Great white shark cage diving expedition coming to Canada's East Coast
First-ever cage diving with white sharks in Nova Scotia will provide thrills and valuable research
The public will have the opportunity to cage dive with white sharks off the coast of Nova Scotia for the first time this summer, providing both thrilling experiences and valuable research opportunities.
The cage, constructed by Atlantic Welding & Millwright Services Ltd., is made of aluminum and will allow participants to get up close to the sharks, similar to operations in Guadalupe, Mexico.
"Essentially, anyone can come out and be a marine biologist for the day and actually get to live out the dream of going to get in the water face to face with the world's most amazing super predator," said marine ecologist, shark researcher, owner and president of Atlantic Shark Expeditions, Dr. Neil Hammerschlag.
You don't need to be a scuba diver for this experience. All you'll have is a snorkel and a mask, and only a portion of the cage will go underwater, so you can be in full communication with the members on board the boat.
The cage, being welded at Atlantic Welding and Millwright Services Ltd., measures 3ft wide, 7ft high, and 7ft long, with a 33,000-pound PSI tensile strength. (Photo: Nathan Coleman/The Weather Network)
SEE ALSO: How sharks and psychopaths prepared her for tackling the climate crisis
Strong aluminum cage ensures safety for participants and allows for valuable shark observations
The shark cage, which measures 3ft wide, 7ft high, and 7ft long, is designed to keep participants safe during their underwater experience. The aluminum used in the cage's construction has a 33,000-pound PSI tensile strength, ensuring that the divers are protected from potential shark attacks. This level of security allows both thrill-seekers and researchers to observe the sharks up close without fear of harm.
Owner and president of Atlantic Shark Expeditions, Dr. Neil Hammerschlag (left) and Captain Art Gaetan (right), inspect the aluminum cage that will eventually allow participants to get up close to the sharks. (Photo: Nathan Coleman/The Weather Network)
RELATED: Study finds overfishing has led to devastating global decline of sharks, rays
Shark cage expeditions aim to raise public awareness of great white shark populations in Nova Scotia
In addition to providing an adrenaline-pumping experience for participants, the shark cage expeditions aim to raise public awareness of the great white shark populations in Nova Scotia's waters. Atlantic Shark Expeditions Captain Art Gaetan is a Navy veteran with experience chartering blue shark tagging expeditions and has been working to determine the number of great white sharks in the area for the past seven years.
"There are beaches right now that are right in the middle of some serious hunting grounds that the white sharks are in. And so I think we need to let the public know what's going on," said Gaetan.
Dr. Hammerschlag further clarified that the expeditions will not increase the risk of local shark attacks, stating, "We are using bait to lure sharks towards the boat so that we can study them, but it pales in comparison to the amount of natural smells that are attracting sharks here in the first place."
The shark cage expeditions are set to begin in August.
To learn more about this unique opportunity, watch the video that leads this article.
WATCH BELOW: Tagging and tracking sharks in Nova Scotia, we got up-close and personal
Thumbnail photo credit: Great white shark pictured in Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico. Used for illustration purposes only. (Credit: Elianne Dipp/Pexels)
