Travel: How You Can Cage Shark Dive Off Oahu's North Shore (2023)

The realization that I was entering an inverted aquarium became as clear as the Hawaiian waters I would dive into near the north shore of Oahu.

I nervously descended the ladder to the small cage floating in 600 feet of water and peered through the plexiglass as the sharks swam by to get a closer look at the curious humans admiring them from the water-filled box.

My heart was racing as several sharks strolled by a few feet away, my hands gripping the metal bars tightly as adrenaline filled my body. I tried to keep my legs hanging over the bars in case my toes felt like a tasty snack.

As a surfer who spends hours every week sitting on a board waiting for waves in the ocean, I know that sharks come with territory. After all, the sea is their home.

Although I'm curious about them, I never wanted to get close to a shark. In all honesty, I'm pretty sure that if I saw a fin break out of the ocean's surface, I would certainly do what the experts say and frantically scramble to reach shore.

As a beach reporter, I've written my share of shark stories. When juvenile great white sharks began appearing in large numbers along the southern California coast a decade ago, I spoke with experts about their population numbers as the species recovered.

I've also written about nearly every shark bite victim on the Southern California coast over the last two decades, from fatal attacks to near-fatal injuries that left physical and emotional scars. Though rare, these bites and stories are etched in my memory.

But we've also learned a lot about the mystery species in recent years, particularly with drone technology capturing shark behavior from above. The big takeaway is that aerial footage shows sharks swimming close to unsuspecting surfers - they really don't care about humans.

My fascination grew with each story written. I had never seen a shark in the wild.

So while looking online for a fun activity to do during a surf trip to see a friend on Oahu, an offer for Shark Cage Diving caught my eye.

"What do you think?" I asked my friend Tom Cozad.

"You are crazy?"he replied.

I'm sure he knew the answer to that question.

So, after some back and forth wits our wits, we booked the boat ride out of Haleiwa Harbor the next morning.

Arriving at the Hawaii Shark Encounters dock, we were met by boat captains Eric Peruzzi and Chris D'Amico, who were preparing the small craft for the six passengers who signed up for the excursion.

During the 30-minute boat ride to the cage, Peruzzi conducted an ecotourism educational session about Hawaii's sharks and their conservation efforts.

Sharks are attracted to the area because fishermen have been throwing rubbish overboard for years. Now, when sharks hear the boats' engines, they're drawn to see if there's any treats.

“Over time, the sharks have learned that if they follow the fishermen, they can get light snacks,” explains Peruzzi.

Sharks don't eat healthy animals, they eat sick and sick, injured, weak or dead, he explained.

“They are the filters for our oceans, they are very important for our oceans and we are very lucky that we can still go out and do this,” he said. "Because we've lost about 80-90% of our sharks worldwide over the last 60 years to commercial fisheries, which is a major driver, and to the shark fin industry."

Shark cage diving has been in the news recently, when the island of Guadeloupe recently banned tours of cages with great white sharks, with Mexican officials arguing that human presence is changing the animals' behavior and diet. However, others argue that shark tourism keeps an eye on species threatened by the shark fin trade and allows researchers to learn more about the species.

Hawaii Shark Encounters was the first company to offer tours on the North Shore in 2004. In Hawaii, all sharks are protected and it has been illegal to knowingly capture, ensnare or kill sharks since a new law was passed in 2022, Peruzzi said, making it o the only shark sanctuary in the United States.

"What you are going to see today, Shark Week is not going to show you," he said. "You'll see what sharks are really like."

The sharks normally seen during the tour are Galapagos sharks, discovered on the island of Galapagos in 1905, but they are resident sharks in Hawaii, explained Peruzzi. Males can grow up to 10 feet, females in the 12-foot range.

Tiger sharks are occasionally seen, although they usually appear in the warmer summer months, he said.

"We haven't seen a tiger in a few months," he said during our winter excursion.

Even before we reached the cage, the sharks' fins had begun to cut the surface of the sea, making us jump out of our seats in excitement to get a closer look at the side of the boat.

Once we got to the cage, the windy conditions that made the trip bumpy were too much for one of the passengers. She leaned over to the side and threw up right into the cage.

"Maybe the comrade will help lure the sharks," I couldn't resist an awkward joke.

Hopefully, after the vomiting has passed, we grab the scuba gear and carefully climb down the ladder into the cage, two people on each side.

Before Tom and I were even in the water, one of the shark divers raised his head and yelled, "Tiger Shark!"

Sem chance.

I was cool with the gentle Galapagos sharks, but the infamous tiger shark is known for its aggressive and sometimes deadly nature. My toes immediately curled in fear.

"It was definitely a tiger," Peruzzi confirmed after seeing the 13-foot shark swim past the boat with the distinctive markings. “At this time of year they only hunt in shallow water. … She just left here.

As I dove into the water, my first sight through the clear Plexiglas was several smooth blue Galapagos walking curiously past the caged humans, sometimes just a few feet away.

The sight wasn't as frightening as I had imagined, actually quite mesmerizing, almost like an underwater meditation while watching the sharks swim rhythmically.

Then I saw. I tugged at Tom's shirt and frantically pointed down - a larger shark with its signature stripes adorning its upper body. The tiger shark was right under our dangling legs. Like other sharks, it was docile and swam easily.

The tiger shark swam right in front of us as we stared at it in awe and it looked like the Galapagos sharks were taking notice too. As Peruzzi explained earlier, when Tiger Sharks appear, other sharks seem to abandon Dodge.

"It's not that they're afraid of being attacked, it's just a matter of respect," he said. "You're bigger, you swim here."

In total, the cage dive lasted about 20 minutes and we all left elated in the knowledge that we were face to face with one of the most mysterious and majestic creatures in the world, which gushed with the unexpected and awe-inspiring appearance of the tiger shark.

During the trip back to the dock, Peruzzi shared tips on how we can do our part to help sharks thrive, including consuming fish from local fishermen and not from commercial operations that could inadvertently kill sharks in bycatch.

Another thing - don't buy great white shark tooth necklaces, he insisted.

"White shark teeth mean the shark was killed to get them," he said. "Then avoid it."

Seeing sharks up close gives me a newfound respect and ease in sharing the ocean with sharks.

Now that I'm face to face with sharks, my first reaction might not be one of panic and fear when I see a fin appear while surfing.

Perhaps.

when you go

Hawaii Shark Encounters charges $120 for adults (13 and older) and $90 for children under 12 for a 2-hour cruise. A private charter for up to 10 people costs $1,350. Information:hawaiisharkencounters.com