Por Expedia Team, el November 26, 2014

Nadar con tiburones, una actividad para valientes

Are you a lover of extreme sports or just want to try a new activity? Do you want to feel the adrenaline of swimming next to these enormous and incredible animals? So swimming with sharks is one of the alternatives that you should seriously consider. Here you will find the best places to carry out this sport.

Costa Rica

The Isla del Coco Marine Conservation Area gives you the opportunity to swim surrounded by hammerhead sharks but it is recommended that only experienced divers take part in this activity due to the dangers involved. Currently there are private companies that offer the possibility of immersion in capsules that guarantee the safety of the person.
The most recommended time to do this activity is between June and October because it is when there are more hammerhead sharks in this area. In addition to swimming with this species you will have the possibility of swimming with various species of fish, some specimens of white shark, manta rays and whale shark and tiger shark depending on the time of year you go.

Australia

Australia is probably not the first place that comes to your mind when you think of swimming with sharks, but you can be sure it’s perfect. Here you can choose to spend a day diving with sharks, spend several days aboard an expedition or try cage diving if you are less daring. The alternatives are swimming with gray sharks and reef or wobbegong sharks and you can reach an average depth of 30 meters in very calm tidal areas.
The best places to practice this sport are South West Rocks, which turns out to be a calm and peaceful area. Instead, if you want a more exciting and pure adrenaline experience, go to Sydney, Adelaide and South Australia. The safest swimming with sharks can be done in well controlled aquariums that you can find in Sydney, Melbourne and Costa Dorada.

Mexico

During the summer months, from May to September, the whale shark reaches the waters of Cancun , Mexico, which gives tourists an excellent opportunity to swim and dive with them. Despite the fact that the whale shark is the largest animal in the sea, it does not pose risks to humans because it only eats plankton. The Yucatan Peninsula is another area where you can swim with sharks, specifically on Isla Mujeres, Isla Holbox and Isla Contoy.

Ecuador

In Ecuador we find the Galapagos Islands that became famous thanks to the explorer Charles Darwin. If you plan to visit these islands and want to do an unusual activity, you can take a tour to swim with sharks in Darwin and Wolf islands. The species that you will be able to see are very varied and of great wealth: hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, blue and black marlin and a large number of tropical fish.

The best months for these expeditions are from June to November, the time when the sea has the most pleasant temperature.

South Africa

The best place to swim and spot white sharks is Gansbaai, which can be easily reached from Cape Town International Airport. From Gansbaai there are daily departures to dive with sharks if the weather allows it and it is one of the few areas where there are great possibilities to see the great white shark really close. Other species that you will be able to see are seals, gannets, cormorants, penguins, whales and dolphins.
The best times of the year to visit this area is from April to July and from September to November, which is when sharks are most active and, therefore, you must be more careful.

U.S

The United States is another country where you can swim with sharks in Hawaii, San Francisco, and Florida. Each of these places offers you a totally different experience and you can choose the one that best suits you:

Hawaii

We could well say that this is a shark’s paradise since here we can find about 40 species of shark, so you only need courage to enter its waters. If you are determined, you can go swimming near Oahu. Among the most common species are the great white shark, tiger shark, hammerhead shark, Galapagos shark, etc.

San Francisco

San Francisco is the only place within the continental United States where you can swim with the white shark for a couple of months a year (September to November). The perfect place for these expeditions are the Farallon Islands, which are about 30 miles from the city of San Francisco.

Florida

The best place in Florida to swim with sharks is Key Largo where you will see blacktip reef sharks, bull sharks, Caribbean reef sharks and hammerhead sharks, among others. If you want to live the experience in a more controlled environment, try the Florida Aquarium in Tampa Bay.