Freedom to Dive with Sharks
Shark Dive with Emerald Charters
July 3, 2026
On the day before our nation's 250th anniversary, 13 hearty and fearless active divers set out on a gorgeous day with flat, calm seas, 85-degree water, and 80 feet of visibility to enjoy quality time with our favorite local underwater residents - sharks and goliath groupers.
Dive 1 - Jupiter Ledges: This was an open-ocean experience where we bounced down to 90-feet then brought in the sharks. This dive brought us lemons and bulls who would swirl around our group and bring us close encounters of the shark kind.
Dives 2 & 3 - Jupiter Wreck Trek: This wreck trek takes us over three unique wrecks. The first was the Zion train, a coastal cargo freighter resting on its port side where we first encountered many Goliath groupers. They seemed to enjoy the wreck trek as well, since they followed us from one wreck to the next.
We glided quickly past wreck #2 - a barge called Miss Jenny toward our final destination wreck #3 the Esso Bonaire. This large 147 foot oil tanker is open in many spots serving as a hiding place for many wonderful creatures such as an adorable hawksbill turtle who emerged from the inside of the wreck only to be surrounded by many happy divers delighted to see it.
But the main even was "Shark TV" when we all clung to the bow of the Esso Bonaire or sat in the sand to watch the shark and grouper show as they swirled all around us in a magical display of marine life at its best.
It was a beautiful day to celebrate the freedom of our nation and our freedom to dive with sharks and groupers.
-- Active Divers President and Safety Officer Rachel Davis
Photos by Hilda Balbi, Laura Geselbracht, and Bill Jordan.
Celebrating 250 years of America and 450 million years of sharks!
Shark divers (from left): Samantha Weisz, Enrique Menocal, Marisol Beleche, Russell Levene, Arnaud Giraud, Amber Laureano, Bill Jordan, Rachel Davis, Angelica Cookson, Federico Quintana, Angelica Cookson, Hilda Balbi, Laura Geselbracht.
Our Fearless Leaders - all women Safety Officer crew keeping everyone safe from the sharks Amber Laureano, Rachel Davis and Hilda Balbi.