When is the best time of the year to snorkel with blue sharks?

The blue sharks visit our waters throughout May-October. It’s very hard to say a prime time as we’ve had incredible encounters throughout the season. There are so many factors to consider and everything can change from one day to the next.

Am I guaranteed to see a shark?

We use all our expertise and knowledge but we can’t guarantee the sharks will want to interact. Please make sure you are happy with this before you book.

We operate at the peak times of the year for swimming with blue sharks in Cornwall.

We have great success rating and although it’s highly unlikely, there is a chance you may not see a shark – we are not a theme park with captive animals, nor would we want to be. Part of the excitement of this experience is being out on the open ocean not knowing what you are going to encounter. It’s what makes this trip so amazing.

Is there an age restriction?

The minimum age requirement is 16 yrs.

Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied in the water with an adult/guardian.

Do I need experience?

You should be comfortable wearing a snorkel and mask in open water.

Do I need a dive certification?

You do not need a dive qualification to join our trips. This is snorkelling only. No diving.

Will there be a guide in the water with me?

Yes you will have a snorkel guide in the water with you at all times.

Wild Animals

It’s extremely important that you’re aware these are wild animals. They’re beautiful and charismatic, but they are apex predators. We provide the guidance and advice but you swim with them knowing there is a risk.

What is the sea temperature?

14-20 degrees centigrade.

JUNE average 14 degrees centigrade – Max 17

JULY average 16.5 degrees centigrade – Max 20

AUGUST average 16.5 degrees centigrade – Max 19

SEPTEMBER  average 15.5 degrees centigrade – Max 17

OCTOBER  average 14 degrees centigrade – Max 16.5

What happens once we reach the snorkelling site?

We normally head 10-20 miles off shore. The chum is dropped in the water by the side of the boat and then we wait.

The sharks may appear after 30 minutes or 3 hours. It can sometimes be a little rocky whilst we are stationary waiting in the boat, but once they appear they normally stay with us for a couple of hours.

Where do we meet?

MJ MARINE CHARTERS, Unit 4 Albert Pier, Penzance, TR18 2LL

Is there parking?

All day parking is available in the harbour car park. £8 for 24 hrs. Payable by card, cash or Just Park app.

Note: the nearby public toilets require a 20p coin.

Is there a toilet onboard?

Yes. We have a flushing toilet onboard the boat.

What should we wear?

Hire Prices

• FINS £10
• WETSUIT BOOTS/SOCKS £5
• SNORKEL AND MASK £5
• WETSUIT HOOD £5
• WETSUIT GLOVES £5
• WEIGHT BELT Free

WETSUIT HIRE OUTLETS

Porthminster beach St.Ives Surf School.

https://www.stivessurfschool.co.uk/hire

Option to buy wetsuits – West Cornwall Surf.

http://www.tombstonesurf.com

Snorkelling equipment is available to buy at Watersports Warehouse

https://www.watersportswarehouse.co.uk

My wetsuit has bright white/Yellow patches. Can I wear it?

If you can cover up your bright patches with a long sleeve black rash vest, then yes. The rash vest would need to stay in place and not ride up.

My snorkel and mask/Fins aren’t black, can I wear them?

Only black or dark coloured masks/fins are allowed. Camo is fine if it’s blue or dark green.

We have black snorkelling equipment available to hire at very reasonable prices.

Do you use chum?

Yes we use frozen blocks of chum. This is more of a taste than a meal. Our trips are irregular and not in the same location so the sharks won’t see this as a regular occurrence for a source of food. Plus blue sharks are open pelagic species which travel thousands of miles across the ocean – very different from resident sharks that stay in one area.

Will I be insured?

Our insurance only covers you when you are in the boat so if you require in-water cover you will need to arrange this privately.

You will be asked to sign a waiver at the time of booking.

Medical

You will be asked to complete a medical form on the day of the trip.

If you have a medical condition or had recent surgery, please contact us and we can email over the medical form. You’ll need to bring a signed doctor’s letter stating you are fit for the trip.

Whats your cancellation Policy?

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

CANCELLATIONS

• Blue shark snorkel has the right to cancel the scheduled charter at any point leading up to the trip due to adverse weather conditions.
• If it is necessary to cancel the charter due to circumstances beyond Blue Shark Snorkels control, you can choose to reschedule for an alternative date or receive a full refund.
• In the event of customer cancellation then Blue shark snorkel will try to re-sell the space/s/charter. If we are unable to resell then the following will apply;

Up to 20 weeks before the trip date – Loss of deposit

4 -16 weeks before the trips date – 50% payment will be taken.

Less than 4 weeks before the trip date – 100 % payment will be taken.

• It is the individual’s responsibility to make sure they have read the details of our trip and snorkel/free dive within their own training limits and experience.
• Blue Shark snorkel and all its associates will not be held liable for loss or damage of any personal belongings/equipment/camera equipment.
• If one individual is booking the charter on behalf of others, it is their responsibility to make the other members of the group aware of the terms and conditions.
• There’s no money back if we don’t see the sharks.

Where can I stay overnight?

Premier Inn Hotel –  very close to the pier https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/cornwall/pen zance/penzance.html

Longboat –  https://www.longboatinn.co.uk

T&C’S

BLUE SHARK SNORKEL
ONLINE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SUPPLY OF SERVICES
These terms and conditions (these “Terms”) (together with our privacy policy) apply to the supply of Services (as defined below) by us to you.
Please read these Terms carefully before you submit a Booking Form (as defined below). These Terms tell you who we are, how we will provide the Services to you and other important information.
By clicking on the “Accept” button when booking, you agree to these Terms which will bind you. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not click the “Accept” button.
1. DEFINITIONS
1.1 The following definitions and rules of interpretation apply in these Terms:
Booking Form: the booking form, relating to the supply of the Services, which is completed by you.
Business Day: a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in England, when banks in London are open for business.
Checklist: the list of equipment set out in the Booking Form.
Code of Conduct: the Marine Research and Conservation Foundation’s Code of Conduct, a copy of which will be attached to the Booking Confirmation;
Deposit: the deposit for the Services which is set out in the Booking Form.
Services: the snorkelling trip set out in the Booking Form.
Services Description: the description of the Services set out in the Booking Form.
Services Schedule: the schedule for the Services set out in the Booking Form.
Start Date: the start date for the Services which is set out in the Booking Form.
2. INFORMATION ABOUT US AND OUR SERVICES
2.1 We are Blue Shark Snorkel Ltd a company registered in England and Wales. Our company registration number is 15009676 and our registered office is at M J Marine Electronic Ltd, Albert Pier, Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom, TR18 2LL. Our registered VAT number is [insert number].
2.2 You can contact us by telephone on 07966 080802 or by emailing us at vicky@bluesharksnorkel.co.uk.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
2.3 If we have to contact you, we will do so by telephone or by writing to you at the email address or postal address you provided to us in your Booking Form. You agree to inform us immediately in writing if your contact details change during the term of this contract.
2.4 When we use the words “writing” or “written” in these Terms, this includes emails.
2.5 You can find everything you need to know about our Services on our website before you submit a Booking Form. We also confirm the key information to you in writing after when we accept your Booking Form.
3. WE ONLY ACCEPT BOOKING FORMS WHEN WE’VE CHECKED THEM
3.1 Our acceptance of your Booking Form will take place when we email you to confirm our acceptance (“Booking Confirmation”), at which point a contract will come into existence between you and us.
3.2 If we are unable to accept your Booking Form, we will inform you of this in writing and will not charge you for the Services. This might be because there are no available spaces.
4. OUR SERVICES
4.1 We shall provide the Services to you in accordance with the Services Description in all material respects. However, you acknowledge and agree that we cannot guarantee that you will see a shark, or any other marine wildlife, during the supply of the Services.
4.2 We shall use all reasonable endeavours to meet any performance dates for the Services specified in the Booking Form, but any such dates shall be estimates only and time shall not be of the essence for the performance of the Services.
4.3 We shall have the right to change the Services to reflect changes in relevant laws and regulatory requirements and to make minor technical adjustments and improvements.
4.4 We may suspend the supply of the Services in order to deal with technical problems, make minor technical changes or to make changes to the Services or to alter the Start Date. We shall contact you in advance to tell you we’re suspending supply of the Services, unless the problem is urgent or an emergency. If we suspend supply, or tell you we’re going to suspend supply of Services, for more than three months you can contact us at vicky@bluesharksnorkel.co.uk to end the contract and we’ll refund any sums you’ve paid in advance for the Services you won’t receive.
4.5 We may stop providing the Services. We let you know at least one week in advance and we refund any sums you’ve paid in advance for services which won’t be provided.
4.6 We may use third parties and subcontract all or part of the Services.
5. YOUR OBLIGATIONS
5.1 You agree to:
(a) only purchase the Services if you are at least 18 years old and a competent snorkeler (e.g., you are familiar with the use of a snorkel, mask and fins, areconfident swimming in deep water and can competently swim a minimum of 50m continuously without swimming aids and without stopping);
(b) notify us in writing if you have a medical condition or have had recent surgery and provide an up-to-date doctor’s letter confirming you are well enough to receive the Services;
(c) ensure that the Services Description is complete, accurate and meets your requirements;
(d) comply with the Services Schedule, Checklist and Code of Conduct;
(e) co-operate with us in all matter relating to the Services;
(f) comply with our instructions in relation to the supply of the Services;
(g) provide us with such information as we reasonably require in order to supply the Services, and ensure that such information is complete and accurate in all material respects;
(h) obtain your own wetsuits and any other equipment, set out on the Chceklist (“Your Equipment”), prior to the Start Date and ensure that Your Equipment is available for you to use in connection with the Services;
(i) ensure that Your Equipment is removed from our vessels after the Services have been supplied; and
(j) keep and maintain all materials, equipment, documents and other property of ours (“Our Materials”) in safe custody at your own risk, maintain Our Materials in good condition until returned to us, and not dispose of or use Our Materials other than in accordance with our written instructions or authorisation.
5.2 We may also need certain information from you so that we can supply the Services (for example, the medical information set out on our medical forms). If so, this will have been stated in the Services Description or on our website. We will contact you to ask for this information. If you do not give us this information within a reasonable time of us asking for it, or if you give us incomplete or incorrect information, we may either suspend, end the contract or make an additional charge of a reasonable sum to compensate us for any extra work that is required as a result. We will not be responsible for supplying the Services late or not supplying them if this is caused by you not giving us the information we need within a reasonable time of us asking for it.
5.3 If our performance of the Services is prevented or delayed by any act or omission of yours or failure by you to perform any relevant obligation (“Your Default”):
(a) we shall without limiting our other rights or remedies have the right to suspend performance of the Services until you remedy Your Default, and to rely on Your Default to relieve us from the performance of any of our obligations to the extent Your Default prevents or delays our performance of any of our obligations;
(b) we shall not be liable for any costs or losses sustained or incurred by you arising directly or indirectly from our failure or delay to perform any of our obligations as set out in this clause 5.3; and
(c) you shall reimburse us on written demand for any costs or losses sustained or incurred by us arising directly or indirectly from Your Default.
6. PRICE AND PAYMENT
6.1 The price of the Services will be set out on the Booking Form.
6.2 You agree to pay the Deposit at time you submit the Booking Form. The balance of the price of the Services will be due on the payment date set out in the Booking Confirmation, unless otherwise confirmed in writing this will be on the morning of the Start Date.
6.3 If we’re unable to collect any payment you owe us, we charge interest on the overdue amount at the rate of 4% a year above the Bank of England base rate from time to time. This interest accrues on a daily basis from the due date until the date of actual payment of the overdue amount, whether before or after judgment. You pay us the interest together with any overdue amount.
6.4 If the rate of VAT changes between the date you submit a Booking Form and the date we supply the Services, we adjust the rate of VAT that you pay, unless you have already paid in full before the change in the rate of VAT takes effect.
7. WE’RE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DELAYS OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL
7.1 As the Services will be provided at sea, we will always endeavour to review the weather and sailing conditions prior to embarking.
7.2 If our supply of the Services is delayed by an event outside our control (such as pandemics, epidemics, adverse weather or sailing conditions, fires or floods), we contact you as soon as possible to let you know and do what we can to reduce the delay. As long as we do this, we won’t compensate you for the delay, but if the delay is likely to be substantial you can contact us at vicky@bluesharksnorkel.co.uk to end the contract and receive a refund for any Services you have paid for in advance, but not received, less reasonable costs we have already incurred.
8. WE CHARGE YOU IF YOU DON’T GIVE US INFORMATION WE NEED
We charge you additional sums if you don’t give us the information we’ve asked for in relation to the Services or if you don’t do the preparatory work to prepare for the Services, as agreed with us.
9. YOUR CANCELLATION RIGHTS IF YOU ARE A CONSUMER
9.1 As our Services are leisure activities which take place on a specific date, you do not have a right to cancel the contract in accordance with the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.
9.2 If you wish to cancel the contract, you must notify us in writing before the Start Date (“Cancellation Notice”). If we receive a Cancellation Notice, the following cancellation charges shall apply:
Number of days before the Start Date Cancellation Charge
Up to 10 weeks before the Start Date Deposit
4 -8 weeks before the Start Date 50% of the total price for the Services
Less than 4 weeks before the Start Date 100 % of the total price for the Services
10. YOU HAVE RIGHTS IF THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SERVICES
If you think there is something wrong with the Services, you must contact us at vicky@bluesharksnorkel.co.uk.
11. WE CAN END OUR CONTRACT WITH YOU
11.1 We can end our contract with you for the Services and claim any compensation due to us if:
(a) you don’t make any payment to us when it’s due; or
(b) you don’t, within a reasonable time of us asking for it, provide us with information, cooperation or access that we need to provide the Services (for example, a completed medical form).
12. WE DON’T COMPENSATE YOU FOR ALL LOSSES CAUSED BY US OR OUR SERVICES
12.1 You acknowledge and agree that we have no control over the action
12.2 We’re responsible for losses you suffer caused by us breaking this contract unless the loss is:
(a) Unexpected. It was not obvious that it would happen and nothing you said to us before we accepted your Booking Form meant we should have expected it (so, in the law, the loss was unforeseeable). We have no control over the actions of the sharks or marine wildlife that you may encounter during the supply of the Services and we are not responsible for any unexpected actions of those animals;
(b) Caused by a delaying event outside our control. As long as we have taken the steps set out in the clause 7;
(c) Avoidable. Something you could have avoided by taking reasonable action, including following our reasonable instructions; or
(d) A business loss. It relates to your use of the Services for the purposes of your trade, business, craft or profession.
12.3 We recommend that you take out your own insurance cover in respect of your activities in the water.
13. WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA AS SET OUT IN OUR PRIVACY NOTICE
How we use any personal data you give us is set out in our Privacy Policy – Blue Shark Snorkel.
14. RESOLVING DISPUTES WITH US
14.1 If you have any complaints, please email us at vicky@bluesharksnorkel.co.uk and we will do our best to resolve any problems you have with us or the Services.
14.2 These terms are governed by English law and wherever you live you can bring claims against us in the English courts. If you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also bring claims against us in the courts of the country you live in. We can claim against you in the courts of the country you live in.
15. OTHER IMPORTANT TERMS APPLY TO OUR CONTRACT
15.1 We can transfer our contract with you, so that a different organisation is responsible for supplying the Services. We will contact you to let you know if we plan to do this.
15.2 You can only transfer your contract with us to someone else if we agree to this.
15.3 Nobody else has any rights under this contract. This contract is between you and us. Nobody else can enforce it and neither of us will need to ask anybody else to sign-off on ending or changing it.
15.4 If a court invalidates some of this contract, the rest of it will still apply. If a court or other authority decides that some of these terms are unlawful, the rest will continue to apply.
15.5 Even if we delay in enforcing this contract, we can still enforce it later. We might not immediately chase you for not doing something (like paying) or for doing something you’re not allowed to, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it later.

Last updated: July 2023