The Stunning Oceanic Whitetip Sharks of Cat Island

I love to see sharks on a dive. And have been lucky enough to have done shark dives all around the world. What would I list as the things that could make a shark dive even better:

• A short boat ride – so many of the best dives involve a long boat ride, into deeper water, or remote islands/pinnacles offshore.
• Only a few divers at the site – popular shark dives usually means lots of divers. Multiple boats. Bubbles and divers everywhere.
• Clear water – good visibility and sunny bright overhead conditions are always nice!
• Iconic species of shark – one that is easily recognisable and likes to get up close to the camera.

Oceanic Whitetip Shark Diving

Cat Island in The Bahamas has all this and more. From around April to July this small island has a visitor that makes diving here very special. The Oceanic Whitetip Shark. An iconic species of shark that used to be the most abundant oceanic-pelagic species of shark on the planet. Now they are Critically Endangered. They are famous for their huge rounded first dorsal fin and paddle-like pectoral fins, which have distinctive mottled white tips.

If you want to dive with Oceanic Whitetips, then this is the place to do it. A maximum of 6 divers on the boat, and it is highly unlikely that you will see another boat while you are there. And the water is clear and warm. For my trip, it was just me and my dive guide, Pauline, in the water! And the dive site is just a 10 minute boat ride from shore!

I was on a very short trip to Cat Island to film the Oceanic Whitetip Sharks for a Shark Trust project, as part of my role as the UK Dive Ambassador to The Bahamas. The trip was supported by The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Bahama Out Islands Promotion Board. I had been once before and was very keen to return to this special place. 

Greenwood Beach Resort is one of those magical places. Quite literally if you factor in Antoine’s close-up magic tricks he does to entertain guests in the evening! The resort is made up of just 14 colourful rooms, a pool, a fabulous restaurant with terrace looking out to sea, and a dive shop. All right on the beach. The people, and the place itself, make you relax and feel right at home as soon as you arrive. You can feel stress melting away within minutes. The beach here stretches for 8 miles and you are unlikely to see another person whilst strolling along it.

The dive with Oceanic Whitetip Sharks is just a short truck/boat ride away. We only had to wait half an hour for the sharks to turn up. They seem to be attracted to boats, and they have learned to follow sport fishers to steal their catches! So, whilst there was a small bait box in the water, the sharks largely ignored it and hung out at the back of the boat. This enables you to stay shallow and maximise your time with the sharks. Who are curious and will approach you and your camera. And they are amazing to dive with. They have a real presence in the water. And their fins are huge! All great for those that love to film/photograph sharks.

We had 8 different Oceanic Whitetips visit us on our dives. In great conditions. This place really does deliver a great shark dive! Pauline told me they also get tuna, marlin and Silky Sharks on this dive sometimes.

Another objective of my trip was to see what species of shark and ray were gathering at Hawk’s Nest Marina, where the sport fishers come in and clean their catches, throwing discards into the water. I was filming using a pole cam, whilst standing on the wooden dock. In addition to the many expected Nurse, Lemon and Caribbean Reef Sharks, we were delighted to see Spotted Eagles Rays. And they put on a show by jumping clean out of the water before swooping down right under our feet.

You can get to Cat Island via Nassau and direct from the USA. I flew from Heathrow to Nassau. And this means stopping overnight. So you might want to add dives here to your itinerary. But I just stayed overnight and then got a small local flight to Cat Island the following day. You won’t find any big hotels on Cat Island. No fast food chains, loud bars or throngs of tourists. This is a place to relax, eat wonderful healthy food, watch the sun rise and then set again, make new friends and know that you will return to this special place whenever you can. And of course, it has a very special shark dive!