Bahamas Attractions

Venue: Grand Bahama Island    When: Daily
With 700 islands comprising the Bahamas, the Caribbean nation has a marine territory that extends over 100,000 square miles, according to the Bahamas Tourist Board. This busy underwater environment attracts a vast quantity of marine life, including several species of sharks: Caribbean Reef Sharks, Hammerheads, Lemon Sharks, Bull Sharks and Silky Sharks.

Shark feeding is the primary incentive for sharks to frequently visit the shores of the Bahamas and is used to lure the creatures during dives. Thousands of divers from all over the world have participated in this adventure since the inception of the Bahamas shark feeds 20 years ago. The sharks are fed either by hand or from the end of poles. They swim among the divers, sometimes battling each other for a prized piece of bait.

The feeders are usually dressed in special chainmail gear to protect them from attacks, should one occur, although on a comforting note, statistics show that attacks from these creatures are rare. While the feeder doles out food, other divers stand in a semicircle, some in mute fear, others in absolute astonishment at the surreal experience.

Shark diving programmes runs training courses for all divers, as well and often include equipment and gear in special dive packages.