Those of you that have been following Airplanes & Avocados will know that Hawaii is the place where I first fell in love with sharks. My very first trip to the islands over five years ago led me to a cage diving adventure and I haven’t looked back! Since then I’ve ditched the cage and have been freediving with sharks regularly, eager to learn as much about these incredible creatures as I can.
I was stoked to be back in Hawaii last month where this crazy journey began and even more pumped because I had found a company to dive with that’s just as passionate about sharks as I am.
Hawaii Adventure Diving
Hawaii Adventure Diving is a family-owned and operated shark diving company based out of Haleiwa, on Oahu’s North Shore. The company was founded in 2007 by life-long waterman Captain Chris Parker.
Hawaii Adventure Diving not only offers pelagic shark diving trips but also scuba diving charters and shark cage tours for those who aren’t quite ready to swim freely with sharks. But trust me, once you meet this crew you’ll have absolutely no reservations about getting into the water with Hawaii’s diverse shark species.
On each pelagic shark diving trip, there is an experienced Divemaster in the water with you who will go through a safety briefing before reaching the dive site and teach guests a little bit more about sharks and what to expect and look for in the water. Drew was our guide and he was super knowledgeable about the different types of shark species we would be seeing during our trip and how to respond to the different kinds of behaviors we might encounter from them. We had a few newbies on our tour who had never been shark diving before; it was clear that they were a little bit nervous about getting in the water with the oceans apex predators, but after Drew’s reassuring dive briefing and quick Shark 101 class, everyone was eager to jump off the boat and start diving!
Another thing that I really appreciated about Hawaii Adventure Diving is that their tours are intimate; each trip takes a maximum of only six divers per tour. This allowed everyone to maximize their time in the water with the sharks and really get an up-close experience, whereas similar shark tours on the island take upwards of ten divers and leave you sitting on the boat for half the dive while you wait for your turn in the water. The small group with Hawaii Adventure Diving allowed us to all be safe in the water at once to make sure we soaked up every single minute of the awesome shark action happening below.
Hawaii’s Sharks
Hawaii is home to some of the most beautifully diverse marine life in the entire world – including a ton of awesome shark species! Depending on what season you’re visiting you may encounter Galapagos sharks, Sandbar sharks, Black Tip sharks, Oceanic White Tip sharks, and Tiger sharks, among many others.
During our shark adventure, we encountered six decently sized Galapagos sharks and a handful of Sandbar sharks.
Conservation
A pelagic shark dive with Hawaii Adventure Diving is so much more than a cool experience to brag to your friends about; it’s a once in a lifetime interactive learning experience that will change your life. While out on your trip, not only are you going to have the most incredible time, but you’re going to learn a lot about shark conservation. Sharks are at risk due to a number of different threats including shark finning, overfishing, and global warming and the guys at Hawaii Adventure Diving use their platform to make guests aware of this and tell them how they can help protect these beautiful animals they just got to know.
Everyone walked away from our trip with big smiles and a determination to be better; be mindful of where our seafood comes from, minimize our plastic use, and use our voices to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a truly unforgettable experience in Oahu, book a trip with Hawaii Adventure Diving. These guys are awesome, intelligent, passionate, and excited to share the ocean with everyone they meet. Unlike other tour operations, it’s clear that they aren’t doing this for money; they have a clear passion for sharks and a mission to educate and inspire guests on each one of their tours.
A big shout out to the guys at Hawaii Adventure Diving for a great tour and even got my mom (a non-swimmer!) to get into the water. Neither of us will ever forget the wonderful experience we had with you guys and we can’t wait to come back!
Book your pelagic shark tour HERE for only $150 per person!
Airplanes & Avocados was welcome as a guest of Hawaii Adventure Diving. All opinions are my own.
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Monica
Mahalo for joining us on our Pelagic Open Water Shark Dive Emily, and for sharing your experience! We hope to see you again for another dive soon! Aloha from the Crew of Hawaii Adventure Diving!