Great Whites
gratefully , there are no Aqua-Lung outfitters reckless enough – or who can give the insurance – to take you into great white - infested water system without a cage . Nonetheless , even from behind extra - boneheaded steel bar your warmheartedness will pound out of your breast at first sight of the ocean ’s apex predatory animal . Chum will be used to draw in the car - sized animal and no scuba experience is necessary , as most operator offer schnorkel and oxygen - tube options . good place to see them : Gansbaii , off South Africa , is known as “ Shark Alley ” , with a immense assiduousness of white ’s that drove the cold waters to chow down on abundant seals . Isla de Guadelupe , 150 miles off Mexico ’s west coast is a strong - water pick , known for crystal clear profile . fearfulness factor : eminent . No matter how loggerheaded those streak are , just the sight of a great white makes most people urinate their wetsuit . Danger constituent : Very low . There are no known incident of a great white damaging a dive cage enough to wipe out the people at heart .
Hammerheads
Hammerheads can grow to 20 feet foresightful , they ’re easily spooked , and they tend to swim in heavy schools . And , yet , divers still essay them out , without the safety of a cage . The true statement is , the man ’s funniest looking shark is a bit of a scaredy cat and seldom attacks . Top tips for leaving hammerhead - infested water with the same numeral of limbs you dove in with : stay as calm as a Buddhistic monastic , avoid fellate scuba bubbles toward them , and endeavor to continue in one spot as you celebrate them . Best billet to see them : Cocos Island off Costa Rica is illustrious for its hammerhead schools . Have your dive buddy flick a photo of you drown among the elephantine swirl of 100 of these unmistakable beasts , throw a icteric perimeter around it , and you ’ve got yourself a National Geographic cover dig . reverence factor : intermediate . Assuming you have mess of dives under your belt , hammerhead encounters should n’t rattle you too much . Danger factor : Medium . Because of their skittishness , blockhead shark are much more potential to decamp than bite .
Tiger sharks
Known as the refuse cans of the sea , tiger sharks will attempt to eat just about anything – including you . With turgid ones reaching 15 feet , they ’re considered some of baneful sharks in the populace for their fearlessness . But they also often attend out in relatively shallow tropic water , wee-wee them a democratic attracter for adventuresome divers . If you do take the plunge , remain close to your dive married person so you look “ large ” , wear a dark one - color wetsuit , and do not show any concern , no matter how tempt you may be to cry your forefront off . Best place to see them : The competently - named Tiger Beach near Grand Bahama in the Bahamas is crawl with Panthera tigris shark . Many of the resident sharks here even have girly epithet like Emma to make them seem favorable . Though , that does n’t really change the fact that Emma would probably wish to gnaw off your subdivision . Fear factor : High . But whatever you do , do n’t show it . Danger factor : High . Tiger shark are creditworthy for more attacks on humans than any other species , other than great Theodore Harold White . They ’re so grave ; many the great unwashed prefer a cage nose dive .
Whale Sharks
Whale shark are the large fish in the sea , often reaching the size of a school bus . But these are also the world ’s original easy giants – they ’re surprisingly social and provender almost only on plankton , do them completely harmless to humans . They often travel alone and will easy hover around you , giving the whole experience a sort of Free Willy feel . Best situation to see them : The good affair about whale shark is that they bed to give ear out in heaven . Your best chance at spotting one are off islands like Koh Tao in Thailand ( April - June is peak season ) , or Isla Mujeres , Mexico ( July and August ) , where you could spot several in one dive . care factor : Low . Many divers say their first brush with a whale shark is thrill , but you almost immediately feel well-to-do enough to get close and interact with the Pisces . Danger factor : Low , unless you ’re plankton . Whale sharks are like the snuffleupagus of the sea , almost cuddly , and in no way dangerous to people .
Reef Sharks
Of the 500 species of shark on the planet , only about 1 % of them are responsible for all sleep with attacks on homo . Reef shark species , like the whitened gratuity and sand tiger , reckon fearsome yet pose ( almost ) no threat at all . Most shallow - water reef shark like these are simply too timid , too gentle , or too uninterested in boney humans to incommode , and are the perfect species to look for out for a beginner - friendly shark confrontation . Best home to see them : Sin City . Mandalay Bay Casino calls it Shark Reef – we call it the heavy hangover cure in Las Vegas . This 1.3 million - gal fish tank reserve scuba - certified visitors to jumble with a half - dozen dissimilar specie of exotic but non - threatening reef shark . Fear factor : Low to medium . But is n’t Vegas the place to take risks?Danger gene : Extremely low . This is as safe as shark diving get as the fish here are very well fed and the dive leader enclose you in chainmail before you enter the water .
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Flickr/Daniel Kwok
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Courtesy of Mandalay Bay
