Imagine being less than five feet from one of the most feared predators in the ocean- a shark!

Nestled in a quiet corner of the island of New Providence, Bahamas is one of the most exciting scuba diving operations in existence today. Stuart Cove's Dive South Ocean has been one of the pioneers in the extreme sport of shark diving. Yes, you read that correctly, shark diving.

Many divers have safely taken part in these eye-popping, heart-pounding, adrenaline-producing dives, returning home with a new appreciation of sharks. The divers typically make two separate dives at different dive sites over the course of a morning.

The first dive is usually on a portion of a coral reef known as a "wall". A wall is an almost vertical coral reef, extending for a great distance underwater. During this dive, the divers will have the opportunity to swim along the wall with reef sharks, getting used to having sharks in the general vicinity, observing their behavior.

The length of this dive is about 45 minutes or thereabouts, depending on air supply of the individual diver. The second dive is where the action really gets going. The boat will anchor over a flat spot of the reef, usually about 50 feet deep. The sound of the boat engines will be enough to attract the schools of sharks, causing the divers' heart rates to increase. The schools of sharks are visible from the surface, and of course, the shark jokes start soon after they appear.

The divers are instructed in safety measures, and how the sharks will be fed. Once the divers make their way to the bottom, which is an area of broken and dead coral, they are placed in a semi-circle so that everyone can see the action. The shark feeder will bring the bait box to the bottom, and then the action begins! The feeder will bring out small chunks of the bait, held out on the end of a long metal pole. The feeder wears chain mesh gloves, extending the length of their arms. In order to avoid frenzy, the feeder will only bring out the bait in a controlled manner, one section at a time.

The sharks will swim around, next to, and above the divers, making the entire time underwater a study in grace, power, and silky strength. Sometimes, with a flick of the tail, the sharks will inadvertently bump a diver, causing the diver's heart rate to accelerate quickly! Of course, the divers are instructed not to attempt touching the sharks, as well as to keep their hands folded close to their bodies. Even so, the sharks come very close to the divers, and it's difficult to resist the urge to reach out and touch one of these magnificent creatures.

All too soon, the feeder runs out of bait, and exits the water; thereby assuring the sharks do not associate the bait with the divers. Per the pre-dive instructions, the divers are allowed to stay in the vicinity, observing the sharks, provided they have adequate air supplies and dive time.

Once back on board the boat, the excited divers will compare notes as to the quantity of sharks present, how close they came to each diver, and how nervous everyone was. For those with a sense of adventure, scuba diving offers many exciting adventures, but shark dives will rank in the top experiences of all divers, no matter what their level of certification.

  By Colin Zylka

Caribbean cruise and travel magazine