There’s nothing like bad weather clearing up to inspire you to seize the day. On the last day of our honeymoon, after we jumped into the ocean in our wedding clothes and then explored a shipwreck, there was still some daylight left. Why not go swimming with sharks, too?
Sail La Vie’s @freediversteph brought us to the channel just off the Bimini marinas, where she talked us through the whole experience: what to expect, what to do, and what not to do. Laurent captured this unforgettable experience beautifully.
It was my first time free diving with sharks, and I was pretty nervous. I’ve been afraid of them for a long time (seeing Jaws as a kid didn’t help), and they don’t exactly have the best reputation. But I’d already overcome my fear earlier—diving the Sapona shipwreck despite the strong currents—so I was determined to let nothing stop me now.
We jumped in where it was about 25 feet deep; at first, there was nothing. I could feel my heart pounding through my wetsuit. And then—the first shadowy figure appeared, swimming through the blue. A nurse shark. Then another, and another.
These particular sharks are known for being calm, and we’d seen some earlier during our Trash the Dress session at Honeymoon Harbour. Only these sharks were 4x the size of the ones we saw earlier. Their calm mirrored my own. I was doing this! I was swimming with sharks. I’d never thought of sharks as elegant or graceful, but I can’t think of any other way to describe them. They were mesmerizing, weaving silent, fluid paths through the water.
They weren’t all nurse sharks, as I found out later from the safety of the boat, but they all graciously let us invade their territory without so much as an aggressive bump.
Sadly, a lot of people’s perspective of sharks is simply based on a lack of knowledge and experience—I know mine was. But swimming alongside these beautiful creatures was one of the most exhilarating and yet surprisingly peaceful things I’ve ever done. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
What kind of sharks are in Bimini?
Most of the sharks we swam alongside that day were nurse sharks, but not all. When we were back up on the boat, Cole says to me, “Do you realize what we just did?”
I was unfazed. I was buzzing, actually—I’d overcome my fear, and I was on top of the world. I shrugged. “We swam with sharks.”
“Some of those were bull sharks,” Cole says, and then explains why that was such a big deal: bull sharks are one of the most feared sharks in the entire ocean, second only to the Great White. With the highest testosterone levels in the animal kingdom, they’re known for their aggression. They give spearfishermen all kinds of headaches. And we swam with five of them.
Other types of sharks you might see around Bimini include hammerhead sharks, lemon sharks, tiger sharks, and black tip reef sharks. Hammerheads can be hard to find, but January, February, and March will give you the best chance, as their migration patterns bring them into Bimini’s waters.
How can you go swimming with sharks in Bimini?
If you’re heading to Bimini and want an unforgettable diving experience, check out these diving with sharks excursions.
Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center runs a Great Hammerhead Safari from December to April. Availability is limited, so it’s best to book ahead. Shark Dive Adventures offers excursions to see hammerheads (Dec–April) as well as nurse sharks, lemon sharks, bull sharks, and black tip reef sharks (all year round). Most of these trips depart from the dock at Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina.
To see these feared predators up close was a highlight of our honeymoon. Have you ever gone swimming with sharks? We’d love to hear your story! And if you have any questions about our experience or need a pep talk before you take a similar dive, feel free to get in touch.
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