Cat Island: Diving with Wild, Untamed Sharks

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks may not be as famous as great whites or hammerheads, but this relatively large predator is no less interesting. Often referred to as the Dark Knight of the ocean, the whitetip is a slow-growing, globally threatened species that has been seriously overfished by pelagic fisheries around the world, primarily for its fins and Cat Island, one of the most beautiful islands of The Bahamas, is the last stronghold for Oceanic Whitetip Shark encounters on the planet. Untainted and unspoiled, the island offers anything from idyllic deserted beaches, azure waters to beautiful rolling hills and rocky cliffs, but most importantly, a world-class diving.

3. 8. 2015

Named after the infamous pirate, Arthur Catt, the island runs deep with history and culture, but what it really stands out for is an array of dive spots like no other destination in the world: blue holes, walls, shipwrecks, underwater caves and forest-like coral reefs teeming with vibrant marine life, you name it.

The island is also home to one of the best climates in The Bahamas. Its location near the Tropic of Cancer means temperatures range from the mid-60s in the short winters to the high-80s in the summer, which make it perfect especially for one unique creature: the Oceanic Whitetip Shark.

True to their name, oceanic whitetips love the open ocean - living near the surface usually well offshore, they are occasionally spotted in shallower water close the land. If you want to see them, you need to know where to find them. And Epic Diving have been extremely successful locating and interacting with this hard to find species.

Founded 2009 by Vincent Canabal & Debra Canabal, Epic Diving has come a long way from its beginnings in Cat Island, Bahamas. From the moment they founded Epic Diving, their vision and hope to share their passion for sharks with visitors from around the world, and help them understand the desperate need sharks have for protection and hope to create global shark advocates through these unique experiences gave us the motivation to turn hard work and inspiration into to shark diving expeditions and tours in the Bahamas.

Epic Dive's dive encounters last all day to maximize water time.

Apart from oceanic whitetip, the team furthermore specialize in up close and personal encounters with tiger shark and great hammerheads - Epic Diving is also located in Grand Bahama during their tiger shark season and Bimini for great hammerheads.

Bimini is not just world renowned for its clear, calm water and great hammerheads appereance. It is known as one of the premier destinations in the world for finding and interacting with both Atlantic Spotted and Bottlenose Dolphin.

If you are an advance diver and love the sharks, this is one of the chances to drift in the blue along this large predatory fish without the protection of a cage - an experience sure to get your adrenaline pumping. Epic Diving cater to photographers, videographers, shark lovers and production teams. Their boat is spacious and fast and customized to safely accommodate all of your photo gear. There is limited rental gear so let the team know as soon as possible so they can reserve it for you. Most items are $20 per piece per day. More information can be found on their official website.

Bahama's Shark Sanctuary permanently protects more than 40 shark species in Bahamian waters - approximately 630,000 square kilometers (243,244 square miles) of the country’s waters is now prohibited.