Great Blue Hole
Belize
A deep dive to about 30-40 m among stalactites under the overhangs, watching for nurse, Caribbean reef and blacktip sharks on the ascent.
- Experienced
- Blue hole
- Blacktip shark
Where to dive with sharks
76 destinations where sharks are documented by published sources, with the months to go when we know them.
When to go
Dark: peak season. Light: regularly seen.
| Destination | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MalapascuaPeak All year | ||||||||||||
| Aliwal Shoal & Protea BanksPeak May–Nov | ||||||||||||
| Cocos IslandPeak Jun–Dec | ||||||||||||
| Marsa Alam & the BrothersPeak Jun–Dec | ||||||||||||
| Southeast Florida (Palm Beach to Miami)Peak Nov–Apr | ||||||||||||
| BahamasPeak Oct–Mar | ||||||||||||
| Okinawa & YonaguniPeak Dec–May | ||||||||||||
| GalápagosPeak Jun–Oct | ||||||||||||
| Riviera Maya & CenotesPeak Nov–Mar | ||||||||||||
| AzoresPeak Jul–Oct | ||||||||||||
| Sharm El Sheikh & Ras MohammedPeak Jun–Sep | ||||||||||||
| Fakarava & RangiroaPeak Jan–Mar | ||||||||||||
| Socorro (Revillagigedo)Peak Jan–Mar | ||||||||||||
| Sodwana BayPeak Dec–Jan | ||||||||||||
| Cancún & Isla MujeresAll year | ||||||||||||
| Chuuk (Truk) LagoonAll year | ||||||||||||
| Kona (Big Island)All year | ||||||||||||
| MaldivesAll year | ||||||||||||
| PalauAll year | ||||||||||||
| Raja AmpatAll year | ||||||||||||
| CozumelNov–Mar | ||||||||||||
| Poor Knights IslandsMay–Sep | ||||||||||||
| Gulen (Western Norway)Jun–Aug | ||||||||||||
| KomodoJul–Sep | ||||||||||||
| Ningaloo ReefJun–Aug | ||||||||||||
| Plymouth & South CornwallJun–Aug | ||||||||||||
| Bohol & PanglaoFeb–Mar |
Also documented here
Sources confirm them, but don't say in which months.
- Andaman Islands (Havelock & Neil), India
- Anilao, Philippines
- Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long), United Kingdom
- Bali & Nusa Penida, Indonesia
- Belize
- Cayman Islands
- Côn Đảo, Vietnam
- Coron, Philippines
- Curaçao
- Dahab, Egypt
- Dorset (Portland & Swanage), United Kingdom
- Dumaguete, Dauin & Apo Island, Philippines
- El Nido, Philippines
- Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
- Florida Keys, United States
- Gili Islands, Indonesia
- Great Barrier Reef (Cairns & Port Douglas), Australia
- Grenada
- Hurghada, Egypt
- Koh Samui & Koh Phangan, Thailand
- Koh Tao, Thailand
- Lundy Island, United Kingdom
- Mactan (Cebu), Philippines
- Malta, Gozo & Comino, Malta
- Maui, United States
- Moalboal, Philippines
- Netrani Island (Murudeshwar), India
- Oahu, United States
- Pembrokeshire & Skomer, United Kingdom
- Phú Quốc, Vietnam
- Phuket & Koh Lanta, Thailand
- Puerto Galera, Philippines
- Recife & Pernambuco Wrecks, Brazil
- Roatán & Bay Islands, Honduras
- Romblon, Philippines
- Scapa Flow (Orkney), United Kingdom
- Similan Islands & Khao Lak, Thailand
- Sipadan & Semporna, Malaysia
- Siquijor, Philippines
- Southern Leyte (Sogod Bay), Philippines
- Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna), Sri Lanka
- SS Yongala (Townsville), Australia
- Taveuni & Rainbow Reef, Fiji
- Tofo, Mozambique
- Trincomalee & East Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka
- Tubbataha, Philippines
- Utah inland dives (Bonneville Seabase & Homestead Crater), United States
- Utila, Honduras
- Wakatobi, Indonesia
Dive sites known for sharks
Batu Bolong
Komodo, Indonesia
Tiny Central Komodo rock pinnacle with clouds of anthias, bigeye trevally and sweetlips, whitetips on the deeper slopes and common hawksbill turtles.
- Advanced
- Pinnacle
- Whitetip reef sharks
Manta Point
Bali & Nusa Penida, Indonesia
Mantas visit the cleaning stations here all year, sometimes in courtship 'manta trains' of up to 30.
- Advanced
- Rock formations
- Manta rays
Jackfish Alley
Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed, Egypt
Ras Mohammed drift with sunlit swim-throughs at 5 and 15 m, then an alley of jackfish and whitetip reef sharks.
- Advanced
- Cavern
- Whitetip reef sharks
SS Yongala
SS Yongala (Townsville), Australia
Sunk by a cyclone in March 1911, the wreck lies on a 30 m seabed with its upper parts at 16 m; penetration diving is prohibited by law.
- Advanced
- Wreck
- Reef sharks
Monad Shoal
Malapascua, Philippines
A plateau where thresher sharks rise at dawn to visit cleaning stations.
- Advanced
- Pinnacle
- Bull sharks
Moray Garden
Dahab, Egypt
Walk-in shore dive where holes and cracks hide morays, nudibranchs and scorpionfish, with a school of yellowtail barracuda at 7 m.
- Open Water
- Reef
- Whale sharks
Barracuda Point
Sipadan & Semporna, Malaysia
On Sipadan's north coast, divers can end up in the middle of a swirling vortex of chevron or blacktail barracuda.
- Advanced
- Wall
- Grey reef sharks
Bells to Blue Hole
Dahab, Egypt
Drop through the Bells chimney to a wall at about 25 m, then follow the wall to cross the 7 m saddle into the Blue Hole.
- Advanced
- Blue hole
- Manta rays
Cathedral
Aliwal Shoal & Protea Banks, South Africa
In raggie season up to 40 ragged-tooth sharks rest in this reef amphitheatre; in summer, look out for hammerheads above.
- Advanced
- Rock formations
- Hammerhead sharks
Blue Corner (Palau)
Palau
Hook in above the wall and watch resident grey and whitetip reef sharks, tuna and barracuda work the current.
- Experienced
- Wall
- Whale sharks
Ulong Channel
Palau
Ride the channel current past lettuce coral grown 15–20 feet from the bottom, with grey reef sharks and batfish at the mouth.
- Advanced
- Drift
- Grey reef sharks
Photo credits
- Great Blue Hole dive site, Belize, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Batu Bolong dive site, Komodo, Indonesia, Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Manta Point Nusa Penida dive site, Bali / Nusa Penida, Roland Unger, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Jackfish Alley dive site, Ras Mohammed, Roland Unger, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Yongala dive site, Australia, Orin Optiglot, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Monad Shoal dive site, Malapascua, Jun V Lao, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Moray Garden Dahab dive site, Dahab, Egypt, Yvesb, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Barracuda Point dive site, Sipadan / Semporna, Chen Wu from Shanghai, China, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Shore entry to The Bells, Dahab, Tim Sheerman-Chase, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral Aliwal Shoal dive site, Aliwal Shoal, South Africa, Peter Southwood, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Blue Corner (Palau) dive site, Palau, Matt Kieffer from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sea star on the bottom of Ulong Channel, Palau, LuxTonnerre, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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