Tiger shark, and ready to escape
the sea for a while. I have enjoyed many adventures in the ocean, and many exciting encounters
with sharks, but this one will stick with me for a long time!
( ♪ music )