shark experience -day tours

I had the best time with the Skipper and Owner Mike Haines and 1st Mate Macca.We all received Excellent Customer Service from both Mike and Macca they will really take care of you from the get go. Mike gave us the necessary safety brief on departure and a educational talk on the Great Whites and once the cage was deployed we were shown how to enter the cage and important rules while in the cage the #1 rule do not put any part of your body outside the cage:) All the dive gear is provided and have sizes to fit.It took less than 10 minutes before the 1st shark showed up (a 4.5m male Great White) then 2 other sharks turned up on the scene similar in size. Photo opportunities are fantastic you had at least 50m visibility the water was crystal clear. (make sure you take spare batteries and memory cards) You also get a hot meal and hot drinks between dives :)I highly recommend this as a must do at the top of your bucket list these guys know there stuff.Thanks for the great experience Mike and Macca I will return one day.

Shark cage diving has been on the bucket list for a while so on a recent visit to NZ we were so excited to do this. I would definitely recommend shark cage diving to anyone, sharks are so interesting. Our crewman Macca was so fantastic, he really interacted well with all on board and made the experience so much fun. Macca has a great personality and is very approachable. On the downside the skipper of the boat Mike was at times really rude to me and had very little patience for my questions and he didn't really interact with any of the groups on board. The whole experience was great I have no regrets, but it would have been better if Mike had a friendlier more customer serviced approach like his employee Macca.

What an experience!! To be so close to be with great whites in their natural habitat is mind blowing. An experience you'll never forget... Mike and Macca know what they are doing and we felt absolutely safe from start to finish. We highly recommend this one!

Must do !! Thoroughly enjoyed the day ..great fun and great crew ! You won't regret it ! Thanks Mike and Macca .

This was definitely the highlight of our trip! My brother wanted to do this trip so I agreed though I was terrified at first. Once we got out to the island, Mike briefed us on the sharks and rules on the boat. Then Karwyn gave us a breathing demo which was a bit pricey but necessary. There were a few sharks in the area but they were a bit slow at first coming over. Once they were there, it was honestly incredible. I was terrified before I arrive about going into the cage, but after seeing how secure it was and how docile the sharks were, it wasn't scary at all. It was exciting and thrilling! The water was a bit cold but as to be expected. Throughout the day we were waiting on and off for the sharks to come by, but the company was good. I highly recommend this adventure if you are on South Island. There were 9 of us on the boat and everyone was able to get into the cage a few times. Excellent trip!

This trip was just unbeatable start to finish. Mike was fantastic, really friendly and funny, made everyone immediate friends somehow! He gave us a health and safety briefing and shared some really amazing knowledge about the sharks without boring anyone to death (a rarity nowadays!) everyone was comfortable asking him questions and he answered them fantastically, I felt like in completely safe and knowledgeable hands!Macca was our diving instructor and again, he was fantastic, friendly and funny. I have never done any kind of scuba before and somehow he made it the easiest thing in the world, I never had a moments hesitation. I really can't stress how much these guys added to the trip!Ok, now on to sharks - they were INCREDIBLE! Everyone was speechless, I believe we saw 4 different sharks and each was beautiful and allowed everyone to get fab photos and spend enough time in the water.My only problem is that I forgot to mention to Mike that I was vegetarian and lunch was all meat but that's my fauly as I have no doubt Mike would have been lovely enough to provide some vege food if I didn't have such a bad memory! If I had more time I would have gone back again and again.

I had a fantastic day shark cage diving. We went out with Mike and Mac who were both great; Mike shared his knowledge on sharks and made us feel safe in his hands. With his infectious personality, Mac made us all laugh and generally enjoy the day. Of course, the Sharks were always going to be incredible to see and get sooo close to, but it was great to be in their environment and really get a perspective of how huge they are! Lunch was provided- sandwiches and pies, as well as hot drinks and biscuits throw out the day to keep warm!The only slight moan I have to the shark experience guys, is I would have thought the scuba intro should be included in the main price. Fair enough if you can explain why it had to be an extra $99 but I would have thought already paying $430 for the day should cover it. Having said that, if you have no scuba experience I actually found a bit of guidance and reassurance on breathing underwater (a very unnatural feeling for the first time!) is worth going through. Don't even question it - just book it! You won't regret it.

You sometimes have to wait to see your first shark but when it comes, it's just fantastic. Looking at in the eyes a great white shark just 2 m in front of you is an incredible experience. You go out of the cage, breathless... Highly recommended !!

such an amazing day I will remember for a life time ! big thanks to Mike and Macca for taking such good care of us this was an incredible trip with the sharks who were not scary at all !! weather was so amazing and flat seas which helped ( bring sea sick pills if you don't travel that well ) mike was really knowledge about the sharks and the area so provided lots of info which was awesome . so so awesome can't really say how incredible it was you have to see it and do it to believe it ! just a wee tip to bring water and fruit / snacks when you go as we did as you are in and out of the water all day lunch is provided which is great but you might stay out a bit later and don't want to loose any energy so you can stay in the cage longer !! big ups to mike and Macca best in the business :) there should be a challenge to take a sharfie !! Shark + Selfie LOL

Unbelievable Experience, these guys took us out to a beautiful spot where we anchored up and waited for the Beautiful Great Whites to come and play. Straight away when we arrived , there were Great Whites waiting for us. The split second seeing the fin and silhouette of the Sharks in the water was mind blowing. You don't realise how big these creatures are until you experience them in person. We were given a very informative talk before getting geared up and ready to dive into their world. Entering the cage and seeing the Great Whites circling in front of the cage was something else! This is a must do experience. On the day I was even lucky enough to see one of the Sharks full body breach out of the water . Unreal. The tour operators have many years behind them and have a very good success rate. Would love to head out again !

crazy bold trip, or 3 insanely cool trips, we saw nothing the first two times, but I was allowed to continue to make out until I got the shark expeience I hoped to get, it can certainly recommended to take such a trip, mike knows a lot about the great white, so you learn a lot, he is a nice man who answer all your questions, and most importantly, he will ensure that people get the day with the great white as they had hoped for, it is the craziest I've ever tried, and I would advise everyone else to book a trip with the great white with mike.I will definitely return for another trip out to sea, once I get back to New Zealand.Thank you for one of the wildest experiences on my trip around New Zealand.-Allan

My brother and I travelled from Canada and found out that you could do shark diving ahead of our trip and booked it. We also skydived, bungee'd and many other exciting things. This was at the top of the list of everything we did. Our first shark came in within a half hour of being there. We had 3 come in total, each one more exciting than the last and each one within a couple feet of the cage. This trip is strongly recommended!!

I can't possibly think of one thing I didn't enjoy about my day with Shark Experience Bluff New Zealand. We arrived via the directions given (spot on), met with Mike near the boat and hopped on board. The boat was great -- a nice warm, dry area, and then the outdoor part which we were free to roam around on. We left the pier and rode over to Stewart Island to pick up some more guests, and had an amazing sight seeing adventure on the way (added bonus). Mike and his staff were so friendly, engaging, and willing to answer any/all questions, as well as tell us about the islands and things we were seeing along the way.Once we got to the shark site, they lowered the cage, and as we waited for the sharks to arrive, we were briefed on what the experience would entail, rules (don't stick body parts out of the cage, duh!), and were suited up in our wetsuits. When the sharks arrived, we got in the water, 4 people at a time -- a great number because you didn't feel crowded in the cage at all, and everyone had great views. You could stay down as little or as much as you liked for upwards of 20-25 minutes, but believe me, the water was so cold, at 25 minutes, you needed a break. Once you came back up, there were snacks and hot beverages to enjoy during your surface interval before you hopped into the cage again.And now for the best part -- about the sharks... We saw 3 that day, all around 14-15 feet, and they were very active. The most amazing part was that you were able to witness them within inches of the cage underwater for great views, and breathtaking video and photos, but then while you were warming up, you weren't missing out on anything. You were able to watch the sharks from the surface and got an incredible show that way too.If you love sharks, and you're going to New Zealand, this MUST be your priority. Truly, the best day of my life.Now I'm searching for something to replace as my #1 item on my bucket list!Thanks so much!!

Writing this review gives me very mixed feelings. I was really excited about this day trip from months ago. I really didn't know how I would react if I saw a Great White eye to eye. Actually seeing three of these beautiful sharks was extremely exciting and the adrenalin was flowing bucket loads. That part of the trip was the best and I could not fault anything or anybody because I wanted to see a shark up close and that is exactly what happened. The downside I believe was the crew Mike and I can't remember the lady's name. 9 of us on the trip and from the off I got the feeling they saw this as another day of taking the drab tourists to see some sharks. In fact at one point Mike made the point that everyone has seen a shark so we couldn't claim a free day. Mike needs to brush up on his presentation skills and remember that we paid a lot of money for this experience.The boat is on the small side and so the sea buffets you about a bit. I didn't have a problem with that but others might. The inside was far from salubrious and the toilet very basic. Mike's knowledge was excellent and you could tell he knew his sharks. She played candy crush on the way there and slept on the way back. We paid $99 for basic training and I guess that is exactly what we got. I wished I had said I had done it before because it was not worth it.The tour says meet at 8am and back for 5pm. We were back for 3.20pm which goes to show how quickly he wanted the day to end. That said I saw my shark(s) but think that this tour is desperately in need of competition for reasons of customer service and price

Me, my girlfriend and another couple went on this trip. Mike was very friendly, reassuring and showed immense knowledge of the sharks and got everyone involved helping out with the bait / cage in preparation for the Sharks to come. This made the experience, as sometimes on tours like this you just have to sit down and let the pro's do it. But the hands on approach made the trip even better.The 2 girls were not sure if they wanted to actually get in the cage, but after seeing the professionalism of Mike and the quality of the cage they gave it a go and absolutely loved it. This is a must do for anybody, shark lovers and also people who are scared of them. Seeing these amazing creatures up close and personal will make you realise what a wonderful creature they are. 10/10. Life changing experience! Cannot recommend mikes trip enough!