M/V Shear Water (Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures)

The M/V Shear Water is a USCG and Bahamas inspected 65 ft. liveaboard vessel. Custom designed with you in mind it has all the comforts of home. The crew members are PADI Divemasters or Instructors certified to the International Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.

The vessel operates all year round out of West Palm Beach, Florida.

Dive Overview

Experience tigers, hammerheads and a variety of other sharks in the clear shallow waters of the Bahamas. And divers have long known Palm Beach County has the Best of Everything! Five of the seven species of turtles, goliath grouper aggregation in the summer months, a huge variety of sharks, and clear warm gulf stream water make this the premier dive location on the east coast!

[See: Bahamas Dive Travel Guide & Tiger Beach Dive Travel Guide]

Accommodation Overview

M/V Shear Water offers three cabins with two beds in each (over/under) and four beds in the v-berth (bow common area) with privacy curtains.

Food & Drinks

• Continental Breakfast: A continental breakfast of cereal, muffins, Danish and fruits will be available starting at 6 am. Coffee, tea and juice are available all morning.
• Hot Breakfast: A hot breakfast made to order will be served at 7 am. The breakfast menu features a range of items including eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, French toast, and hot cereal, as well as muffins, bagels and toast.
• Mid-Morning Snack: Assorted fruits are available for guests to enjoy at their leisure in between dives.
• Lunch: Lunch is between 12 noon and 2 pm depending on the dive schedule. Tuna and chicken salad, green salads, ham, turkey, grilled chicken and vegetable sandwiches, hamburgers, soup and pizza will be served.
• Mid-Afternoon Snack: An assortment of savory snacks, vegetables, bread, crackers, cheeses and dips is available for guests to enjoy at their leisure in between dives.
• Dinner: Dinner is served between 6 and 8 pm depending on the dive schedule. Chicken, meat and seafood will be served, as well as vegetarian selections. There will always be a variety of desserts.

Dive Information

Diving Palm Beach

• Take advantage of the warmest, clearest waters on the eastern seaboard. The nutrient-rich Gulf Stream is an ocean highway bringing a huge diversity and abundance of marine life right to us.
• Experience the ease of drift diving above healthy reefs and exciting wrecks. Expect to see a variety of sharks, as many as five species of sea turtles, countless tropical fish, rays, goliath groupers and much more.
• Divers have long known Palm Beach County has the Best of Everything!
• Five of the seven species of turtles, goliath grouper aggregation in the summer months, a huge variety of sharks, and clear warm gulf stream water make this the premier dive location on the east coast!

Shark Expeditions Aboard The MV Shear Water

• Tiger, lemon, reef and nurse sharks can be seen all year long.
• During winter and early spring months (November-April), expeditions to dive with the great hammerheads as well as tiger sharks are offered.
• In the summer months (June-August), Tiger & Lemon Shark Expeditions and Tiger Shark & Dolphin Expeditions are offered.
• To attract sharks we will be using crated bait in the water. Before diving guests listen to an extensive safety briefing.
• There will be at least one crewmember in the water with divers to monitor divers, bait and sharks.
• Please be aware that these are not cage dives; these are open water experiences. Each dive location is different; depth and current vary from site to site.
• The amount of diving available to guests is based on safely staying within no-decompression limits. Most days have unlimited diving.
• However, if we dive at deeper reefs, we may be limited to 3 5 dives a day. Guests may choose to dive as much or as little as they would like.
• Trips run throughout the year, and can be extended on request for photographers, film crews, private or group charters.
• These trips are specially geared towards professional photographers and videographers, and we are delighted to assist our guests in setting up the perfect shot.
• In addition to a large rinse bin for photographic equipment, the Shear Water is equipped with plenty of charging stations for camera equipment.

Tiger Beach Year-Round

• The most popular of all trips is to the world-famous Tiger Beach.
• This spectacular location is unlike any other in the world.
• At Tiger Beach, you will have one of the most unique underwater experiences of your life.
• Imagine yourself surrounded by lemon and tiger sharks as far as the eye can see; amidst a gorgeous backdrop of crystal blue Bahamian water and powder white sand all this in less than 20 feet of water.

Bimini Great Hammerheads November/April

• The primary goal is to interact with great hammerhead sharks. These spectacular animals are among the most impressive, yet rarely observed oceanic predators. The great hammerhead should not to be confused with the smaller and more common scalloped hammerhead, which can be seen schooling in many locations around the world. Encountering the great hammerhead, with its spectacular angularity, its Orca-like dorsal fin, and its bristle-toothed mouth, is at the very pinnacle of wildlife adventure. Oceanic Whitetip 10 Day Expeditions in April
• Take your diving to a whole new level of adventure! During this expedition, you will have the chance to experience the thrill of drift diving with oceanic whitetips, laugh with the swimming pigs of Staniel Cay, and feel like James Bond while diving through Thunderball grotto.
• There is no mistaking the oceanic whitetip. For their commandeering presence, this impressive shark is one of a kind. These pelagic explorers appear to spend most of their life cruising the surface area of
• abyssal waters. From early times these sharks have been given a bad reputation, but we are hopeful to change the way humans perceive them with our amazing Oceanic Whitetip shark encounters.
• In April we travel to areas in the Bahamas where we have been fortunate enough to encounter the endangered Oceanic Whitetip shark.
• They are named because of the whitetip on their dorsal fin. Elegant pilot fish are usually found accompanying these majestic sharks. On occasion we have even encounter juveniles no larger than 3 feet in length. With their oversized paddle-like pectoral fins you will not find a more endearing shark photograph.
• Of course no trip to the Bahamas would be complete without diving the crystal clear water and dazzling reefs. Surrounded by an abundance of marine life, both large and small, the reefs beauty will take your breath away. Caribbean Reef sharks, large groupers, moray eels and numerous fish will adorn a single wide angle photograph.

Wild Dolphin Encounters

• Discover the magic of swimming with a pod of wild Atlantic spotted dolphins in their natural habitat. The shallow waters of the Bahamas provide an aquatic sanctuary where dolphins frolic and feed on a daily and nightly basis.
• Whether youre watching the dolphins from the deck of the liveaboard vessel or snorkeling among the pod, this life-changing experience is perfect for water enthusiasts of all levels.
• As we cruise over bright white sand, in water so clear it looks like a giant swimming pool, we see something in the distance that catches our eye. Its the sleek gray body of a dolphin speeding towards us, jumping high out of the water.
• But wait, there are more two, four, ten, we cant count them all.
• They are coming to meet the boat and ride the pressure wave under the bow. We run to the bow and see them crisscrossing around each other,
• rolling over on their backs to have a look at us, looking down at them.
• The more we swim underwater, in the awkward way we humans do, the more excited they get. Even if you are not a strong swimmer, you will still have a most memorable encounter. The water depth is only 10 to 30 feet.
• These encounters can last 5 minutes, or 5 hours; it is up to the dolphins. We are in their world, on their terms. These dolphins have never been captive or fed. They are with us because they want to be.
• They have become accustomed to humans cruising these beautiful waters and over the years have learned to interact with us. The numbers of dolphins can range from 2 to 50, we really never know.
• One thing is for sure; each interaction is different and special in its own way. It is an amazing feeling to connect with a dolphin, eye to eye.

Sample Itinerary - A 6-day/ 7-night Trip Generally Proceeds As Follows:

• Boarding Day Check-in is between 10 am and 4 pm at our dive shop in Lake Park, Florida. Board the boat at 5 pm, and enjoy dinner on board at 7pm.
• Day 1 Clear customs in the Bahamas between 8 and 9 am, and then head out to the first dive site.
• Days 2-6 Continue diving throughout the day and night, visiting various dive sites.
• Day 6 After the last dive of the last day, we have dinner and head back to US waters.
• Return Day Clear US Customs between 8 and 9 am, and disembark between 10 am and 11 am.