Author: Stephanie Huynh
I have learned that you can never really appreciate something or get a full sense of what it truly is unless you witness it for yourself. Through firsthand experience is when we often discover that what others say, claim, describe with fascination or with utter fear, that their accounts are either not fully justified through words alone or they are pure falsifications. After visiting Tiger Beach as a novice scuba diver back in 2020, I was able to create my own impression and it was this …. I was left fascinated and with a diminished level of fear for these magnificent animals then when I had arrived. I just knew I was going to have to return to this place. And I did just that a few years later in 2024.
Day 1 of diving intentionally had no tigers. The purpose of these dives was to get properly weighted to avoid being knocked around by any potentially strong current in the presence of massive predators like tiger sharks. Day 2 of diving was to be our first day with the big tiger girls. On the first dive of the day we had only one Tiger BUT … it was the queen herself, Emma. I’ve been hearing about her and seeing her on Shark Week for years and unfortunately, she did not show up during my previous trip to Tiger Beach. I felt so honored that she decided to show up this time around. I felt like I was in the presence of royalty.
Stephanie diving at tiger beach Credit: Eli Martinez
When thinking back to a specific encounter I had with the rambunctious Jitterbug on my last trip to Tiger Beach, I was very intimidated by Emma initially. I’d nervously move out of her way when she approached me. But then I caught a glimpse of one of the safety divers who signaled to me, “be calm, it’s okay.” I quickly learned that beneath her intimidating-looking exterior, Emma is a sincerely gentle soul. In fact, she was one of the calmest tiger sharks (or any type of shark!) I have ever met. She had a very relaxed demeanor about her and was highly tolerant of her human guests. When she would approach me with her over-sized head and telltale grin, I quickly learned that she would not investigate me further with her curious jaws. She would make eye contact but then would simply cruise right past me.
Tiger sharks "Jitterbug" (front) and "Gabriela" Image: Stephanie Huynh
I quickly fell in love with this charming shark. My fear of her dissolved and was carried away by any current that remained. I am not saying that you should not be on your guard when in the presence of Tiger sharks because you absolutely must be at all times, regardless of how chill they are behaving! But after several close interactions with this enchanting individual, I learned that her personality and temperament were nothing to fear. She was a Bonafide sweetheart and I could easily see why she is referred to as The Queen.
Jitterbug was the 2nd tiger to show up that day. With her unique clefted snout, she was still as rowdy and curious as I had remembered. And later on Gabriela appeared. She was a HUGE girl and most likely pregnant as her distended belly would suggest. On Day 3 of diving I woke up with mild nausea and a moderately intense headache, but nothing that a few Advil and some ginger couldn’t stave off until I got in the water. Not only did Emma and Jitterbug show up again, but a few other tigers joined the party. They included Stephanie, Natalie, and a new tiger which the crew later informed us was a new, unnamed girl. In addition to these lovelies, there were at least 15 to 20 Caribbean reef sharks, a couple of lemons, a couple of nurse sharks, a majestic Southern stingray, and Gary the local grouper. It was so incredibly sharky, I felt like I died and went to heaven. My headache and nausea quickly took a backseat to all the excitement that surrounded me.
"Gabriela" cruising by Image: Stephanie Huynh
The following day, unfortunately, was riddled with rough seas, so we were unable to dive. Luckily the day after that, which happened to be Halloween, the crew deemed it safe for us to jump in and meet up with the girls one last time. Lots of exciting things happened on this day. I saw Jitterbug steal (and later spit out) a GoPro camera. She also chomped on a small Caribbean reef shark who happened to be in her way. The reef shark got away and hopefully learned that you don’t get in Jitterbug’s way! Emma swam past and above me many times. The 2nd dive ended with one of the crew grabbing and gifting me a tiger tooth, freshly released from the mouth of Jitterbug!
The final dive of the day (and the trip) went out with a bang but it was an incredibly sketchy situation. Visibility dropped significantly from the previous dive and was probably no more than 15 feet. It was extremely hazy and murky. Silt was kicked up easily and lingered, making visibility even worse. This can be extremely dangerous when there are predators lurking around! And what do you know … SIX tigers showed up by the end of the dive! Emma, Jitterbug, Stephanie, Natalie, Gabriela, and an unnamed new girl. Not to mention all the reef and lemon sharks that were also in the area. I only stayed for about 20 minutes when 4 tigers were present. When I couldn’t keep track of them all I decided I was satisfied with the experiences I’ve had on this trip, told the safety diver I was out, and proceeded to ascend to my final safety stop at the down line.
Needless to say, this trip was truly epic and priceless memories were made. Twelve logged dives, one precious tiger tooth to take home, and a group of new friends were but a few of the rewards. But I must say with absolute certainty that my favorite thing about this trip was meeting Emma. She is the EXACT opposite of what common people think about sharks. Emma is kind, gentle, tolerant, relaxed, and peaceful. She actually made my fear, anxiety, and stress melt away. Have you ever seen a therapy dog? Well, if therapy sharks existed, I’d have to say that Emma is mine.
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