Apex encounters - The shark dives
The shark dives are located on Cozumel's northern reefs which are highly diversified but fragile marine ecosystems. Your experience will be like no other! Your time will be well spent observing and interacting with Caribbean Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus Perezi) the caribbean’s most prolific shark specie. When your time is done, you will leave this experience with a new-found perspective, admiration, and respect for sharks. Guaranteed.
The standards of the Apex Encounters team have separated us from other entities. While we all enjoy the thrill of new experiences and adventures, safety and education of our guests are our number one priority. Sharks are irreplaceable components of our seas – as apex predators, they regulate the ocean’s marine ecosystems.
Shark Dive Facts
These are feeding dives at a max depth of 80 Feet
Maximum of 8 divers per trip. (3 Guides)
Departure: 8 am Return: 1:30 pm
2 Tank Trip is 5.30 hours in duration and leaves from Marina Fonatur.
The boat ride is approx 1hr. - 1.20 hrs. Depending on sea conditions.
Nitrox 36% is Mandatory - Max Bottom Time per dive is 45 minutes
Special equipment etiquette requirement: dark colors, full wetsuit, no yellow or white fins, noisemakers not allowed,
Requisite: OW Diver with 40 logged dives and to have dived with Scuba Life at least once on their regular trips and level of experience approved by their staff.
Full adherence to the guidelines and procedures and utmost respect for the environment.
Minimum divers to make the trip: 4 Divers
This experience is subject to availability and weather conditions.
Even if your dives are booked, if we don't meet the minimum of divers or the weather conditions don't allow the trip, we will need to cancel and refund your deposit.
Experience a Legend - Cave of Sleeping Sharks
In the 1960s, a fisherman known as "valvula", discovered some caves north of Isla Mujeres, where different species of sharks would "sleep".
This behavior prompted international attention from scientists which believed sharks needed to constantly move in order to breathe.
It was until famous shark scientist, Eugenie Clark, discovered that seawater mixed with fresh water sipping from the bottom in these caves created a higher oxygen content, allowing sharks to breathe without moving.
Another theory suggests these caves funnel the current, making it easier for them to breathe while lying on the bottom.
In Cozumel, we are fortunate to still be able to enjoy this remarkable behavior with a little bit of luck.
"The phenomenon of the sleeping sharks still remains a mystery. It is possible that many sharks sometimes behave this way, lying in huge underwater dormitories that are yet to be discovered" National Geographic "The Sharks" 1982
Shark Diving Etiquette
The shark dives are located on Cozumel's northern reefs which are highly diversified but fragile marine ecosystems. Your experience will be like no other! Your time will be well spent observing and interacting with Caribbean Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus Perezi) the caribbean’s most prolific shark specie. When your time is done, you will leave this experience with a new-found perspective, admiration, and respect for sharks. Guaranteed.
The standards of the Apex Encounters team have separated us from other entities. While we all enjoy the thrill of new experiences and adventures, safety and education of our guests are our number one priority. Sharks are irreplaceable components of our seas – as apex predators, they regulate the ocean’s marine ecosystems.
