A Texans Thrilling Encounter Swimming With Sharks In Hawaii

I recently wrote an article about a Texas angler capturing a hammerhead shark on camera along the beaches of Galveston's San Luis Pass last year. That reminded me of the time my wife and I took a trip to Hawaii where we swam with sharks.

In September of 2023, we were thrilled to be able to go back to the island of Oahu. Our first trip was filled with a ton of excursions and exploration of the island so this time around we wanted a more relaxing adventure.

What's more relaxing than swimming with sharks?

Ok, I admit, I was absolutely terrified to go swimming with sharks. I had no idea what this encounter would be like. Would we just be thrown in the water? Where's the cage? Are these sharks friendly and like good beer?

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Those questions and more were answered as we booked a tour through North Shore Shark Adventures, hopped on a boat, and rode out to the spot where we would be a potential lunch for a sea monster. As we got closer I noticed there was indeed a cage already placed where the possible carnage would happen.

The folks at North Shore Shark Adventures assured us that it was completely safe in the cage and that we would be swimming with Galapagos sharks which are not thought to be aggressive.

When the time came to put our gear on and jump into the cage, my heart began to race. What if I miss the cage? What if the shark jumps up and intercepts me like an arrant throw from Dak Prescott?

Once we were in the water, all of my fears completely left me. The warm waters surrounded me as sharks began to swim around us. There were probably about 8-10 sharks swimming around us with the largest one being about 9 feet. These were big sharks!

Sharks!

What started as fear ended up in absolute fascination and intrigue as these sharks swam around us for about 20 minutes. It was an incredible experience that I would definitely do again.

Speaking of Hawaii, if you have never been, I encourage you to visit as it is probably the coolest place on earth.