Hawaiian Adventure Series: Shark-Cage Diving

Weeks before our family's vacation to Hawaii, my sister sent an email to our some of us containing a link to a Shark-Cage Diving Encounter. I know she sent it as a semi-joke and i also just laughed it off. I really did not take it seriously. When my dad saw the link, he was immediately interested. This surprised us but also made us rethink this 'joke' and inquire more seriously.

After a lot of back and forth, we decided to push through with it. We booked online through a promo with Groupon and prepared ourselves for an adventure of a lifetime.

We got there 30 minutes ahead of schedule and waited by the pier for the boat to arrive.  We then got in a speed boat that can sit around 12  to 14 passengers. Since there were already 8 of us (including 2 kids) plus three crew, only two other guests were accomodated to join us. It felt pretty exclusive to our family. We rode a high-speed boat on bumpy seas for a good 15 minutes before reaching the shark infested water. The cage was already docked, waiting for us.

The two kids did not go down but they were able to also see the sharks from the boat. There were a good 12 to 14 sharks swimming around us. Ironically, around the same number as the passengers of the boat. Eeps. They were about 13 feet long each and were Galapagos sharks.

I know the pictures look intimidating but it actually felt very safe. I would have even asked my kids to join us if they dared to. The only reason why it may not be ideal for small children is the rough seas. The waves were hitting hard and we had to hold on to the rails of the cage to avoid getting whipped around. Although once we were under water, it felt very calm.

Amidst the rough seas, it was an experience I will never forget. Definitely one for the books. As i looked at the sharks swimming around us, I was just in awe of how peaceful they moved around their habitat. I was just so amazed and cannot believe I was actually doing it. Such a National Geographic experience.

When you find yourselves in Hawaii, I would highly encourage you to give this activity a shot. To those of you asking who took our pictures, the captain of the boat had a GoPro on a stick and took our videos and photos for an additional fee. You only get to do it once, I'd say the additional $$ is priceless.

Visit Hawaii Shark Encounters http://hawaiisharkencounters.com/home to learn more about this wonderful experience.