Pictured above: Dan free diving during our shark diving experience

Shortly after arriving in Hawaii, I heard rave reviews about shark diving. A handful of companies work right out of Haleiwa for the purposes of research, conservation, education, and diving. One particular company was recommended time and time against by friends: One Ocean Diving. Intrigued, Dan and I decided to book an early morning tour to swim with Galapagos and sandbar sharks.

Is It Dangerous or Scary?

Anytime I tell people I went shark diving, their immediate reaction is, “Oh my gosh! Was it scary?”

And the genuine answer is no. I wasn’t scared before heading out to dive with sharks, and it wasn’t scary in the water. Dan was much more nervous about the prospect of swimming with sharks, and it’s only natural. While scuba diving in Costa Rica, I had seen a small shark (I can’t remember which type), and the shark looked nearly as scared as my diving group did. We all hovered close to the ocean floor, watching the shark.

The shark didn’t make any sudden movements, and then eventually, it swam away. It didn’t look like a predator at all in those circumstances. Instead, it looked like you could easily spook if you made any sudden movements or moved at all.

So, heading into shark diving, I wasn’t the least bit afraid of the Galapagos or sandbar sharks that we would see. Neither poses much threat to humans, and they’re rarely associated with attacks on humans. Plus, I knew that One Ocean Diving worked with these sharks every single day. They “knew” these specific sharks for all intents and purposes. I felt confident in their ability to educate us and keep us safe.

Also worth mentioning, the shark diving we did was NOT cage diving. We were in the open ocean swimming with sharks.

My Experience with One Ocean Diving

Dan and I selected the 7 AM tour on June 5 as we were told that the visibility is often better early in the morning. We had to arrive at least 10 minutes early at the Haleiwa Harbor, so we left around 6:30 to ensure we had enough time. Once everyone had arrived, we boarded the boat to ride about 3 miles out to the dive location. This took around 20 minutes, and we looked for ocean life (i.e., dolphins, turtles, etc.) during this time. The staff also used these 20 minutes to teach us about the sharks we would be seeing and provide us with the necessary safety tips.

Haleiwa Harbor on June 5

Sandbar sharks are one of the biggest coastal sharks in the world, and they are the “brown shark.” Galapagos sharks are also called the gray reef whaler, and they’re the smaller of the two types. They’re dark gray on top and lighter on their bellies. Neither are typically aggressive toward humans, but One Ocean Diving instructed us on body positioning and behavior if a shark was to approach us.

During this ride out to the dive site, I found myself getting progressively more and more seasick despite the medicine I had taken earlier that morning. I had a history of feeling sick on boats, but at that point, I had never actually gotten sick. I had always just felt queasy. Trying to ignore it, we got all the way out to the location and got ready to get in the water before I felt like I may just toss my cookies.

I mentioned this to the staff, and they recommended I hop in the water to help ease the nausea. I was able to get in for almost the entire 45 minutes of the dive and free myself from the seasickness I experienced on the boat. The time you get in the water with the sharks is based on a variety of factors, including animal behavior, weather conditions, group sizing, abilities, and the time it takes to don gear and get into the water.

One Ocean Diving recommended that anyone dying to get in the water and stay in the water as long as possible get in first. Anyone who was a bit more hesitant should allow others to get in ahead of them. With my seasickness that morning, I definitely fell into the latter group.

Once in the water, the boat acted as each diver’s “anchor.” It had a rope attached to the bottom of it, and everyone was instructed to hold onto it at all times. Below us, in-water safety divers were observing the sharks’ behavior as part of the research that One Ocean Diving does. If anything unsafe had been happening, we would have been instructed to get back on the boat.

For the entire 45 minutes, the group just sat (swam?) in place looking at the sharks that were about 30 or so feet below us. They circled constantly, and I constantly wished that they would come closer to let us get a better look. You can tell by the pictures I grabbed off of my GoPro that we were close but not that close. The photo of Dan in the water is significantly clearer than anything I got of the sharks.

Low-quality photo, high-quality experience

At various points during the dive, people could take turns free diving down to get a closer look at the sharks. Dan did this at various points, which is when I captured that photo of him. However, with my queasy stomach, I decided that I’d stay up by the boat. Toward the end of the 45 minutes, I could feel myself starting to get a bit nauseous once again. I decided to hop back on the boat to avoid the possibility of getting sick through my snorkel (horrible visual, I know).

Minutes later, my streak of never having been sick on a boat was ended. I felt better as you often do after vomiting, but I couldn’t quite shake my seasickness until I had been back on land for a couple of hours. After having a similar experience on a booze cruise a couple of months later, I’ve come to suspect that the waters around Oahu are just a bit choppier than what I’ve otherwise experienced.

Fortunately, the staff was really cool about it, and they did their best to make me comfortable on the ride back. Everyone was happy that I’d gotten so much time in the water after I had been feeling so sick. Still, I’d recommend to anyone who is planning to go shark diving and has a history of motion sickness to take all the necessary precautions. Even Dan, who doesn’t get seasick, said that his stomach wasn’t feeling the best after that boat ride.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a company to go shark diving with on the North Shore of Oahu or in Haleiwa, I definitely recommend One Ocean Diving. They’re focused on sustainable practices and educating their customers about the ocean and its inhabitants. I not only loved the experience of shark diving (minus the seasickness), but I loved being able to support an ethical company. Visit here to learn more.