Pan Aqua's Shark Cage Adventure
©1999-2001. Barry Lipman, all rights reserved. This may be downloaded and printed for personal, non-commercial use.
Click here for this year's trip dates and times!
Click here for a List of What to Bring
Click Here for "Don't Pet the Sharks,"
a true story about a young woman who couldn't help but pet the sharks!
You can dive with sharks! Just a few hours by car from New York City, Captain Charlie Donillon takes divers out into the North Atlantic to dive with sharks. His boat, Snappa, a comfortable 35' motor vessel docked at Point Judith, Rhode Island, can take up to nine divers and their gear as far as fifty or more miles out, searching for blue water Gulf Stream eddies and big, oceanic sharks.
The diving takes place in about two hundred feet of water, but the divers rarely go below ten feet, as the cage is secured by floats right at the surface. Two or three divers can enter the cage at one time, and the dives are limited to half hour sessions so everyont can get at least two turns. Some divers opt not to dive, and donning only mask, fins, and snorkel, swim to the cage and lie on top of it, viewing the action just as well as the divers below. Others opt to free swim outside of the cage. The Captain will point out that no one has ever been bitten while in the cage, but he can only suggest what one should do; certified divers dive at their own discretion.
Once the boat arrives where the Captain thinks sharks may be found, he will begin laying the chum slick. At that time the divers help to put the cage in the water. Sharks may arrive in ten minutes, or they may not show up for over two hours. One or two percent of the time they don't show up at all, but they usually show up eventually. As soon as the first shark arrives the diving begins. Whoever is ready first will roll or stride into the water and swim to the cage. Yes, the divers swim to the cage after the sharks arrive. If the you’re a bit skeptical, don't worry; you may not be the first in, but after you've seen some other divers survive the ordeal and leave the water ecstatic about their experience, you'll soon gladly follow!
Divers should bring their own gear and please, bring only one tank each. The Divemaster will bring an extra tank in case there is a tank failure. The water temperature ranges from 65 to 72 or so; a three to five mil. wetsuit will do the job just fine. A dry suit can be worn, but it is overkill. Gloves and hood are recomended, as is a camera. Use about four to six extra pounds of lead. This is important if you wish to stay in the cage and not be tossed around by any wave action.
You can get some good shark shots from the boat's deck, as the Captain will lure the sharks into raising their heads above the surface, so you may want to bring both topside and underwater camera gear. Bring your own food and drink in a small cooler. It is usually very chilly in the morning, so a sweatshirt and windbreaker or other lightweight water resistant jacket can be very usefull. As the trip out (and also the trip back) can take up to two hours, reading material may come in handy. The water tends to have waves from one to three freet, so seasickness medication will be needed by some. Of course, a hat or sunshade, sunglasses, and sunblock are suggested as well. The Divemaster will provide a freshwater camera rinse for underwater cameras.
Call Barry or Pan Aqua Diving for the time of departure. If you’re going to be late, call the boat or call Barry on his cell-phone number. We need ample time to load the boat and we try to leave the harbor promptly. It’s a good idea to spend the night in town, so here are the phone numbers of a few hotels located conveniently nearby the marina:
(401)783-2516 Coachman Motor Inn
(401)789-1051 Holiday Inn
(401)783-6400 Atlantic House
(401)789-9341 Lighthouse Inn (closest, but not the cheapest)
The boat’s phone number is (401)789-3124.
Barry's cell phone number is: (203)733-9768
Directions from points South and West of Rhode Island:
Ø Take Interstate 95 North to X 92
Ø Go Right on Rt. 2 East to Rt. 78 East. Rt. 78 comes up quickly.
Ø Take Rt. 78 East to Rt. 1 North
Ø Go Left on Rt. 1 North to Narrangansett/Pt. Judith/Galilee exit. You’ll be on Rt. 1 for about 19 or 20 miles.
Ø Go Right a couple of blocks and follow signs to 108 South to Galilee.
Ø Go right on 108 South and continue past the Fisherman's Memorial Campground and make a right at the next light on Galilee Escape Rd. There’s a big rounded water tower just beyond Galilee Escape Rd.
Ø Go right at the end and then take the first left into the parking lot. Snappa is in front of Finbacks's restaurant. (The name may have changed, but it is the big two story tall dockside restaurant.)
Directions Back:
Ø Go back up Galilee Escape Road.
Ø Make a left at the water tower on 108 North.
Ø Follow signs to Rt. 1 South.
Ø Take Rt. 1 South to Rt. 78 West.
Ø Stay on 78 West until the end.
Ø Go West on Rt. 2.
Ø Follow Rt. 2 to Interstate 95 South.
Charlie Donilon's home phone is (401)821-7373