My very first thought when I knew there was a shark adventure was hell no! But as I researched on TripAdvisor and the websites of the 2 shark excusions, I knew that Hawaii Shark Encounters would be a safe way to have this once in a lifetime experience. Their website is very informational, and the story about the great white was amazing. We were going to be doing the shark tour during the Triple Crown surfing competition, which meant waves were going to be big up on the north shore. The lady on the phone said that motion-sickness medicine is highly recommended, and she also said that the 6:30 and the 8:30 tours were the best. We decided to go for the 6:30, even though our drive from Waikiki was an hour. At this time the sharks are still feeding and the waters are more calm. So we did as we were told, and popped some motion sickness pills on our way up the morning of our tour. When we got to the boat, it seemed a bit small to handle a cage, and then I noticed there was no cage at all. Where the heck was it?? Well turns out, the cage is so big they cant haul it and passengers at the same time, so they keep the caged anchored out 4 miles during the tours. On our ride out, I felt like we were entering "The Perfect Storm" the swells were ginormous, but our boat handled it well and it wasnt quite as choppy as I had read from earlier reviews. When we got to the cage we volunteered to be the second group to get into the cage (I recommend 2nd, because you dont have to sit wet and cold during the other groups turn) As I am sitting there in the boat while the other group prepares to get in the cage, I see a fin..then a sharks body, much bigger than expected! Ahhh fear really got to me then, what happens if the bars break when I get in, what if a great white comes and bites into the cage...of course the worst is going through my head. The two guys on the boat were friendly, with a very relaxed demeanor...which actually made me feel better and more at ease. They began telling us about the sharks, why they hang around where they do, and about their personal experience with sharks on and off the job. I was fearful I would not want back into the open ocean once we returned to shore, but it actually made me feel better knowing that not all sharks are bad. When I got in, it took a moment to look into the water. Once I did and saw the sharks, I was fascinated. You could literally stare at them for hours if you could.
I really recommend this to everyone, my dad is 62 and had a great time, my brother is 18 and deathly afraid of sharks(in fact, on the way to the boat, he googled every shark attack in Hawaii) and is still talking about how cool it was to this day. It's well worth the money, how many people can say they swam with 8 footers??
**Bring a water camera!!