Shark Cage Tour with Hawaii Shark Encounters on North Shore, Oahu

One item that was very high on both of our bucket lists was to get up close and personal with some sharks. That being said, we are not completely crazy. We wanted to do it from the safety of a cage. When I found out that we can do the shark cage adventure in Oahu, I immediately booked our tours.

STATS:

Where:
Reserve your spots with Hawaii Shark Encounters
Boat Address: Haleiwa Boat Harbor
66-105 Haleiwa Road, Haleiwa, HI 96712

Cost:
check with Hawaii Shark Encounters for more up-to-date info

Parking:
free parking

Tour length:
around 2 hours

Tour times:
7 am, 9 am and 11 am tours on most days.

Ideal Weather:
Year-round. Although, warmer days make it a little easier to get in and out of the water. Monitor the ocean conditions to avoid choppy rides if possible. They recommend booking your ride as early in the day as you can. That is when the ocean is calmer. We went during a storm and it was wild. We will cover that in a little bit.

Pro tip – Be sure to apply your reef-safe sunscreen at least 20 minutes before going in the water. If you have motion sickness, make sure to take your medicine ahead of time, according to the instructions. It can be a bumpy ride.

THE ADVENTURE:

On the day of our adventures, we pulled up to the dock about an hour early. I guess we were a little bit excited to get started. Hawaii Shark Encounters asks that you get to the dock no later than 30 minutes before you are set to leave. That way, you will have plenty of time to get checked in and listen to a small safety briefing. Soon, we boarded our 32 ft boat named Kainani which translates to Beautiful Ocean. Then, we were on our way to meet our shark friends.

Along the way, we were treated to something that neither of us had ever seen before. We were a long way out in the ocean, but I kept seeing from the corner of my eye, something resembling dragonflies. For a moment there, I thought they were actual dragonflies, hovering above the waves. Then I realized they were flying fish. It was incredible watching them leap and glide above the water. They do this to avoid predators. Maybe the sharks were following the boat too. Even though they can’t actually fly, they can stay in the air for about 45 seconds and cover a distance of 400 meters at around 43 miles per hour. It was definitely an added bonus on our trip.

Hawaii Shark Encounters has been educating and thrilling its guests since 2002. One thing that both of us love and respect about this company is that they not only preach about conservation but also practice it. Besides teaching all of their guests about conservation and the importance of sharks, they also do their part not to harm the shark’s habitat. They always visit the same spots, turn off their engines and avoid anchors and reefs so they do not disturb the marine life. Not only this is good for the sharks, but it is also good for the guests. This gives them the opportunity to see sharks as they were meant to be seen. The sharks are never captured or harassed. They are able to come and go as they pleased.

After about 30 minutes of boat ride, things got exciting really fast. In the distance, orange buoys began to appear. Since we were not on the first tour of the day, they had left the cage there from the earlier trip. As we pulled up to the cage, something happened that I will never forget. About 6 ft from the boat, a Galapagos shark passed by with his fin sticking out of the water. We’ve always seen it in movies as a warning sign, so the sight of the fin took my heart rate up a little bit.

The crew tied the cage to the side of the boat and lowered a ladder to make getting in and out of the cage way easier. Of course, I was the first one to volunteer. We geared up and lowered ourselves into the warm Hawaiian water. As I dipped my foot into the water, I couldn’t help but feel like something was watching me. The strangest part is that once you get into the cage, it isn’t really scary at all.

The cage is constructed of heavy-duty aluminum. There is a big plexiglass window so you can get a good look at your new aquatic friends. None of them showed any signs of aggression. Our tour guide explained that the main reason sharks attack humans is that they think that we are seals, one of their favorite foods. As long as we keep our arms, legs, GoPro, or selfie sticks within the cage, we’ll be fine. Most of the time, they just circled the cage a couple of feet away and watched us. They seemed pretty curious about what we were up to.

We spent about 20 minutes in the cage. We couldn’t stay too long because there was a hurricane coming in on the day of our adventures. This caused the cage to rock from side to side. After 20 minutes, Dustin started to get a little nauseous. This was a first for him. You may want to check ocean conditions before you go. We would really love to go back on a smoother day.

Once back on the boat, we got to ask questions about sharks to an incredibly knowledgeable crew. I swear we got almost a semester of marine biology school packed into about an hour. We learned about the struggles that sharks are having to overcome. Sadly, shark numbers are declining at an alarming rate. Every year, between 23-70 million sharks are killed just for their fins. Sharks are very slow to mature and reproduce so they are being killed off a lot faster than they can replenish their numbers. This is a big problem. Even though they have a bad reputation, they are a crucial part of the ocean’s ecosystem. The shark’s job in the ocean is to basically keep the population of other species of fish in check. Sharks have trained themselves to go after sick and dying fish. This actually helps the schools of fish to become more efficient. Without sharks, the health of the schools would get worse and worse as more of its members get weaker and slower. Basically, the ocean would be a mess. To learn more about the Galapagos Shark, click here.

Once everyone was out of the cage and back onto the boat, both of us were looking forward to having our feet back on dry land. Even though with the rough ocean condition, we had an amazing experience with Hawaii Shark Encounters would definitely go back! It felt great checking another item off of our seemingly never-ending bucket list!

If you’re up for other adventures in Oahu, check out our blogs on Sunrise at the Lanikai Pillbox, Lulumahu Falls, Kaena Point Hike, Moanalua Valley Middle Ridge. or Top 10 things off the beaten path to do in Oahu.

Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, subscribe to our Youtube channel, and sign up for our newsletter!

RECOMMEND GEAR:

Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.

• Sunscreen:
Make sure to use eco friendly, reef safe sunscreen to protect our reef and marine wild life. We use Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sunscreen.

• Snorkel mask
They do supply masks on the tour but we recommend Vy and Dustin’s masks of choice are the WildHorn Outfitters Seaview 180 Degree Panoramic Snorkel Mask

• Towels and jackets
Even when the weather is warmer, the windchill being on a boat is unavoidable. Make sure to bring a nice jacket, especially if you get cold easily.

• Motion sickness medicine
Recommended if you have a weak stomach.

CAMERA GEAR:
• Camera:
Sony a7 III
Gopro Hero 6 Black

• Lenses:
Sony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens

Sony 18 – 250mm f/3.5-6.3 High Magnification Zoom Lens

• Accessories:
Bobber – Floating Hand Grip for GoPro HERO Cameras