As accessibility to distant locales surges and people's interest in extreme sports expands, so does the adventure travel market. Swimming with dolphins used to be cutting edge at Sea World's Discovery Cove resort. But now tourists are spanning the globe for vacation thrills. Travelers with a taste for adrenaline can now swim with sharks on nearly every continent. The Travel Channel has compiled a list of the 10 best places to swim with sharks.
1. Cocos Island, Costa Rica - A multi-day trek aboard a ship takes divers out to view rays, pilot whales and dolphins; the waters are also home to Galapagos sharks and schooling hammerheads.
2. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador - See the critters documented by Charles Darwin and swim with schooling hammerheads and marine iguanas.
3. Papua New Guinea - It's almost impossible not to have a shark encounter here. See hammerheads, silvertips, wobbegongs, nurse sharks, leopard sharks, whale sharks and even the occasional tiger shark or thresher shark.
4. The Maldives - The Shark Thila reef is home to 16 reef sharks that make this a well-known dive site in the Indian Ocean. The colorful reef also makes for great underwater photography.
5. Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt - Stay in the Sinai Desert and explore shark-filled waters by the Straits of Tiran and Ras Mohammed.
The rest of the top ten can be viewed at The Travel Channel.
Extreme Tourism
Swimming With Sharks
Trend Themes
1. Extreme Tourism - As accessibility to distant locales surges and people's interest in extreme sports expands, the adventure travel market is growing rapidly and becoming more diverse.
2. Swimming with Sharks - Swimming with sharks is gaining increasing popularity and becoming a sought-after experience for adventure-seeking tourists worldwide.
3. Underwater Photography - The rise of underwater photography has created a new market for photographers and videographers looking to capture the thrilling experiences of extreme tourism, including swimming with sharks.
Industry Implications
1. Adventure Travel - The adventure travel industry is growing rapidly as tourists seek out more extreme experiences like swimming with sharks.
2. Wildlife Tourism - The wildlife tourism industry is being disrupted by the popularity of swimming with sharks, with more tourists seeking out encounters with these creatures in their natural habitat.
3. Photography and Videography - The rise of underwater photography and videography has created a new market for professionals looking to capture and share the thrilling experiences of extreme tourism, including swimming with sharks.