Text and Images by Alexandra Dimitriou Engeler
So, what does it feel like to get married underwater with 50 shark guests? Two words – wet and wonderful. It was the best day of my life and the most unforgettable dive of my career.
My husband and I are both divers and my family are all divers. Diving has been my passion since I had a mouth big enough to hold a regulator, and sharks have been my absolute favourite creature that swims for as long as I can remember.
So when my husband popped the big question, it was only logical to do it underwater. And why not travel somewhere where they have a high shark population and an underwater preacher?
Turns out the Bahamas ticked all the boxes. Underwaterpreacher.com had all the answers and worked out all the logistics for us.
So we packed our dive gear, loaded the diving family, and hopped on a few planes from Cyprus to the Bahamas.
It was an early start – a 5 a.m. wake up allowed me to get my wedding diving hair secured and waterproof makeup applied. All in time for the limo to pick us up at the hotel and drive us to Stuart Cove Dive centre.
I built my equipment wearing a white dress and a veil, weighted down with fishing weights that had been sewn into the hem. My husband started donning his very special custom-made tuxedo wetsuit. A short briefing from the shark guide, who was wearing chain mail and a helmet to protect her from any guest that felt partiality “nibbly” that day, prepared us for the day. We signed all the official paperwork on the boat with the preacher too and he ran through how the vows would be agreed upon while underwater.
We chose a shipwreck for the official ceremony. My father “swam” me down the aisle. My brother was waiting there with a clamshell containing the rings.
The ceremony was short and sweet. The preacher ran his finger across each line of the wedding vows, finally resting on the answer options of “Yes”, “No” or “Maybe”.
We circled our “yes’s” – we took our regulators out and had our first kiss as a married couple. Sharks circled around us. A rather friendly grouper got in the way. I think he felt left out and wanted to be a shark too.
The joy I felt has never been matched. The happiness was overwhelming, but our adventure had only just begun. We then left the wreck and made our way onto the sand for our second dive. This dive was all about the sharks. The shark guide was there with huge metal boxes full of fish – after all, it’s rude not to feed your wedding guests. I normally do not agree with feeding marine creatures, but Stuart Cove has managed to maintain a high shark population due to these practices. In a world of ever-dwindling shark populations, I must say that this is the exception that I agree with. The sharks were friendly and got very close I’ve never been dumbfounded in such a profound way before. These fantastic beasts were circling our group in a feeding frenzy that can’t be described easily. Our guide had told us to keep our fingers together, just in case they were confused for fishy flesh. My white wetsuit looked blue and my veil was catching every expelled bubble from my exhalations. The water was a cool 18 degrees Celcius and my heart was in my mouth, both with love and excitement.
I can’t imagine a better way to get married. I will never forget the tears of joy I had when I surfaced. I never felt more “in the moment” than that day. I think of it daily. I live my life happy knowing I found my life partner who shares my passion for the underwater world!
Contributor’s Bio
Alexandra Dimitriou Engler is the owner of Scuba Monkey Ltd, a dive centre in Agia Napa, Cyprus. She became a diver in 1992 and received her bachelor’s degree in Oceanography at Plymouth University in 2003. Her love of the ocean has always been her driving force and this has led to the natural progression of becoming a diving instructor in 2005. She is currently a PADI staff instructor. Read more about her at www.scuba-monkey.com.
To read more inspiring stories with unique encounters divers have had, pick up your copy of ‘What it Feels Like’ Scuba Diver issue No.124/2022 here
From underwater marriages to being courted by belugas, there are some beautiful and entertaining pieces you won’t want to miss!
