Swimming with Pelagic Sharks

Swimming with sharks in the open ocean has been a dream of mine for a long time. I finally had the opportunity on a trip to the North Shore of Oahu. We found a fantastic tour operator (H2O Adventures Hawaii) who knew exactly where to find the sharks. We left Haleiwa Harbor at about 7am in the morning. It was a quick trip out…about 4-miles to a location where crab fisherman generally discard their catch so the sharks tend to show up anytime a boat stops at that location. After a safety briefing we jumped into the water and it was amazing to see more than 20 sharks at various depths swimming around leisurely just checking us out as they passed by. It was a combination of Galapagos and Sandbar Sharks. We stayed in the water for about 15-minutes before they started to get a little too curious and we headed back to the boat. The dive leader was incredibly knowledgable about shark behavior and we learned very quickly what not to do when you’re in the water surrounded by sharks. Slow, smooth motions and constant eye contact with the sharks if they come in close was a must. Awareness is key especially when you must maintain it in 360-degrees from all directions. Swimming with pelagic sharks was an incredible experience and you walk away with profound respect for these creatures and an understanding of how important it is to keep them safe and protect their environment.