TIGER BEACH OCTOBER TRIP REPORT 2024

October 26 - November 1, 2024
Tiger Beach, Bahamas

*Despite a challenging weather outlook at the start of the week—forecasted winds, rain, and swells that threatened to keep us out of the water all week— The weather predictions turned out to be wrong, and we enjoyed great diving conditions with plenty of visibility for the first three days. Although we lost day four to the weather, we managed to get back in the water on day five.

October 27, 2024 - Day One

Dive One:
We arrived in the Bahamas this morning. After we cleared customs, we set out for Tiger Beach, which is a 3-4 hour journey to the dive site. Normally, we’d start with a checkout dive at Turtle Reef, but since weather conditions might limit our dive days, the captain took us straight to Fish Tales.

Fish Tales is our main dive site within the Tiger Beach area.

Visibility was good when we arrived, but the currents were ripping, making the dive a bit challenging. There were plenty of reef sharks and a couple of lemon sharks, but no tigers yet. For the first-timers, it was a fun intro to the underwater action. We dropped some chum before the second dive, hoping to attract more sharks, especially tigers.

Dive Two:
The second dive was fantastic. The currents slowed, allowing us a relaxed dive over a beautiful reef buzzing with sharks. Finch culled ten lionfish—one of which was massive. The culling feels necessary, but I sometimes wonder about the lionfish program now. The stories about how the lion fish got here is shrouded in mystery… Maybe nature placed them here for a reason?

I finally snapped a decent shot of a bar jack coming in for its daily "scratching" ritual with a reef shark—a fascinating behavior that happens like clockwork every afternoon.

Dive Three:
The guests also did a night dive on the reef, which I sat out. They used bait, which brought some excitement, but still no tigers.

Tomorrow feels like our day—I can feel it!

October 28, 2024 - Day Two

Dive One:
We arrived at Fish Tales to a rolling sea—not too rough, but certainly "rolly." Some wind and heavy overcast skies added to the atmosphere, and while we still had good light, I’m concerned it may impact natural light photography as the day progresses.

As we descended, we were greeted by Emma, our first tiger shark of the trip. I was happy to have her make an appearance for our guests, especially with rough seas forecasted ahead. Toward the end of the dive, a loggerhead turtle joined us, providing an extra thrill.

She kept coming in and out, swimming up to us, then leaving, only to return. At times, she seemed to nestle down in the sandy grass patches as if hiding. With fresh scratches on her shell, I wondered if she’d recently had a close call with a tiger.

At one point, Emma swam past her, but luckily for the turtle, Emma was in scavenger mode, not hunting. The turtle seemed to sense she was safe around us, returning to our group repeatedly—an amazing interaction to witness.

Dive Two:
This time, we had two tigers, Emma and Jenn, making it an exciting dive. Finch took the feeding box initially, then handed it over to me for a bit, and I loved being back “on the box.”

There’s still something special about interacting directly with the sharks, though my camera Gloria still feels like home.

Jenn had a fresh cut on her left shoulder, possibly from a turtle bite. It’s possible she missed the first dive because she’d been attempting to catch our loggerhead friend. The loggerhead may have escaped this time, but Tiger Beach is a risky place for turtles.

Dive Three:
Jake took over on the box for the third dive. I went down a little late, arriving to find three sharks circling the box. Jitterbug made an appearance, and true to form, she was up to her old antics.

You always have to keep an extra eye on Jitterbug.

This dive was an exciting "welcome to Tiger Beach" moment for our new divers. It was a stunning dive, full of adrenaline and beauty. By the end, the current had picked up, making the swim back to the boat challenging. Hopefully, it will ease up for the next dive.

Dive Four - Dusk Dive:
Jake stayed on the box for our final dive of the day. The currents had eased slightly but were still a bit strong. We had the same three tigers on the box, which made for a powerful, and memorable finish to our day.

October 29, 2024 - Day Three
Happy Birthday, Amanda and Mike!

We woke up to overcast skies, but thankfully the seas had calmed. It looks like it’ll be a dark day, making natural light photography a challenge—though no problem for the strobe users.

Dive One:
We kicked off with a beautiful dive and great visibility, though no tigers showed up. Just as we started, the sun peeked through, giving us better lighting than expected. The bait box was swarmed with reef sharks, with around twenty circling, along with one lemon shark. Finch worked the box, trying to lure in tigers, but they were a no-show.

I spent time capturing the lively scene around the box, aiming for shots that conveyed the energy of 20+ reef sharks "begging" for breakfast. I also took some birthday photos of Amanda by the box—wanted to make sure the birthday girl got some memorable shots!

Dive Two:
The second dive was electric. Jake took the box, and this time, we had three tigers join us. Jitterbug showed up first, keeping everyone on their toes. Toward the last 20 minutes, two more tigers rolled in: Stephanie and Natalie. Stephanie was in a particularly playful mood, going from diver to diver with friendly bumps on their cameras.

This is the Tiger Beach experience everyone dreams of. For the crew working safety, it can be a bit intense, but the guests love it. I shadowed Stephanie from above, capturing her antics while making sure the guests could handle it. They all did great—when she got close, they calmly redirected her with a gentle push. True rock stars.

Dive Three:
We had two tigers this time—Jitterbug and, finally, Emma made her entrance, joined by Natalie again. Natalie seemed to have a noticeable belly bulge, likely from a recent meal that may have been a turtle. Jake managed the box but handed it over to Amanda for a few passes—a nice birthday surprise for her.

Dive Four:
I almost talked myself out of this one. The idea of slipping into a wet wetsuit didn’t sound appealing, but I forced myself to go. Once in, it was getting dark, so I bumped my ISO to 1250, hoping for a few decent shots.

We had two tigers—JB and Emma—while Finch fed. The currents were strong but manageable, although they kept pushing me forward, making it tough to stay steady. I couldn’t help noticing Ken kneeling rock solid in the sand next to me, barely moving, while I was floundering around. Felt like a kook!

Eventually, I gave up trying to look cool and just went with it.

At the end of the dive, I found a freshly shed tooth from Emma. Too big to be Jitterbug's, I picked it up knowing exactly who’d appreciate it. Mike is a longtime fan of Tiger Beach, and a tooth from Emma made for the perfect birthday gift. Happy Birthday, bro.

October 30. Day Four

Happy Birthday Brad!

Weather day… winds and swells picked up so we are calling it a day. Looks like movies and editing all day today.

 October 31, 2024 - Day Five

Final Day of the Trip

The winds were still blowing, though they’d eased a bit, so the captain decided to pull anchor and check out Fish Tales. It was a bumpy ride all the way to Tiger Beach, but absolutely worth it. When we arrived, visibility was stunning, and the swells were manageable. So, down we went.

Dive One:
We were greeted by one tiger—Emma. With minimal current, it was a beautiful, relaxed dive. Jake took charge of the bait box, giving each diver a chance to get up close. Everyone came up from this dive with smiles, thrilled with the experience.

Dive Two:
Jitterbug joined Emma on the second dive. Finch was on the box, and conditions were still good. However, toward the end, low tide began moving in, and by the time I was on the drop line for my safety stop, visibility had diminished significantly.

Before I went up, I stopped to say hello to a lemon shark that was sleeping underneath the boat. I was hoping she would open her mouth to allow the tiny remoras to go in and clean her teeth, sadly she did not.

So I just enjoyed some one on one time with the lemon. The lemons seem to enjoy the back rubs. They will just lay there and let you give them a rub. If they dont want to be touched they will swim off. This lady seemed to enjoy it and for a long session, I laid their with her, battling the currents again to stay in one spot, giving this beautiful shark a back rub.

Ken swam over and snapped a few areal shots of me sharing a moment with this lovely lady.

Damn I love Tiger Beach.

Dive Three:
I decided to sit this one out and end the trip on the high from Dive Two.

Jake took a few divers down for the third dive, but the bottom was still murky with a cold thermocline that made visibility challenging. This time, all five tigers made an appearance—Emma, Jitterbug, Stephanie, Natalie, and Jenn—along with an unidentified sixth tiger who kept its distance and didn’t seem friendly.

Reflection
Overall, it was an incredible trip. We came in with a challenging weather forecast, and I was genuinely worried that diving might be impossible this week. But luck was on our side; we only lost one day, and the dives we did get were fantastic. A huge thank you to our guests for making this week so memorable—truly an amazing experience!