p.1 #1 · Great White Sharks of Isla Guadalupe, Mexico...
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My daughter has been talking about doing a cage dive trip to see great white sharks for years. Her 30th birthday was coming up, and she has mostly recovered from some serious health issues, so my wife and I decided to treat her to a trip to Guadalupe Island off the coast of Baja, Mexico. One problem....someone had to go with her, and my wife wasn't having any part of the trip. So I was elected.
We had a superb trip and spent three days in the water with these majestic animals. Great trip operator as well. Guadalupe island is one of only a couple of places on the planet where you can dive with great whites, the other being Capetown. Advantages to Guadalupe are the proximity to the US, and the much clearer water. The water off the island is very deep, so there isn't a shallow bottom to be disturbed to muck up the visibility. There are hundreds of sharks here, and the thinking goes that this island is a place where the sharks make whooppee...lots of seals and sea lions to eat as well. We didn't see hunting although we did see a lot of sea lions. We spent hours each day in the shallow cages, watching the sharks (males at this time of year, all adults, up to about 15 feet with really, really big teeth) cruise, check us out, and at times go for bait which was very close by. The sharks seem really curious and would come very, very close by at times. I was never scared, and never tired of watching these animals. I used an oly tg-4 for the underwater shots so they aren't 'pro' quality, but I hope you enjoy seeing them at close range.
I told my daughter to her her arm back inside the cage!
p.1 #15 · Great White Sharks of Isla Guadalupe, Mexico...
Thanks gang, it was indeed a wonderful trip...but not for everyone. It was fantastic to be able to view these predators in their element and with so much time to really start to understand their behaviors. I am not sure I'd like to free dive with them, but the way we did it while I felt a bit chilly at time, I never was fearful.
p.1 #19 · Great White Sharks of Isla Guadalupe, Mexico...
Thanks gang. Other than being a bit cold in the water (even with a wet suit, being in the cages in 70 degree water for more than an hour at a time can get chilly) I wouldn't change a thing. We had a great dive master/trip operator and crew on the boat, and superb food. Interesting passengers as well, including two people who were filming a spot for a local San Diego tv station on the sharks. Lots of very sophisticated underwater equipment. Above ground I tend to be the guy with the really cool gear, but the underwater photo and video equipment used, as well as the drones, really put me to shame! I have a few short videos, could post one of them if anyone is interested in seeing the sharks in action for 10-20 seconds.
