Swimming with Roatan's sharks
A once-in-a-lifetime experience
FOR DIVERS AND SNORKELERS, one of the most exhilarating experiences can be an up close and personal encounter with a shark.
Thankfully, these encounters are rarely dangerous. Nevertheless, there’s something very stimulating about sharing the water with some of the ocean’s top predators, even if we aren’t technically on the menu.
And, from Ocean Breeze Villa, there’s one great shark adventure that is among the coolest tours offered in all of Roatan’s East End.
The nurse sharks of Pigeon Caye
Guests at the Villa can meet the award-winning Tiki Boat just behind the Villa for a gorgeous 45-minute boat ride east along the Roatan Coast en route to Pigeon Caye. This submerged island is a beautiful little hummock of white sand and crystal clear water just off the coast of Roatan.
Once here, you'll grab your snorkeling gear and get ready to get in the water. But, just before you get in, the staff will toss a little chum – usually frozen baitfish – into the water.
And, just like puppies coming to the sound of kibble hitting the bottom of the dish, four- to six-foot-long lemonnurse sharks and big, beautiful stingrays will appear out of the ether.
A once-in-a-lifetime experience
We get it. Getting in the water with sharks may not seem like a great idea. But nurse sharks have zero interest in people – we’re not on their diet. These beautiful olive- to gray-colored sharks are regulars on the flats and on the reefs. If you’re an experienced fly fisher, snorkeler or diver, you’ve very likely encountered nurse sharks before.
So, hopping into the water with these incredible fish is absolutely safe. And, so long as you’re smart and don’t do anything to provoke them, they’ll be very content to pick off the suspended pieces of baitfish the Tiki Boat guide and staff have put in the water.
In addition to the nurse sharks, you will also very likely see several large southern stingrays and, if you’re lucky, a spotted eagle ray. These big fish, too, are drawn by the baitfish.
While you’re on the Tiki Boat …
If you’re going to snorkel with the sharks and rays, it’s probably best, on the way to Pigeon Caye to enjoy a soda or a cold bottle of water. But, once the snorkeling is done and you’re headed back to the Villa, grab a cold cocktail from the bartender, or an ice-cold Salva Vida beer and toast your latest adventure.
When you get home, you can tell your friends you went swimming big sharks and lived to tell the tale. Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with us …
