Tiger Beach Tiger Sharks Up Close - Abaco s Crystal Cave Glass Factory

At Tiger Beach, Jonathan Bird films tiger sharks up close, then ventures into Abaco's hidden Crystal Cave and the famed Glass Factory with cave explorer Brian Kaycook.

Join Emmy Award-winning underwater cinematographer Jonathan Bird aboard The Dolphin Dream with Captain Wayne Scott Smith for nine days learning shark behavior at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. With shark handlers Connor Cassidy and Rich Dargento, Caribbean reef and lemon sharks arrive first as chum hits the water. When the striped giants appear, Rich brings a feeding crate to the seafloor and Jonathan captures suction-feeding in action as tigers open wide to inhale snacks. You will see why the pros feed just enough to keep them interested, manage pushy lemon sharks, and even demonstrate nose rubs and controlled flips. A small female keeps returning to Jonathan for another gentle flip, showing how tuned-in these animals are, even though they are powerful predators.

Then the adventure shifts inland to remote Abaco, where world-renowned cave explorer Brian Kaycook of Bahamas Underground leads the team into Crystal Cave. Using sidemount gear to fit tight restrictions, they squeeze through a two-foot entrance and glide past calcite formations that glow under light. Delicate draperies as thin as frosted glass reveal layers of red Sahara dust, a 15,000-year-old bat skeleton lies encased in crystal, and the Glass Factory dazzles with soda straws, flower formations, and helictites that even grow sideways. After a third of their air is gone, the team makes the long swim back through the halocline, decompresses, and surfaces in awe.