It's every diver's dream to encounter sharks on a dive just not when they're in feeding mode. So diving into a group of eight-foot Caribbean reef sharks with a basket of dead fish is not something most divers would contemplate.

Sixty feet below, the pale gray forms were visible in the clear Caribbean water. Noel Edmonds, our dive master, prepared his chain mail shark gear for the dive. The chain mail resembled a cross between an ancient suit of armor and a new fashion accessory. The tiny metal links hardly looked like they could protect anyone from a shark bite. "I don't use a full suit because I know these guys don't mean me any harm," he said confidently. "I only use what I feel is necessary in case of an accident. After all, my arms and hands will get fairly close to their teeth at feeding time and I would hate to lose something."

Noel decided to stay on board for the first 'familiarization' dive because the sharks 'knew him' too well. Also, he wanted to prepare the 'fish food.' The purpose of the first dive was for divers and sharks to get acquainted with each other at close quarters. Sort of like a blind date. It was a good idea because at least three divers in the group were a bit apprehensive.
Near the rear of the boat three four-foot Silky sharks buzzed the dive ladder in hopes of snagging some fish scraps, but scattered immediately after we hit the water. My pulse quickened as we slowly dropped through the clear azure waters off Cayo Anclitas, in Cuba's Los Jardines de la Reina, "Gardens of the Queen." By the time we hit the top of 60-foot wall, those faint gray forms had transformed into six sleek Caribbean reef sharks. During the dive briefing, Noel, informed us that we should not be surprised if the sharks came in close looking for a hand out. I wondered which hand. Instinctively we kept our hands close to our bodies during the dive.

Sure enough, as soon as we started our westerly swim along the wall, the sharks closed in. An eight-foot female approached slowly without any fear of the group. She was especially intent on checking out one of my bright orange strobes. Maybe she was trying to decide if it was edible or maybe the high-pitched whine of the strobe's capacitor piqued her interest. She glided to within a few inches of the strobe before gracefully turning away exposing her right flank to my camera. As I whirled off three shots I noticed that her sleek side, just above and behind her pectoral fin, was marred by two vicious looking gashes - obvious mementos of an amorous encounter with one of the smaller males in the group.
The sharks were with us for about 15 minutes before realizing that the only food on the menu was uninspiring 'neoprene wraps.' They soon lost interest and disappeared to do what sharks do. During the dive it became obvious that if humans were on their diet there would be a lot less people venturing into the water. I have dived with sharks in four oceans, but I have never been this close to sharks before. I must say my air consumption was jumping quite a bit.

After the required surface interval and a final shark-feed etiquette briefing, it was time for the real show. A shark feeding frenzy. With adrenalin pumping through our bodies, we did our giant strides into the water. We only saw a couple of sharks off in the distance as we descended and took up positions on a sandy ledge at 60 feet. Noel had instructed us to kneel in the sand in a semicircle formation, about arms-length apart. Once we were in position he would come down with his basket of 'treats.'
Gazing upwards we watched Noel hit the water and start his slow descent. In a flash there were about 20 sharks buzzing around him. Like hungry puppies they spiraled down with Noel, their eyes following his every move. No sooner had he landed on the sandy bottom and taken a position about six feet in front of the group, the sharks were all over him. Before the first piece of fish came out of the plastic bucket, 30 sleek predators surrounded us.
Using a short gaff-like stick, Noel calmly offered a big female the first course. Sensing that feeding time had officially begun, the sharks started jostling for position. A big male tried to squeeze between me and the diver to my left and the next thing I knew a pectoral fin bumped my first stage knocking me off balance. Soon sharks were weaving in and out of the group occasionally bumping into each other and the divers. That's when a big female, trying to maneuver through the melee, smashed hard into my right shoulder. This time the impact slammed me onto the sand. No sooner had I righted myself and resumed shooting, another shark smacked my strobe arm sending me back into the sand.
I decided to stay there on my belly and shoot up. As I looked around the group I saw steady streams of air bubbles rising from regs. When Noel had informed us that the dive would be around 30 minutes I wondered why such a short dive. Now I knew. Air supplies were evaporating as quickly as the fish in the basket.
That's when I felt something tug at my right fin. I looked back half expecting to see one of my feet missing, but it was only a big old Nassau grouper coming in to steal a snack from the sharks. It was using my raised fin as cover for his ambush. I checked my air gauge. Yep another 100 psi had disappeared and I was wondering if we would have enough air to even make 30 minutes.

After running out of film I pulled myself off the bottom and resumed a kneeling position. As I surveyed the rest of the group I noticed a steady stream of bubbles rising from one of the divers. At first I though her reg was free flowing then I saw the six-foot green moray writhing around her legs. I flashed her the okay signal and she timidly flashed it back.
The feeding ended as abruptly as it had begun. Noel had run out of snacks. The sharks quickly dispersed except for a couple of males that stuck around just in case there were seconds. But, after Noel showed them the empty basket they too disappeared. When our breathing returned to normal, we searched for shark teeth in the sand where Noel had knelt. Sharks shed their teeth when feeding and judging by the feeding I saw, I knew there would be plenty of teeth to go around. I managed to find a couple inch-long beauties.
For me it was the shortest 30-minute dive of my life. My strobes were popping as fast as they could recycle and I could have easily shot 100 frames. But, back on the dive boat, a few divers-especially the moray charmer-remarked that it was the longest 30-minute dive they had ever experienced.
Despite the bad press about shark attacks, shark dives are safe and growing in popularity. Thousands of these dives take place each year without incident to divers or feeders. These action-packed dives are now offered in many countries, but you don't have to travel to an exotic destination like Cuba or Fiji to experience one. In fact the Bahamas reign as the world's shark diving capital and St. Maarten/Martin is not far behind.
Shark Feeding started 25 years ago on tiny Long Island, one of the 700 islands in the Bahamas chain. Dive masters from the Stella Maris Inn enticed sharks closer to wide-eyed divers by hiding dead fish in cracks in the coral. The dead fish attracted sharks, but in most cases they could not get at the food. Today, a dozen or more Bahamas dive operators offer controlled, in-your-face shark feeding dives.

The shark feeders at Stuart Cove in Nassau (the Bahamas most popular shark dive encounter) present fish treats at the end of a short stainless steel hand spear and is similar to the technique in Cuba. Not only does this method keep the sharks a bit farther away, but it permits these underwater matadors to position the sharks for great underwater photography. This style of feeding also allows feeders to wear only shoulder-length chain-mail gloves. Stuart Cove has staged more than 10,000 shark dives without incident.
The 'Shark Rodeo' in Walker's Cay takes place in about 35 feet of water and attracts upwards of 100 Blacktip and Caribbean reef sharks. Once divers are in position on the sandy bottom, a 50-pound "chumsicle" (a ball of frozen fish parts) is lowered into the water. The chumsicle usually triggers a feeding frenzy, but it takes the sharks longer to consume the frozen bait. Divers are further away from the actual feeding, but enjoy a longer dive with larger numbers of sharks. After the feeding, hundreds of shark teeth littered the sand.
The popularity of shark dives has prompted the world's largest certification organization, PADI, to introduce the Shark Awareness Course. Many Bahamas dive operators offer this course along with an assistant shark feeder course. The shark feeder course gives recreational divers a shot at donning a chain mail suit and feeding the sharks themselves.
However, not all Bahamas shark dives involve feeding. Pelagic sharks inhabit all oceans and come in all shapes and sizes from the one-foot long common dogfish to the 20-foot great white or the 50-foot whale shark. Seeing any shark in the wild will always liven up a dive, but if a faint silhouette of a distant lone shark sets your reg humming, imagine how you'll react when a 400-pound female Caribbean reef shark slaps you with her tail.
Shark dives are not recommended for newly certified divers. Make sure you have a few dives under your belt before your first one. As harmless as they may seem at these feedings, they are still one of the world's great apex predators. But they should be respected not feared, especially during these once-in-a-lifetime encounters. Good diving!

Other Caribbean shark dive operations.