Snorkeled with sharks at 60 for the first time
I swam with sharks at 60 for the first time and it was not on my bucket list.
We booked and paid out of pocket for a snorkeling shore excursion in Bimini, Bahamas while on our sponsored cruise with @virginvoyages.
We opted for "Sapona Shipwreck and Shark Snorkeling", which lasts 4 hours. I got the 1.30 pm slot so we could enjoy Richard’s Retreat at Bimini Beach Resort in the morning when it’s less crowded.
I honestly thought this was just the shipwreck (a few reels back) and that “maybe” we’d see a shark! We saw a hammerhead from the boat, but I had no clue we’d later be boating to a different location to jump in the water with 20+ nurse and reef sharks.
When we arrived at the site and a bunch of sharks encircled the boat, Alonzo, the captain gave us the safety drills and explained that they even bring kids from schools in Bimini to have encounters with them.
Some of the safety drills were not to splash frantically, to always keep our fins on, no throwing up in the water or bugging the sharks or touching them. We were told they may brush us with their fins but they never got that close.
I’m a pretty strong swimmer, but what had me most at ease was the four or five members of the crew also underwater, and the knowledge that this has been going on for 20 years at this exact spot. Also, these particular sharks are not bull sharks, big whites, or tiger sharks (the most likely to attack humans). I did not feel scared or threatened. The sharks ignored us for the most part.
The swim lasted around 40 minutes and it was one of the coolest most zen experiences in my life.
Have you ever swam with sharks in the Bahamas? Would you?
#VirginVoyages #bimini #bahamas #snorkeling #emptynestertravel #Emptynesters #thisis60 #adventuretravel #swimmingwithsharks #sharkencounter
