One of the greatest parts of diving is interacting with the underwater animals that you do not often see unless you visit an aquarium or Sea World. Seeing animals interacting with other animals within their normal environment can be an amazing and life changing experience.

Most animals are very friendly and divers rarely experience problems when swimming with animals; however, you should always have a professional diver nearby as even the kindest animals can be dangerous simply because of their size. The most popular animal dives are those in which divers swim with manatees and sharks.

Diving with Manatees

Manatees are large, sweet animals that are adored by thousands of people worldwide. In Florida, the winter months, especially January, are perfect for swimming with the manatees. Many companies will host dives after the manatees have migrated to the area. Seeing manatees in their normal environment is a fun and enjoyable experience. You should always dive with a buddy because although manatees are kind creatures, they are very large and can prove hazardous to divers. Most programs require divers to take a course on manatees, their mannerisms, and their environment in order to better prepare for the experience. If you want to find out more about these dives, contact the Florida Department of Tourism.

Diving with Sharks

For most people, diving with sharks is something that only happens in the world of television. You see crazy people diving in steel cages and in intense moments of suspense and fear, the sharks begin to attack the cage. However, these are not actually very realistic circumstances.

Despite the typical belief that sharks are dangerous, man eating creatures, they are actually slow moving, gentle animals. Due to the sharks’ taste for blood, divers must dive in a special cage in order to ensure their safety. Shark diving can be an amazing experience as you are able to see the way the animals act in real life as opposed to their portrayal on television and the movies. Amateur divers should not go on shark dives as their inexperience can put them at risk.