What kinds of sharks can divers expect to see?
In the aquarium we have sand tiger sharks—that’s the one with all the teeth sticking out, and it’s the coolest one in there I reckon—black-tipped reef sharks and leopard sharks. The big ones are tawny nurse sharks, and there are two of those in there. Those are nocturnal, but they come out to feed.

What are first-time divers’ reactions like?
Fantastic! It’s a real buzz. For starters, diving is good fun in itself. Secondly, you’re stuck there with all these sharks, rays, fish—more stuff than you’d ever see in the wild.

Anything to be afraid of?
In there? No. Nothing whatsoever.

When should you not dive?
You shouldn’t dive when you have a cold, because you’ll find it a bit harder to equalize the pressure in your ears. If you’re pregnant, we advise you don’t dive, and we recommend that you wait at least 12 hours after diving before flying.

Are there certain products you shouldn’t use before going in the tank?
The filtration system is very good, it takes out most of the impurities. Obviously you don’t put sun cream on before you go in, you don’t put loads of makeup on, but no, it’s no problem really.

Does anybody ever back out?
No! Everyone that’s come has actually gone in. I’ve never had a refusal. People can be a little bit nervous, which is natural, but once they’re in there they don’t back out.

When was your first time diving with sharks?
About 15 years ago in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It was mainly white-tip sharks and black-tip reef sharks swimming around down there. It was pretty awesome. They’re very timid creatures, so it’s quite rare to see them; they swim away quite quickly.

What are people’s misconceptions about sharks?
People are scared of them. They’ve seen Jaws and they think that sharks are all aggressive creatures when in fact they’re quite timid. They can be inquisitive, but they’re harmless.