Why You Should Swim With Sharks: Florida Shark Diving!
As you may recall from my Hawaiian adventures, I had the opportunity to snorkel and free dive with sharks! This was undoubtedly the highlight of my life, as I successfully ticked off my number one bucket list item: swimming with two Galapagos sharks!
So, when work confirmed that I would be in Florida for three weeks, I found myself missing my own Shark Week party.
That’s right: MY Shark Week party. Picture this…sharks swimming from my ceilings, with shark facts sprinkled throughout my apartment, where friends gather to listen to all those facts. Shark Week is like Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year!
I did the next best thing: I jumped out of a wonderful boat to hang out with my shark friends!
You are wondering, Bel, why? And how did you know you were safe? And what drew you to this company to do it?
I will address those answers and some other details below!
Florida Shark Diving
I chose this company because of its long history of working with the same people I look up to on Shark Week. They have been featured on numerous channels, including Shark Week, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, BBC, and NBC, which made me feel good about partnering with them. Another remarkable thing about them is that, if you are a film crew or a researcher, they provide so many services for your trip, such as:
Stable & Seaworthy Boats
Full Coast Guard Licensed Safety Equipment
Professional Spotter Plane Assistance
Experienced Shark Diver & Underwater Camera Assistant
Professional and Experienced Crew
USCG Licensed & Insured Captain and Crew
Full Electronics GPS, Radar, Sonar
Professionally Built Polycarb Shark Cage
Extensive Marine Intel Network Surrounding South Florida
I took this trip more seriously than the others, as I had always wanted to be a marine biologist. I felt like I was on a research mission, asking my guide Alexis numerous questions.
What to Expect on the Tour
You check in upon arrival and then board a boat with four other paying customers, a captain, and your shark guide. My guide was Alexis, and she really made it feel like we were on a mission! Alexis was incredibly knowledgeable about sharks and their safety, sharing many stories, including her experiences guiding in South Africa and Florida. Her passion for shark diving drove her to work with this company.
The tour begins with a 30-minute boat ride to the dive site. The guides go over all the safety instructions before, during, and after arriving at the site. Then, one by one, you put on your snorkel gear and enter the water, holding onto a line as your diver starts baiting the sharks.
Sharks!
As I mentioned, I have swum with sharks once before, and that experience was different from swimming with Florida Shark Diving. Florida uses bait to attract the sharks to the surface, unlike the other place I swam, where sharks came up because they heard the boat's motors.
With Florida, they use a line that you are supposed to hang onto, whereas at the other company, we were floating. I will say, no fault of Florida, being on that line was tough. The current that day was strong, and I kept bumping into the other four people on the line, and Alexis had to straighten it out multiple times until she finally said it was safe enough to free dive. To give you a perspective, we drifted 6 miles in one hour!
The captain yelled to us, saying we had 5 minutes left in the dive, and everyone but Alexis and I got out. I wanted to max out every second with these creatures, even though they had all left. I kept praying another shark would come. That’s when Alexis yelled to the captain, saying there were two silky sharks! TWO!!
Needless to say…we stayed an extra 15-20 minutes. Thank God I didn’t get out because it was just Alexis and me with two silkies. It was the best experience to be this wild and free with these beautiful, highly misunderstood, majestic animals…which leads me to say…
Why You Should Go as a Solo Traveler
I felt a surge of energy and a sense of peace I'd never experienced before—except for the first time I swam with sharks. I know you're thinking, Bel, that’s great for you, but what does swimming with dangerous animals have to do with solo traveling?
It has a lot to do with it!
Like I mentioned, these animals are highly misunderstood, and in a way, we solo travelers are the same. When we travel alone, we want to be seen and understood not only by the world but, most importantly, by ourselves. I truly believe that when we travel and do something we normally wouldn’t do, it brings awareness into our lives. The solo community is a fun and diverse group of passionate individuals who seek adventure, knowledge, and meaningful experiences.
I genuinely think you will find this on your trip with Florida Shark Diving. They've been in this business for over a decade, bringing professional shark experiences to bridge the gap between the land and ocean worlds. The more people who take trips like this, the more awareness there is about sharks and also how traveling, learning, and experiencing life differently shapes you. Plus, they are truly a local company that cares about sharks and your experience. If you're still not convinced to leave the boat, you can experience sharks from on deck.
Thank you, Florida Shark Diving, for partnering with Wandering Bel and allowing me to experience the best afternoon I never expected in Florida, and for letting me share this with the solo traveling community! Until next time!