News
Sharks: Wonderful Beasts and Where to Find Them

Every Week is Shark Week at Regaldive. We are glad that it is currently Shark Week, as sharks are a firm favourite at the Regaldive office and they deserve to be better protected. Every week we are sending our guests to numerous worldwide locations that are ideal for diving with sharks. The last couple of years have been great for shark encounters and hopefully this trend will continue. If you are a shark fan, Regaldive have a great range of holiday options. Here is a taster of our top locations worldwide for Diving with Sharks…
GUADALUPE ISLAND
Dive to 30 feet and go face to face with great white sharks! Guadalupe Island is a volcanic island 150 miles off the west coast of Baja California and it outperforms every other great white shark destination with shark-seeing consistency and beautiful diving conditions.
Great white shark encounters at Guadalupe Island are nothing short of spectacular. It’s the best destination in the world for calm, clear water and a consistently high probability of multiple shark encounters. The bay itself is home to over 200 recognised individuals, ranging from 12 to 19 feet long. At times, guests have seen as many as nine sharks on one dive!
SOCORRO ISLANDS
The wild, remote and exhilarating Socorro Islands, Mexico are famous for their big animal encounters. Divers will see many species of shark, including Hammerheads, Whitetips, Silvertips, Silkies, Tiger & Galapagos Sharks. Whale sharks can be found between November – December and late April – May.
The area is also famous for close encounters with the Giant Pacific Manta Ray, which can grow to 22 feet across. The Mantas seek out divers to interact with and play in their exhaled bubbles. There’s little doubt that this is the best location for the closest Manta interactions.

Photo: John Butland
SOUTH AFRICA
If you want some great shark action, what could be better than the shark hotspots of South Africa and Mozambique? Although there’s always plenty to see, including Hammerheads, Tigers, Blacktips and Bulls, May is the time that the Ragged Tooth Sharks take up residence on Aliwal Shoals. A shark to impress your non-diving friends, as with their mouth full of big teeth, they look far scarier than they actually are. ‘Raggies’ usually stay until at least the end of November, so now’s the time to plan your visit.

Photo: Malcolm Nobbs
THE MALDIVES
The Maldives is a popular location for seeing a few varieties of shark, most commonly Whitetips and Grey Reef Sharks. Although the Whitetips are usually very calm and lethargic during the day, they certainly get a bit more active at night. Often seen darting around the reef, trying to beat each other to the next unsuspecting fish to snack on.
Our guests returning from Maldives Liveaboards are giving enthusiastic reports from of a very interesting night dive they took part in. Many of them have greatly enjoyed doing a night dive with Nurse Sharks. Although one of the most docile of sharks, it turns into a very exhilarating experience when you get 40 to 50 Nurse Sharks swarming all around you! Just hang onto your gear and prepare for the odd nudge.
THE BAHAMAS
The Bahamas are justifiably famous for their shark diving. Some sharks can be seen very close and personal, mainly Caribbean Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks and Lemon Sharks, but others such as Bull Sharks, Hammerheads and even Oceanic Whitetips can all be found, with the waters of Nassau and the Exuma Cays being the most easily accessible areas.
A famous location that is worth a visit in June, July and August is Tiger beach. So called because of the numbers of Tiger sharks that turn up in the warm shallow waters at that time. Known for coming in nice and close, some of the individual sharks, such as Emma, are famous the world over. With years of experience the operators that visit the area will provide you with an experience that you will have difficulty finding anywhere else.

Photo: Malcolm Nobbs
SUDAN
Many of Sudan’s varied dive sites hold an almost mythical status with divers from around the world. Sudan’s coastal waters are also recognised as one of the best places in the world for Shark enthusiasts to encounter schools of scalloped hammerheads, alongside many other species of shark.
Our colleague Nigel gave us a taste of the shark action from his recent trip to Sudan and told us: “we were joined by a huge school of hammerhead sharks: above us, below us, in the distance, right next to us: they were everywhere. We were all trying to look in every direction at once. When we got back on board my partner said it had been ‘raining hammerhead sharks’. We all knew what she meant.”
THE GALAPAGOS
The seas surrounding the Galapagos support a large concentration of the marine life that makes these islands such a superb dive destination. Certainly no dive itinerary to the Galapagos is complete without a visit to the remote outposts of Wolf & Darwin to the north. Schools of hammerheads, as well as dolphins and rays make these islands a real highlight for divers. The whale shark aggregation occurs in the warmer water surrounding these islands. Many other shark species also make regular appearances, including species that you are unlikely to see elsewhere, including the Galapagos Shark. Although Hammerheads are seen year round, the biggest aggregations are usually in the Autumn.

Photo: Malcolm Nobbs
THE RED SEA
The Red Sea has always been good for sharks, but the last couple of years have been exceptional, especially on the ‘Simply the Best’ itinerary. Maybe it’s because there are less divers about. We are hearing feedback such as “saw hammerheads on every dive at Daedalus” and “great to get so close to so many Oceanic Whitetips” from those on our Red Sea Liveaboard trips. The best times for these encounters now seems to be starting a bit earlier too, around June, and running right through to November.

Photo: Malcolm Nobbs
COCOS ISLAND
A few years ago Cocos Island was christened ‘The Island of the Sharks’ by documentary makers, and with very good reason. This lush, green, uninhabited island, 340 miles from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, boasts numerous species of shark, including Whitetips (on every dive!), Tigers, Whale Sharks, Silkies and Galapagos Sharks.
But the biggest draw here is the Hammerheads that come into the numerous cleaning stations, allowing easy, close up viewing. Also they can often be seen schooling in their tens or even hundreds, so keep your fingers crossed for that amazing experience.
The UNESCO designated World Heritage Site certainly holds its place at the pinnacle of the world’s best shark diving locations.
To find out more about our shark diving locations, call the friendly Regaldive team on 01353 659999.
News
PADI and Scuba Diving Magazine Seek Incredible Underwater Photographs in Annual Photo Competition

Scuba Diving® magazine’s 21st annual Through Your Lens photo contest is underway and accepting images that highlight the incredible underwater world.
“Entering our Through Your Lens Photo Contest isn’t just about winning,” says Candice Landau, Content Director for Scuba Diving magazine. “It’s about beginning the journey of putting your work out there, sharing your unique perspective and realising just how much impact your images can have. With categories for all levels, including an amateur category specifically for newcomers, there’s a real chance to get noticed and inspire positive ocean change.”
“This year we decided to bring back a couple of tried-and-tested categories, as well as add two new ones. In total, photographers will be able to submit to five different categories: wide angle, macro, split shot, amateur, and cold water,” Landau says.
Scuba Diving has confirmed the return of highly esteemed underwater photographers Brandon Cole, Kate Jonker, Suzan Meldonian and Alex Mustard to assist as guest judges. Entry is free, and photographers can submit up to five entries per category.
The grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 USD cash prize and a weeklong liveaboard trip aboard the Komodo Aggressor. First-place winners for each specified category will receive an Aggressor Adventures liveaboard trip; second-place winners will receive a Scubapro regulator; and third-place winners will receive a SeaLife SportDiver S smartphone housing. Two winners in the Amateur category will receive a liveaboard trip from All Star Liveaboards. Select winners will also be given the opportunity to have their photos featured on PADI certification cards.
Past winners of the annual competition include colorful images of alpine newts on water lilies in Belgium, divers finning through a submerged Slovak opal mine, and an eye-to-eye encounter with a dwarf minke whale on the Great Barrier Reef.
“This contest is a chance to celebrate the artistry and passion of underwater photographers at every level. It brings the underwater world to the surface for everyone to see, and it’s always amazing to witness the creativity, dedication, and stories that these images tell,” says Landau. “It’s not just about taking a beautiful picture, it’s about capturing a moment that inspires others to dive, explore, and protect the ocean. Every submission helps us tell the story of the underwater world and why it matters.”
All winners and honourable mentions will be published in the September/October 2025 Photo Issue of Scuba Diving magazine, with the cover featuring one of the contest entries. Entries are open now until July 7, 2025 on scubadiving.com/photocontest.
About Scuba Diving Magazine
United in our passion for diving and the world beneath the surface. Scuba Diving is an inclusive print and digital forum to learn about, connect on and fuel a shared passion for underwater exploration. Our enthusiasm for the sport of diving, the stunning places we experience, the incredible marine encounters, and our purpose-driven commitment to ocean change keeps us connected and inspires one another to seek adventure and save the ocean. The ultimate, trusted source, we deliver expert insights on gear, safety, training, local diving, travel and dive professions – because, as divers ourselves, we care deeply about the same topics. Whether we dive once a year or for a living, we’re a single community of ocean lovers constantly encouraging those new to diving to join us.
About PADI
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) is the world’s largest ocean exploration and diver organisation, operating in 186 countries and territories, with a global network of more than 6,600 dive centres and resorts and over 128,000 professional members worldwide. Issuing more than 1 million certifications each year, and with over 30 million certifications to date, PADI enables people around the world to seek adventure and save the ocean through underwater education, life-changing experiences and travel. For over 50 years, PADI is undeniably The Way the World Learns to Dive®, maintaining its high standards for dive training, safety and customer service, monitored for worldwide consistency and quality. With a longstanding commitment to environmental conservation, PADI is leading the way for millions of people to actively explore, steward and protect the ocean through its course offerings and partnerships with like-minded, mission-driven organisations. PADI embodies a global commitment to ocean health with its mission to create a billion torchbearers to explore and protect the ocean. Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean.SM
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