I’ve been following Juan Oliphant (@JuanSharks) on Instagram for quite some time now, so when he asked me to join him for a shark dive, I jumped at the opportunity. On the drive down to the boat harbor and on the boat ride out, I definitely thought I would be more nervous then I actually was. It was no more nerve wracking to me than that moment when you’re about to swim into some large 8ft+ surf – it definitely gets your heart pumping, but not enough to start second guessing yourself. I believe this has to do with Juan’s knowledge and experience on the topic. Through his Instagram and website, he’s really changing people’s perception of these misunderstood creatures. It turns out that they are not actually the man-eating beasts movies like JAWS and the media portrays them to be.

Juan Oliphant.

We arrived at the spot and instantly sharks started swarming the boat. That “scary” dorsal fin coming out of the water image that everyone knows turned out to be one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The way the light was reflecting off these animals as they surfaced combined with the deep blue color and texture of the water was stunning. The photographer in me instantly thought that I had brought the wrong camera and lens, wishing I had my 50mm on me to capture what I was seeing correctly.

We jumped right in and were met by these beauties.

Juan watching over us on their boat.

Since Juan stayed on the boat for this dive, Co-Founder of OneOceanDiving.com, Ocean Ramsey (@OceanicRamsey) was my guardian in the water.

This chick is badass. Even if you were completely terrified of sharks, just knowing this humble blonde girl often rides Tiger Sharks and Great Whites would man you the fuck up real quick!

Ocean Ramsey swimming beneath me.

I was feeling pretty comfortable in the water, so I started to make some drops to get a different view.

Picture of me making a drop to get a better look at a Sandbar shark. Image By Jarret Lau (@Lau_Z_Foto) 

Another Shot of me coming up from a dive. Image By Ocean Ramsey.

I just love how light refracts off these amazing creatures. It’s almost gem-like.

Only way out is up this ladder.

I just swam with some sharks, so I think this calls for a selfie. (@JonavanCrail)

Ocean and Juan spotted some whales breaching in the distance! Too bad we just missed them. There’s always next time!

Thanks again, guys for an amazing experience! Be on the look out for an upcoming post where i’ll be doing a more in-depth interview with Juan and Ocean about their efforts to educate people about saving the sharks’ declining populations worldwide – and why keeping these animals safe and protected is vital for our own survival.

If you wanna learn more or go on a shark dive yourself please visit OneOceanDiving.Com (@OneOceanDiving). Aloha!