WHAT DO WE OFFER?
 

Every Field Expedition we host is different and unique. During your stay in Bimini, you will participate in many of the following activities. The list below gives a brief description of each activity we offer. Your input will help shape our itinerary for the week. Please be aware that all activities are dependent on weather, season, and tide.

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Our Shark Encounters: 

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• Research Methods Class: Every shark we catch, from the 40 cm juvenile up to the 4-meter adult, requires a set of data to be collected. In this practical work-up lesson, you will learn how determine the species and sex of an individual, as well as the methods of measuring lengths, taking a DNA sample, and giving the shark an identification tag if necessary, and learn about the methods and tags used in our research.
   

• Caribbean reef shark snorkel: A staff and volunteer favourite. Here, you’re able to watch reef sharks swimming around you while holding onto a buoyed anchor line or you can snorkel through the gorgeous reefs of Triangle Rocks, rich with tropical reef fish and marine invertebrates.  
   

• Aya's Spot juvenile lemon shark spotting: Having studied the tidal tendencies of these juvenile sharks, we time our departure from the lab to observe their departure from the mangrove-laden nursery, called Aya’s Spot.
   

• Sapona snorkel: The SS Sapona was constructed in WWI and later converted into a warehouse for storing alcohol during the Prohibition Era. Around the ship’s hull, your group can expect to see a variety of marine life: turtles, stingrays, various damselfish, pufferfish, corals, sponges, etc. There are also some large openings to view the ship's interior from the outside.
   

• Blacktip Sharks: Blacktips are a common species in the area, and can be seen in schools upwards of 20 individuals. Near the eastern beaches of North Bimini, we bait the water with the hopes of drawing in a few of these extraordinary sharks.
   

• Nurse shark ledge snorkel: This rock ledge is resting habitat for our adult and sub-adult nurse sharks. An easy boat drive away from the lab, this activity illustrates a unique life history facet of this amazing sharks species. It also provides opportunities to spot other hiding marine life, including a few lobsters and eels tucked up under the ledge!
   

• Great Hammerhead Encounter (winter season only): The mysterious and endangered great hammerheads are frequent visitors of Bimini during our winter season. A quick boat ride to the western side of the island will put you right at their front door. You’ll be allowed to snorkel alongside these incredible and increasingly rare giants. 
   

• Dolphin research lecture and snorkel: Enjoy a presentation and lecture by local dolphin researcher Kel Sweeting from the Dolphin Communication Project. If conditions allow, we will head out to an area known for it's Atlantic Spotted Dolphin population and enjoy a snorkel with these incredible animals!
   

• Honeymoon Harbour: Just north of Cat Cay sits an idyllic beach that boasts of a flourishing ray population. With squid in hand, we can observe and hand feed a common elasmobranch species, the southern stingray as they float by in large groups.
   

• Turtle Rocks Snorkel: Southward, along the Great Bahamas Bank’s edge, runs this archipelago of rocks that feature a coral reef with an extensive elasmobranch biodiversity, including eagle rays, nurse sharks, sub-adult lemon sharks, reef sharks, and even bull sharks.
   

• Presentations and lectures from our researchers: Hear about the Shark Lab's 30 Years of Research, our current research projects from our Principle Investigators, field research methods, and much more from our amazing team!