South Sea Cruises: Ultimate Encounters (Lunch and snorkelling with sharks)

Is it safe: Yes. You’ll be provided with safety instruction from our experienced guides who’ve spent hundreds of hours getting to know our resident school of sharks. Our guides will be in the water with you the entire time and will closely monitor the sharks behaviour to ensure your safety.

What type of sharks will I see: There are two main species of sharks encountered, White Tip Reef Sharks and Black Tip Reef Sharks, both are common in the tropical warm waters of the South Pacific. Each species can grow to a length of just over 1.5 metres although under the water they appear 25% larger, a snorkelling face mask optical illusion. White Tips are the dominant species and are by nature an inquisitive shark not frightened to check you out. Their Black Tip relatives are by contrast timid and will shy away if they feel threatened.

How many sharks will I see: Numbers vary but it is common to see up to six sharks.

How deep is the water: Both Black Tip and White Tip Reef Sharks prefer shallower waters making snorkelling easy with good visibility. It’s even possible to see the sharks from our boat before entering the water. Water depth varies between 4 - 6 metres depending on the tide.

What if I’m not a good swimmer, haven’t snorkelled before or don’t want to snorkel but my travelling companion does: Buoyancy aids are available for less confident swimmers and because these sharks prefer shallow waters there’s no necessity to dive under the water to secure a thrilling view. Non-snorkellers can join the experience but sit out the snorkelling experience.