12 Best Places to Scuba Dive with Sharks and Rays

There are a few destinations across the globe known for their epic shark and ray encounters — to name just some: Yap for mantas, Bahamas for Caribbean reef sharks, Western Australia for great whites, Scotland for basking sharks. But where in the world can you check off both species, sometimes on a single dive? We promise you, at these 12 spots, you’ll have the chance to giant-stride into a “fins and wings” experience.

We've got photo galleries, videos and how-to tips on photographing sharks on the Shark section of our website.

BELIZE

With organized tours generally seeking the big-ticket animals — whale sharks off Placencia and the nurse sharks of Ambergris Caye’s Hol Chan Marine Park — to encounter the smaller, perhaps more rewarding, elasmobranchs like this yellow stingray, you must be willing to be your own tour guide.

“When I first started going to Belize, I knew about yellow stingrays only from books,” says underwater photographer Ethan Daniels, who visits the country’s atolls annually. He began asking guides for tips on finding them, sighting two to four per week. Then he began noticing more.

“Most elasmobranchs haven’t evolved much in 50 million years,” he says, “so the habitat they like is totally predictable.” After repeat visits to the same dive sites, he could consistently find them nestled in shallow sandy areas and seagrass beds.

“Now I find tons, especially just under the dock,” says Daniels. “I love their texture, their color pattern and their variability.” In a way, animals like yellow stingrays have shifted his entire underwater focus.

“Most divers like reefs with all the pretty fish, but at this point in my career, I like the sand,” he says. “I like finding the camouflaged — the rare — stuff.”

Go Now: Splash Belize

>> Average water temp From the high 70s in winter to the low 80s in summer >> What to wear Dive skin or shorty in summer; 3 mm wetsuit in winter >> Average viz 100-plus feet >> Best time to see fins Whale shark migration takes place from late March to June >> Best time to see wings Year-round

THE RED SEA

“The Red Sea isn’t known for sharks if you consider land-based operations — in places like Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, the sharks are generally shy,” says Wayne Hasson, Aggressor Fleet president. “But where we dive, at islands like the Brothers, it’s a shark fest.” That site, 42 miles offshore, along with other spots like Elphinstone Reef, sees little boat traffic beyond a handful of liveaboards, like the M/V Red Sea Aggressor.

“You’re in the water, and suddenly, you can’t see anything,” says Hasson. “Oceanic whitetips approach from behind and swim right in front of your face. They anticipate your every move — you change direction and they change direction, sometimes a second before you do.”

Blue-water hunters, these sharks are accustomed to traveling long distances with few prey opportunities.

“The first oceanic whitetip I saw circled me at 100 feet,” says Hasson. “I made my way back to the boat and it followed to the surface. Compare that to most sharks who see you and swim the other way.”

Go Now: aggressor.com

>> Average water temp From the low 70s in winter to the low 80s in summer
>> What to wear 3 mm wetsuit in summer; 7 mm wetsuit in winter
>> Average viz 100feet, except during plankton blooms
>> Best time to see fins Year-round, although oceanic whitetips are most prevalent at Elphinstone Reef from October to December
>> Best time to see wings Midsummer plankton blooms attract mantas and whale sharks; other rays are present year-round

BEHIND THE SHOT:
I took this photo at Elphinstone Reef in August. A group of five sharks was circling under our boat, which is strange behavior in this season. I had been diving in the same place with these sharks in October and November, but never in summer. Diving with oceanics is absolutely different from diving with other sharks. They are not afraid of divers, and in fact, are very curious. You must stay under the boat, 15 to 25 feet deep, and pay attention to your back, with your buddy always behind you in order to check where they are. Despite their curiosity, we never felt in danger, as long as we respected the sharks. — Carlos Martinez

BAJA AND THE SEA OF CORTEZ

Thank Mexico’s Sea of Cortez currents for making whale shark encounters far more predictable here than elsewhere — and longer lasting.

Ricardo Fifield, manager of the Cortez Club, starts his tours just as tides begin dropping. His scuba operation is based in La Paz, found along the eastern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

“When we go with the right current, the whale sharks are feeding, stopping for 10 minutes at a time,” says Fifield. The filter feeders typically power themselves through the plankton buffet, but when currents deliver the meals, it’s less work for the sharks — and the snorkelers hoping to keep up.

La Paz is also known for a whale shark season that’s ultra reliable. “For the past 10 years, at the end of September, they show up,” says Fifield. “Usually they leave in March, but this year, they stayed. It’s May, and we still have 20 in the bay.”

Go Now: cortezclub.com

>> Average water temp From high 60s in winter to low 80s in summer >> What to wear 3 mm shorty or wetsuit in summer; 5 mm wetsuit and hooded vest in winter >> Average viz 60 to100 feet >> Best time to see fins Hammerheads and whale sharks inhabit the Sea of Cortez year-round >> Best time to see wings Mobula rays are common year-round

BEHIND THE SHOT:
My guide for this trip was filmmaker Luke Inman, who lives in La Paz. We got out early with a private boat. The water was very calm, the sun was beginning to shine, and we were the only boat in the area. After just five minutes, fins pierced the surface. I slid quietly into the planktonic water. I was not moving when the whale sharks began turning toward me with mouths wide open. I set up my camera, adjusted the sun to my back, and started to shoot. They were not afraid and came so close to my fish-eye lens that I had to move back. I stayed with the sharks about 20 minutes before another dive boat appeared. — Greg Lecoeur

RAJA AMPAT

Wobbegong sharks are among the most difficult to spot. The symmetrical, mottled pattern covering their backside mimics shell piles on sand and barnacles encrusting rocks, precisely where the animal likes to rest. “But what surprises divers most,” says Leticia Sanchis of Worldwide Dive and Sail, a liveaboard fleet with vessels in Indonesia, “are the small, weedlike whisker lobes surrounding their jaw.” Sanchis says two dive sites in Raja Ampat can be counted on for sightings: Blue Magic and My Reef.

Go Now: worldwidediveandsail.com

>> Average water temp High 70s to low 80s >> What to wear 3mm wetsuit >> Average viz Consistently over 100 feet >> Best time to see fins Sharks are present year-round >> Best time to see wings Mantas visit the dive site Manta Sandy year-round

COCOS ISLAND

If you’re curious as to why whitetip reef sharks and schools of hammerheads still travel in packs of 200 off Costa Rica’s Cocos Island — enough to block sunlight from the reefs — look first at travel times. Crossing to Cocos Island from Puntarenas, midway along the country’s Pacific coast, takes at least 32 hours, covering some 300 miles.

“On Cocos, you’re not allowed any habitation or marine sports other than three boats — that keeps the place wild,” says Avi Klapfer, founder of the company overseeing M/V Undersea Hunter, one of the three permitted vessels.

As to why the hammerheads make the crossing, it’s theorized that the destination acts as a navigational waypoint for the migrating sharks.

Winters see the bigger schools, with summer numbers dropping to 50 or so per dive.

Still, it’s reliable. Says Klapfer, “Hammerheads are pelagic hunters and can roam any oceans, and yet, Cocos remains one of the most predictable places to see them in the wild.”

Go Now: underseahunter.com

>> Average water temp High 70s >> What to wear 5 to 7mm wetsuit with gloves >> Average viz 20 to 80 feet >> Best time to see fins May to November brings the most schooling hammerheads >> Best time to see wings Mobulas are most abundant from December to May

GALAPAGOS

It’s as if authors and naturalists Ned and Anna DeLoach need two sets of books cataloging marine-animal behavior: One for tried-and-true destinations, and another for reefs so remote, they alter interaction. Ecuador’s wild gem, the Galapagos Islands, found 563 miles off the country’s west coast, is just that.

“The eagle rays in Galapagos are like no other eagle rays I’ve seen,” says Aggressor Fleet’s Wayne Hasson. The Galapagos Aggressor III offers year-round charters to the archipelago.

The beak-nosed animal is known for being skittish, easily spooked by divers’ sudden movements; eagle rays often avoid humans, tolerating their presence only at cleaning stations.

“Here, eagle rays swim up to you, coming within touching distance — I don’t know why,” says Hasson.

That lack of fear isn’t limited to eagle rays. Hasson has seen as many as 10 whale sharks on dives near the islands of Wolf and Darwin. “They’re not the least bit afraid of humans — it’s unbelievable.”

His favorite encounter was with five. “Two were swimming next to me, two were on the surface and one was below me,” he says. “Unfortunately, you can’t take that picture.”

Go Now: aggressor.com

>> Average water temp From 70°F to 80°F >> What to wear 5 to 7 mm wetsuit >> Average viz 30 to 70 feet >> Best time to see fins and wings July to November — when plankton-rich waters bring mantas and whale sharks to the area — is peak season for divers

CUBA

“Before you go in the water, you already see the silky sharks — they are waiting for you,” says Filippo Invernizzi.

He’s one of the owners of Avalon Cuban Diving Centers, which takes guests to Jardines de la Reina, aka Gardens of the Queen Marine Park. The 1996-established reserve is bigger than the Florida Keys, and is one of the largest in the Caribbean. It protects much of the eastern half of Cuba’s southern side, and has recently witnessed an increased shark population.

Thanks to tagging, local scientists are realizing that the returning sharks are ones that had previously disappeared from the area. The resident population has stabilized so much that on every dive, between 20 and 60 silky sharks appear. Southern stingrays and eagle rays also are common on almost every dive.

The sharks “are with you all the time,” says Invernizzi. “They are so curious that they get close enough that you could almost touch them.”

At most sites, divers also witness schools of grouper and tarpon so thick that silky sharks disappear inside.

Adds Invernizzi, “The attraction at the end isn’t even the sharks — it’s the corals and marine life, and yes, by the way, you have 40 sharks swimming around you.”

It’s possible proof that one of the Caribbean’s largest marine parks very well might be its healthiest.

cubandivingcenters.com

>> Average water temp From the high 70s in winter to the high 80s in summer

>> What to wear 3 to 5 mm wetsuit

>> Average viz From 30 to 100-plus feet, depending on tides

>> Best time to see fins and wings Silky sharks, southern stingrays and eagle rays are common year-round

BEHIND THE SHOT:
Arriving at Jardines de la Reina was like stepping into a dream. We could see sharks cruising all around the boat; anxiety was building up, and I was desperate to get into the crystal-clear waters to be close to my most beloved animals. I had seen sharks before, but nothing prepared me for this experience — silky sharks passing less than 3 feet before me, full of curiosity and eager to see if there was something to eat. Avalon Cuban Diving Centers brings a metallic case full of fish scraps that’s tied to a rope about 15 feet under the boat — enough to get the sharks excited, and enough to get us divers exhilarated. — Claudio Contreras Koob

YAP

There’s no river runoff, no pollution and plenty of plankton in Yap, making it one of the planet’s few places with a year-round manta population.

Plus, says Bill Acker, founder of Yap Divers, “The waters away from Yap are a virtual desert, so for them to leave, they have to give up their comfort zone.”

More predictable manta encounters happen from May through December, thanks to seasonal cleaning stations. Mantas mate from January through April, so although they’re seen more sporadically, the payoff can be huge.

“During mating season, divers can see a manta mating train of 20 individuals twisting, turning and tumbling,” says Acker.

Given Yap’s steady population of resident mantas, it shouldn’t be surprising that it’s also a shark hot spot. Ask Acker to name the one species he encounters most, and he’ll pause, then name several: silky sharks, oceanic silvertips and nurse sharks.

Says Acker, “You really realize how magnificent these sharks are when you’re surrounded by 30 of them in gin-clear water.”

Go Now: mantaray.com

>> Average water temp Mid-80s >> What to wear 3 mm shorty or wetsuit >> Average viz 40 to 100 feet >> Best time to see fins Year-round >> Best time to see wings Year-round; encounters are more reliable from May through December, but manta mating season is January through April

ISLA MUJERES

“Every summer, a river of plankton flows along Cancun. It’s from the mixing of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico currents,” says Christian Casqueiro, of Pro Dive Mexico. And that plankton attracts whale sharks in numbers higher than any other location on the planet. Because of the reliable aggregation, the area has become an underwater-photography hot spot.

“On good days,” says Casqueiro, “you get more than 100 on the surface.” On the best day — Aug. 12, 2009 — that particular patch of Caribbean Sea set a world record: 420 whale sharks in 7 square miles. The only locals who aren’t thrilled about the record-setting numbers of whale sharks are the resident mobula rays.

“When you have that many sharks, you don’t have as many mobulas,” says Casqueiro. Mobula rays tend to stay deeper when packs of 20 or more whale sharks are at the surface, but during the winter, the mobulas have free reign. Adds Casqueiro, “You see banks of 20, 30, 50 — all flying together.”

Go Now: prodivemex.com

>> Average water temp Low to mid-80s >> What to wear 3mm shorty or wetsuit >> Average viz 60 to 100feet >> Best time to see fins Whale sharks descend in droves on Isla Mujeres from June to December >> Best time to see wings Mantas too are drawn to the area from June to December; mobulas are more common from January through May

MALDIVES

In the Maldives, a shark’s temperament depends on current.

“Most of the time, the gray and whitetip reef sharks don’t get close, but you see big numbers,” says Abo Latheef, dive manager of the M/V Four Seasons Explorer, which cruises the Male and Baa atolls in the Arabian Sea.

But with current comes closeness.

When tidal changes bring bigger flows (November to March sees the strongest currents), Latheef leads divers to drop in and hold on, staying low and still. “The sharks swim up and down 5 feet in front of you,” he says. The sharks face upstream, taking advantage of a current carrying in small fish. “You spend the whole dive just with them.”

As for rays, their behavior depends less on sea conditions and perhaps more on each other. Marble rays are the most common; Latheef reports seeing them on every other dive. His best encounter happened at night, when he spotted a female. “She was 9 feet across — that’s as big as they grow,” he says. Six males pursued her, and Latheef and his guests watched for the entire 40 minutes of bottom time.

Says Latheef, “It’s rare for any diver to see mating behavior for any fish — let alone one so big.”

Go Now: fourseasons.com

>> Average water temp Low to mid-80s >> What to wear 3 mm shorty or wetsuit >> Average viz From 70 to 200-plus feet >> Best time to see fins Year-round >> Best time to see wings Year-round, although mantas do migrate throughout the archipelago seasonally

BEHIND THE SHOT:
Two years ago, I dived at Ellaidhoo, one of my favorite islands in the Maldives. Diving here often means diving with rays. A little over 650 feet to the left of the Ellaidhoo jetty, I found a beautiful coral garden 30 feet deep, with huge table corals. Several round ribbontail rays hunted between the coral blocks. One of them was very curious about me — maybe he thought I had some fish in my BC? I waited for the perfect moment to shoot this image, and I got it. — Reinhard Dirscherl

THAILAND

“Leopard sharks just don’t care about you,” says Fabian Teruel. He’s been diving Thailand for the past 14 years, and now helps manage Khao Lak Scuba Adventures and its fleet of six liveaboard vessels traveling between Koh Bon, the Similan Islands, and Richelieu Rock. He says he sees the most sharks, including the more-timid whitetip and blacktip sharks, in the Similan Islands.

But it’s the leopard sharks he seeks out.

“During the day, they rest,” says Teruel, “or they’re mating — all right in front of you.”

Teruel’s favorite leopard shark encounter happened in the Similan Islands while he was teaching a PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience in 9 feet of water and one swooped low. “It came down, down, down — I put my hand on my head for protection, and it landed on my hand,” he says.

“The student totally freaked out,” __says Teruel, “but I think everybody else would want that — as divers, we all want to see sharks.”

Go Now: khaolakscubaadventures.com_

>> Average water temp Mid-80s >> What to wear 3 mm shorty or wetsuit >> Average viz 80 to 100 feet >> Best time to see fins and wings The dive season at Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock is limited to the months of October to early May, as rough surface conditions prevail during the rest of the year

MOZAMBIQUE

“As I’m speaking now, the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up,” says Steve Mank Counsel, owner of Peri-Peri Divers, based in Tofo Beach on Mozambique’s southern coast. He’s just described an encounter during the sardine-run season — June to September — where he’d been aboard a boat in search of humpback whales. Instead, he happened upon a pod of killer whales that had just attacked a dolphin. Counsel and two other guides jumped into the water and began filming. “Seeing killer whales next to humpbacks next to bull sharks doesn’t happen every day,” he says.

But sardine season does guarantee a circus of excitement.

“We see tigers and oceanic whitetips once every few weeks — and tons of bull sharks all the time,” says Counsel. The bulls tend toward shyness, but the big shoals draw them out, along with every other hungry predator in the area.

“It’s a layered system: As the sardine run comes down the east coast of Africa, whales are chasing that water, looking for a specific temperature to have babies,” he says. And everything follows.

“Once the sardines are taken, predators are looking for something else,” he says, pointing out that most of the area’s mantas have bite marks on their wings. “It’s a wondrous amount of marine life all feeding off each other.”

Go Now: peri-peridivers.com

>> Average water temp From 72°F to 82°F >> What to wear 3 to 5 mm wetsuit >> Average viz 30 to 100 feet >> Best time to see fins The annual sardine run, roughly from June to September, brings in the sharks >> Best time to see wings Mantas are here year-round