Our 12 passenger, Custom Designed Shark Expedition Vessel "Shear Water"

To schedule your Tiger Beach Liveaboard Dive Trip, you can book directly through our online calendar below, or email us with any questions as well as have us reserve your space. If your interested in talking with us, please leave your full contact information in your email and we will call you once we are in the office. Whichever way, we look forward to hearing from you!

Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding our Bahamas Liveaboard
Shark Expedition Trips

Tiger sharks are seen at Tiger Beach year-round!

Misinformation has been to spread that tiger sharks are only seen at Tiger Beach during particular times of year that those boats are there; this is false! While certain species, such as great hammerhead and bull sharks, are more frequently seen during the winter months (October 15th thru May), we enjoy the company of numerous tiger, lemon, nurse and Caribbean reef sharks year round.


To ensure a safe and enjoyable dive experience, divers are required to wear a full-length wetsuit as well as a hood, gloves, and dive socks (to cover ankles). Dive equipment must be dark in color. Please do not bring any white or yellow dive gear, including: fins, mask, gloves, or wetsuits. Yellow second-stage hoses are permitted and are not a problem.

If you would like our staff to verify that your personal dive gear is acceptable prior to your arrival, you are more than welcome to email our reservations team with photos of your gear, at shearwater@scuba-adventures.com

Although we prefer not to feed at all, there are circumstances where we do feed. For example, if other boats are doing shark diving in our area the sharks would leave if we don’t feed them. The reason we prefer not to feed is because the best behavior that I can have for our guests are the ones that show the affectionate side of sharks. As soon as the sharks start to eat, they go into what I refer to as “survivor mode” and they’re not interested in affection. When we do feed we use specific equipment so we don’t directly use our hands.

Scuba & shark diving can be a potentially dangerous sport and so divers should be should be fully comfortable with their skills in the water. The depths at which we anchor in are between 10 and 100 feet (3 – 33 meters) and strong currents are possible. Although most of the trips we are in 25 to 40 feet of depth. We require that divers have an Open Water Scuba Certification (or equivalent) at minimum, and we will screen each potential guest as to gauge their experience level.

Sharks and other sea life are wild creatures affected by ocean conditions, seasonal changes, feeding trends and other uncontrollable factors. While our knowledgeable and experienced staff make all reasonable efforts to find specific ocean dwellers, no guarantees are made for their presence. That being said, so far we have never run a trip without seeing Tigers, Lemons, Nurse and Caribbean Reef Sharks so far. During the winter months we usually see both Great Hammerheads and Bulls although occasionally we have been skunked in the beginning and end of the seasons.

While our charters are not frequently affected by hazardous weather conditions, weather is an uncontrollable force and so highly recommend divers purchase travel insurance, unless you can afford the loss yourself. During seasons where we more frequently encounter inclement weather, for your safety, we might have to wait until the weather passes. However, the Bahamas have much to offer and we are typically able to reroute to dive locations sheltered from the winds. Additionally, we cannot offer refunds due to weather conditions, please be sure to purchase trip interruption insurance. If we cancel the trip due to weather before it even departs, we will move your trip to another trip without penalty.

All charters require a minimum of 6 participants. Please confirm with our reservation specialists before making flight arrangements. Reservations canceled with at least 120 days notice may be rescheduled or refunded. Reservations canceled with 119 to 90 days notice may be rescheduled or refunded 50% of the charter rate. Reservations canceled with 89 to 60 days notice may be rescheduled or refunded 25% of the charter rate. Reservations canceled with less than 60 days notice may not be rescheduled and are non-refundable.
Yes, DIN tanks are available on-board!

Wi-Fi or cellular service will not be accessible in the Bahamas until we return to Florida at the end of the trip. When we check into the West End, Bahamas, customs port on the morning of the second day you may be able to access some Wi-Fi or cellular service, but it is not always reliable. We have a satellite phone device on-board that can be used for communications in emergency situations.

We do carry spare gear for when it is needed, however, divers bringing their own gear are responsible for ensuring it is in proper working condition. All rental scuba gear is rented from our local dive shop Force E in Riviera Beach. +1-561-845-2333 www.force-e.com

We do carry an assortment of tools, allowing us to handle any unexpected situations that may occur with our divers’ gear.

For emergencies, we have on-board radios and a Coast Guard approved Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, or EPIRB, used to alert search and rescue services in the event of an emergency. It does this by transmitting a coded message on the 406 MHz distress frequency via satellite and earth stations to the nearest rescue co-ordination center.

We have the standard 120V system and charging ports in several locations on board for any dive or camera equipment you may have.
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Yes, Nautilus Lifeline Systems, or other personal rescue transmission devices, can be detected by the radios we have on-board the Shearwater.

Water temperatures in the Bahamas range from 72-88° F (23-29° C), with the cooler temperatures occurring during the winter months (November-April). A 3mm – 5mm wetsuit with a hooded vest is recommended.

We carry a maximum number of ten passengers per expedition. We limit this number to ensure that the passengers on each expedition have the best possible experience! Small group sizes allow for better photo opportunities, more personalized service, and most importantly… no set dive schedule! Unlike other operators, once anchored at a dive site, our divers are welcome to hop in water whenever they would like. All day long, we have a dive master waiting below the surface to greet divers.

Nitrox is available for an additional flat-rate charge of $25.00 per day/diver. This cost includes unlimited Nitrox fills for the full length of the expedition. Divers must present their Nitrox certification card upon arrival.

All expeditions will board at approximately 4:00pm on the date of departure and leaving the dock will depend on the best conditions for crossing. Once you board, we will all set up equipment to be sure nothing was forgotten or broken along the way. Jim will begin with his very extensive world famous briefing while you enjoy a delicious hot dinner! We will return back to our dock in Riviera Beach, FL, between 9:00am-11:00 on the day of arrival depending on how long it takes to clear Customs. Please allow for delays when making your flight reservations.

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) is our nearest airport and is roughly 20 minutes away by car. Ft. Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) is about 50 minutes to the south and Miami International Airport (MIA) about 1.5 hours south.

Join Us!

To schedule your Liveaboard Dive Trip you can book via email, or book directly through our online calendar below. If you have questions you can email us, in addition if you want us to call you please leave you contact info in the email. Whichever way, we look forward to hearing from you!

Reservations Team Email: shearwater@scuba-adventures.com

 

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