Looking for a new kind of adventure? How about snorkeling with reef sharks in the Bahamas?
During our Carnival Sunshine Cruise in February 2025, we made port stops in Bimini, Nassau, and Freeport, Bahamas. On the plus side, we got to visit three gorgeous islands! But on the downside, we only had a few short hours in each port, which made it hard to decide what to do!
But since we love adventures and thrilling experiences, we knew that we wanted to get away from the tourist traffic of the ports and explore those gorgeous blue Bahamian waters. That helped us filter down potential shore excursions and pick something that was more our speed—like reef shark snorkeling in Bimini!
Now, Daniel has really been wanting to swim with sharks for a while. We thought he’d get the chance while we were in the Galapagos Islands, but we ended up getting to live my dream to swim with sea lions instead. Whoops! We got one step closer last fall when we snorkeled with a whale shark in Cancun, but that’s still quite a different experience from being right next to something with so many teeth!
So when reef shark snorkeling popped up in Bimini, it immediately jumped to the top of our list!
We ended up booking a 2.5-hour tour with Bimini Blue Adventures through the Carnival Cruise Line, and today, I’m here to tell you all about the experience, so you can decide whether it’s a good fit for your Bahamas vacation!
Booking Shore Excursions Through Carnival vs. Independent Bookings
If you read my review about swimming with the pigs in Nassau, you already know this information, so feel free to skip ahead. But if this is your first time learning about shore excursions on a cruise, there are some very important things to know.
Guaranteed Boarding
First up, when your cruise ship docks in port, you’ll be on a very strict timetable for departure. If you head out on your own and miss the departure time, you’re on your own. The ship will not wait for you, and you’ll be responsible for finding your own way to the next port or home.
That’s why booking through the cruise line can be a great idea. While your overall options might be a bit limited compared to the full gamut of options available through independent bookings, any excursions booked with the cruise include a guarantee that you’ll get back on the boat, even if the tour runs late. That’s some great peace of mind.
Pricing
In my research, I also found that booking through the cruise line can be a bit more expensive. Since some of the islands have so many options, you’ll often find tons of similar options for the same tour, with a wide range of price points. However, Carnival also offers some special deals with local operators that you can only get through them. So, you might actually get an exclusive deal for the exact tour you want.
Carnival Cruise Options for Snorkeling with Reef Sharks in Bimini
During our cruise, we had two options for reef shark snorkeling in Bimini. The first was at the S.S. Sapona shipwreck, where you can actually swim through the old ship and see sharks, tropical fish, sea turtles, and more. While that sounded cool, I wasn’t quite ready to embrace my fears of sharks and dark, water-filled spaces, so we opted for an experience in the open waters of a reef instead. The price, time, and inclusions were almost identical, so we felt very comfortable making that choice.
What Our Reef Shark Tour Included (and What to Bring)
Our reef shark snorkeling adventure cost us $120 per person through Carnival (kids cost $110), and included everything we needed for a fun afternoon of adventure.
- Guide to lead us from the boat to the tour center
- Captain and crew for the boat
- Snorkeling equipment, including fins and masks
- Life jackets
- Cold bottled water
- Rum punch
In addition to this, I recommend you bring the following:
- Reef-safe sunscreen
- Sunglasses (I love these floating ones)
- Waterproof phone case or action camera (we used our GoPro)
- Lightweight, quick-drying towel
- Dry bag (you never know when your bag will fall in the water or get splashed)
Snorkeling with Reef Sharks in Bimini
Our tour started from the Bimini cruise port in Bailey Town, Bimini. This small dock only has room for one ship at a time, which meant we pretty much had the island to ourselves!
Before we exited the ship, we got detailed instructions from a Carnival crew member who told us exactly where to go once we got off the ship. At the end of the berth, there were several pathways of colored dots that all the guests filed into, depending on which tour they had signed up for. There was also a tram that would take anybody who wasn’t going on a tour directly into town.
However, all the guests going on a tour were required to walk, which I did find a bit odd, but it was a gorgeous and easy trek. We followed our guide all the way down the dock, across a bridge (which had gorgeous views of the beach), and into town, where we ended up at Bimini Blue Adventures.
Prepping for Our Reef Shark Experience
When we arrived at Bimini Blue Adventures, we all took a few minutes to fill out waiver forms, which took about 10 minutes total. While the other guests were finishing up, we ditched our swim cover-ups, put on sunscreen, and set up our GoPro so we didn’t have to do that on the boat.
Once everybody had signed the waivers, we walked directly onto the Bimini docks and boarded a small boat, which would take us out to the coral reef.
The boat had plenty of room for everybody, so we easily found seats, put on our life jackets, and settled in for a beautiful ride! While we waited, the crew was busy making sure everyone had goggles and the right size flippers. They also handed out cold bottled waters, and they had extras if anyone needed them.
Snorkeling with Reef Sharks
When we arrived at the reef, I was surprised at how many sharks were already in the water. We saw three or four circling near the boat, and that was enough to get my heart pumping!
The captain docked the boat, and the crew gave us very detailed instructions on where to snorkel for safety and the best views of the sharks. After that, we were free to jump in or climb down the ladder and start snorkeling!
Now, unlike most of my previous snorkeling experiences, this one was pretty stationary. The designated area was really relatively small, and most of the sharks were right by the boat, so there wasn’t a need to go off very far.
Once we got in the water, however, I was shocked at how many more sharks there were than I initially realized! I think there were at least 11 of them swimming around, and they had absolutely no problem swimming right beside or underneath us. I had to keep checking directly behind me because I was getting lots of little jump scares!
There were also plenty of tropical fish down closer to the ocean floor, although we didn’t get to see much of the actual reef.
We spent about 30 minutes floating around with the sharks before the crew waved us back in. Somehow, this was the most nerve-wracking part of the trip for me because so many sharks were circling near the ladder, and I didn’t want to take my eyes off of them, even though they hadn’t done a single aggressive thing, lol. But to absolutely no one’s surprise, we all made it back on the boat without a scratch.
Wrapping up the Reef Shark Snorkeling Tour
Before we left the reef, the crew had a fun surprise for us: they chopped up a couple of fish and threw them into the water to send the sharks into a feeding frenzy! This was absolutely crazy to watch because the sharks went from being very lazy to swimming at shocking speeds and crashing into each other.
They threw fish on both sides of the boat so everyone got a chance to see the action before we headed back to Bimini.
On the way, the staff also handed out rum punch, a traditional Bahamian drink, to anyone who wanted to try it.
Dive in Deeper with My YouTube Video!
Closing Thoughts on Snorkeling with Reef Sharks in the Bahamas
If you couldn’t tell, we had an absolutely fantastic time on this Carnival shore excursion! I’m so glad this is how we chose to spend our very first hours in the Bahamas.
I do wish we could have spent a little more time in the water, or possibly tacked this on to a longer tour, but I’m still very happy with what we got for the price. And again, with this tour only being 2.5 hours and so low-effort, it makes it super accessible for just about anyone.
Would you go snorkeling with reef sharks in Bimini? Let me know in the comment section below, and don’t hesistate to ask any questions you have, too!
If you’re interested in learning about more of our Bahama adventures, be sure to check out my other posts to see all the fun we had during our week-long Carnival Cruise! Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to get the newest posts delivered straight to your inbox.
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This was a really enjoyable read, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for taking a look!