418 Dive Log Australasia JUNE 2026.pdf

A group of freedivers watched as “Jose phine” swam above me while I took the shot

is that all the action happens less than 100 metres from shore, at a spot known as Tiger Shark Point, right at the entrance to a small but very busy harbour. In some sources this area is referred to as “Tiger Zoo”, but after being there myself, I found that description misleading. The animals here are completely wild, thriving in their natural environment with no cages or controls. If anything, it is us as divers entering their domain, not the other way around. That distinction matters, because it means the animals and environment dictate the rules, not people, and strict in-water discipline is essential for safety. I wanted to understand why Tiger Sharks are always present around Tiger Shark Point and pretty much everywhere else around the island. The explanation is simple. Locals suggest that they have been present around the island for as long as people have lived here, close to a thousand years, becoming a familiar and accepted part of daily life rather than something to fear. There is a fish market located at the far end of the harbour, and from early days through to the present, local fishermen have discarded fish scraps into the water, unintentionally attracting sharks.

That consistent feeding has shaped their behaviour, conditioning them to associate the harbour with a reliable and predictable food source. Over generations, this practice gradually shifted closer to the harbour entrance, where they began to gather, learning to associate the area with an easy meal. Tiger Sharks are highly intelligent, opportunistic scavengers, and this consistent food availability creates a predictable feeding opportunity that they quickly learn to associate with the site. Here, deep ocean water lies very close to shore, allowing them to move directly from pelagic depths into the harbour entrance with minimal effort. That makes it an ideal location for a wide concentrated current flow, which helps disperse scent trails from fish waste into the surrounding water. That acts as a signal that draws them in from a distance, further reinforcing the aggregation at this site. Put it all together, and I was looking at a self sustaining phenomenon. It is only about a 5–10 minute boat ride to Tiger Shark Point, and the site has three distinct diving areas. ranging species like the Tiger Shark. The harbour mouth also generates a

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DIVE LOG Australasia #418 JUNE ‘26

www.divelog.net.au