Our Tour

Hawaii Shark Encounters founder and captain Jimmy Hall attracted worldwide attention with an incredible encounter with a giant great white shark on December 28th, 2005. This rare event was the only great white ever filmed in Hawaii. News stations and newspapers all over Hawaii featured this encounter on their daily news and front pages. The response was overwhelmingly positive as the story was reported with great enthusiasm and a positive attitude. Something very rare in the world of sensational media coverage!   Major national networks showed the footage and interviewed Jimmy on live television with millions of viewers… a fact that Jimmy found much scarier than diving with a 20 ft Great White Shark. Related Video [/fullwidth]

Shark Research Movements of Sharks Associated With Cage Dive Ecotourism Principal Investigators: Carl Meyer & Kim Holland Project Overview Concern exists that commercial shark cage diving conducted 3 miles offshore from Haleiwa Harbor increases the risk of shark attack on swimmers, surfers and divers along the North Shore of Oahu (Hawaii). Much of this concern is based on the belief that sharks associated with these commercial tours follow the tour boats back toward shore whenever the boats leave their offshore operation sites. We are using cutting edge technology to track the long-term movements of sharks captured at the cage diving sites and evaluate the public safety implications of these operations. Research Questions We are addressing the following specific questions: (1) How often do sharks visit the cage diving sites and how long do they stay? (2) Do sharks captured at…

Shark experts and eco-tourism operators have recognized the educational value of or tour around the world.  While enjoying the tour and having an experience of a lifetime, the guests are presented with in-depth information about shark biology, ecology and behavior and the threats sharks are facing globally. Our crewmembers have years of experience with sharks and they are ardent conservationist and shark experts.   Dispelling the myth of sharks as mindless killing machines is an important part of shark conservation. People will not protect what they fear and there is a general lack of concern for the demise of sharks. We experience every day that people are indeed interested and fascinated by sharks – there simply is a lot of misinformation and hype and the sensationalism of news programs feeds on the wide-spread fear of sharks. Nothing corrects that impression…

Sustainable Practices  Our tour is inherently low impact – much less than any diving or fishing operation. We go to the same site, three miles off shore and turn off the engines, where we are able to observe a resident population of animals that lives in the area because of optimal conditions. The species of sharks that we see during the tour appear because they live in the environment that is most suitable to their species. We don’t catch sharks or relocate them. We don’t troll, therefore not wasting fuel or polluting the environment. We don’t touch any reefs. We don’t anchor. There is no impact to the environment. We let people climb into a cage to see the sharks in their natural environment, keeping the humans confined and letting the animals be in their natural environment.  It is the…

Note: This is not professional medical advice. Please consult your physician for any questions on how to best treat your illness. When setting sail on the open seas, it is important to be prepared in the event that you become sea sick. The rocking of a boat as it glides across the ocean waves is enough to mess with the average person’s equilibrium. If the conditions are right, even the most experienced seamen can get sick. Those who have experienced it know that sea sickness can quickly turn your pleasant trip into a miserable experience. Here is some helpful information on how to prevent and deal with sea sickness. What is Sea Sickness? Sea sickness occurs when what you see, conflicts with what your inner ear is sensing. So, while on the sea, the boat around you looks like it’s…

Our Sharks Galapagos Shark Carcharinus Galapagensis Reaching ten feet in length and weighing as much as 400 pounds, this shark is known as an aggressive and dangerous shark. We believe that this classification is a little exaggerated due to a behavior that is very bold and very curious. We see predominately males and they come very close, as in right-against-the-cage close. These sharks can be seen any time of year but during spring and early summer they are very numerous. There isn’t much more excitement than being in a cage completely surrounded by these awesome animals. Sandbar Shark Carcharinus Plumbeus The sandbar shark is a common shark with an average size of 4-6 feet and a maximum size of almost 8 feet. These quick and agile sharks often swarm around the boat and cage. Our most consistent visitor, the sandbars can be…

Our cage is roomy and safe! It is open at the top so you can get in and out easily. The bars extend 2 ft above the water so there is no chance of the sides ever being submerged. The quarter inch thick Poly Glass windows are nearly invisible underwater and let you see everything for hundreds of feet around while keeping a safe barrier between you and the sharks.   You guarantee that you will feel very safe and comfortable!   READ THIS PLEASE   The hardest part of the tour is the entry into the cage. It will be pulled close and tightly attached to the side of the boat to make the entry easy.   The entry and exit into the cage require enough strength to step over the side of the boat, to climb down a…

Absolutely! But…there are a few things you should know. Please read this and the only surprise will be how this shark encounter is so much more than you ever imagined! When we say this adventure is for everyone, we mean it. Our guests have included non-swimmers who had never been in the ocean to National Geographic photographers. Both were very impressed! The youngest person in the shark cage was a 3 year old girl and the oldest over 80. We have taken a paraplegics and a woman who had lost her foot to a great white. Must be easy, right? Yes it is, but not always. Our shark grounds over three miles off the famous North Shore. This is the open ocean, which can be very rough. Even on a calm day the boat still rocks! If you are prone…

Sharks play a phenomenally important role in maintaining a balanced ocean eco-system, but the ocean’s shark populations are steadily declining. There’s no good reason for this beyond ignorance and fear. Our goal at Hawaii Shark Encounters is to shift the global perception of sharks back to the truth, and we believe we can do it,…

Kainani beautiful ocean The Kainani is a 32-foot Radon built on the Big Island of Hawaii. This boat is well known for seaworthiness. It is built to handle hard work and rough seas. It is able to carry the largest shark cage in Hawaii. Powered by a 450 HP Cummins diesel, the Kainani is a…