Embark with me and The Dolphin Dream to set sail for the Bahamas to enter the water with the ocean’s Apex predators. Tiger sharks AND Great Hammerheads IN THE SAME TRIP!! Something extremely difficult to do from land all from the comfort of your floating home. Experience these animals up close while supporting Bahamian Shark Conservation.
The Dolphin Dream departs from Blue Heron Docks, 389 East Blue Heron Blvd, Riviera Beach, Fl, 33404, USA. This is in the West Palm Beach Florida area. The nearest airport is Palm Beach International (PBI), about 20 minutes from the boat, Fort Lauderdale is the next closest (FLL), about 1 hour from the boat and largest airport is Miami (MIA), about 2 hours from boat. Boarding time is 3pm to 7pm on the departure day, dinner is provided, and the boat departs for the Bahamas around 10pm. On our return date, disembarkation is around 10:30am.
9 day liveaboard Shark Diving trip sample itinerary.
The weather is usually beautiful, but occasionally it may affect our itinerary. A typical 9-day liveaboard dive trip on the Dolphin Dream will go as follows with good weather.
Day 1
Departure day. The boat is available for boarding 3-7 p.m. This gives you plenty of time to unpack and familiarize yourself with your floating home for the week. We will be serving dinner onboard this evening. An orientation briefing will be given on emergency procedures and information to ensure you get the fullest enjoyment from your adventure. We depart Riviera Beach Florida this evening around 10 p.m. for our overnight crossing to West End, Bahamas.
Day 2
Wake up in the beautiful Bahamas! Breakfast is at 8 a.m. When Bahamas customs and immigration opens at 9 a.m., your Captain will get the paperwork completed, and soon after we’ll be on our way north to Tiger Beach. We’ll arrive for a check-out dive on a shallow reef shortly after lunch. We will move on to Fish Tales the official site of Tiger Beach. We will use some bait to chum, but no feeding during these first few dives. You will see lemon sharks, reef sharks and the occasional tiger shark, but these first few dives are mainly to be sure everyone understands our diving procedures and acclimates to the sharks.
Days 3, 4, 5
Breakfast at 8 a.m. and shark diving at 9 a.m. at Fish Tales dive site with a maximum depth of about 50 ft (15m). This is the prime location of Tiger Beach where we will do about 4 dives a day. We alternate our dives between structured tiger shark baited dives and non-baited dives where you can swim around the tiger sharks and reef area.
At the end of our time at Tiger Beach area, we depart in the afternoon for Bimini to see great hammerheads and wild Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella Frontalis).
Days 6, 7
Morning at Bimini, maybe a wild dolphin snorkel in the morning and then hammerheads in the afternoon.
Tiger sharks are easy, reliable, and consistent. hammerheads and especially dolphins can take time and patience. Longer trips increase your chances of good encounters with these rarer animals and maybe even turtles, wrecks, and reefs.
Day 8
Bimini great hammerhead diving! Also bull sharks and nurse sharks. Last diving day we do 4 dives and depart early evening for the overnight cruise back to Riviera Beach, Florida.
Day 9
8 am arrival at US Customs dock for clearance. Breakfast is served and will be back at the home dock by 10 am when you can disembark the Dolphin Dream.
Minors
Person under 18 need parent’s permission consent letters and release forms signed and notarized by both parents. Sorry no minors on shark diving trips.
Dive and Snorkel Gear
Snorkelers need mask, snorkel and fins. Good quality gear makes your experience much better.
Divers are required to be covered head to toe in dark colored gear for all shark dives. Divers need dive certification card, BCD, regulator with octopus, dive computer, watch, log book, full dark colored wet suits, dark colored hood, dark colored gloves, spare parts, and safety sausage. Night diving requires flash lights and cyalume or marker lights. We have limited rental gear onboard, please notify us in advance if you plan on renting equipment. We are not a dive shop so our rental equipment is limited and is not fancy but is properly serviced and maintained.
Rental prices for duration of trip.
Regulator with octopus and gauges. $75
Regulator with octopus, gauges and dive computer (limited supply) $100
Buoyancy Compensator $75
3 or 5mm wetsuit (if available) $75
Mask, fins & snorkel $25
Dive light ($10 per dive) $25
80 cu ft air tanks, air fills, weights and belts are included in trip price. Sorry we do not offer Nitrox.
Personal Items
Space is limited and the vessel is very casual, temperature is usually quite warm but the months between December and March are the coolest. Warmer clothes and jackets are occasionally needed in winter, something warm to put on after you get out of the water is a good idea. Several bathing suits, shorts and T-shirts, blouse/shirt and wind breaker. Also deck shoes, sandals, suntan lotion (we prefer reef safe and non-oil), sunglasses and hats. The sun can be intense so you may want light long sleeve (SPF) shirts and hats. Bring the medicines and toiletries you need. Soap and shampoo are provided. Feel free to bring books or music devices for the free time. You may bring tapes, CDs, books, personal electronics, etc.
Towels
We provide 2 large towels per person for the whole trip. No washer or dryer on board. You may want to bring one or two personal towels.
Tips
We are a service industry and gratuities are a major part of our crew member’s salary. A gratuity of 15% of ticket price is customary ($300. to $500. from each person), but many leave more when they feel the service was outstanding.
Alcohol
Beer is the only alcohol offered on board. You may bring your favorite bottle of wine or liquor. No drinking while diving, snorkeling or other in-water activities.
Please read this!
The Dream Team, Inc. and The Wild Linds LLC, its owners and employees, reserve the right at our sole discretion to refuse service to anyone at any time for any reason.
Divers must be advanced open water certified at a minimum and be experienced divers. These shark diving trips are not for inexperienced or novice divers. Divers must have a minimum of 30-50 open water dives and preferably previous shark diving experience.
Participants will be responsible for their own safety during these dives. The sharks are attracted by baiting with dead fish and there is a risk of injury or death while diving with these big sharks. Participants need to be adults (18 years or older), experienced divers and accept the risk associated with shark diving and shark feeding.
More info at my partner’s website sharkexpedition.com