Here it is:
Clearly timing in life is everything and you cannot predict nature. All we saw were bloody oil slicks where a elephant seals had just been chomped. Mind you, these are 2000 pound beasts and the slicks are easily the size of a basket ball court. Birds and guts were every where. The Great Whites are out there.
2 1/2 hours and 26 miles out of SF on the continental shelf - through some brutally rough seas.
The cage is 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide and 4 feet deep. - made from aluminum alloy. A 5000 lbs shark could destroy it with little effort. I dove 3 times, and each dive 30 – 40 minutes. First time the viz was maybe 8 feet. Second time the viz was 10-15 feet.
Great White Adventures advertises an 80% hit rate @ the Farallon Islands. It was a bummer to hear from the Dive Master that they used to troll the decoys, but stopped because they worked too well and that too many boats were heading out in search. Apparently, conservationist said that the trolling was altering with the GW eating habits and is not "eco friendly". The DM then said that the most successful way to chum is with mammal blood, but it’s illegal to toss a cow over board. The best is elephant seal, but it is VERY hard to come by as it’s expensive and clearly tough to rope a 2000 pound seal.
I dropped well in excess $1000 (not including air fair) and thought, don't tell me how successful your other method were and that elephant seal is too expensive to use as chum. There is no doubt in my mind the big sharks are out there, but the probability that you are going to see a 18 -20 foot shark swim by your cage in 15 foot visibility is very slim. Or, that with out a more sure fire way of attracting them, all you can hope for is to hear the yell of “shark attack” broad cast over the marine radio. A team of environmentalists keep constant watch, monitoring all attacks and locations. Upon hearing the coordinance, the dive outfit yanks all divers out of the cage, and hauls over to the site hoping to catch the action.
A lot of time and money was spent only to bouncing around in a cage waiting to catch a glimpse of the “Sisters” (the big 22 foot 7000 pound females) doing a fly by.
Next time, I'll head to Mexico or South Africa where the rules are either less stringent or the viz is better. Because, without a better method of attracting the massive predators closer to the cage, there is very little chance you are going to have a close encounter with one of the Big Girls in zero visibility.
Never the less, the trip was blowing intense. From the 4 AM wake up call. To jumping into an aluminum cage in rough seas. To not being able to see more than 8-15 feet through the deep thick green of the Pacific. To trying to dodge the Lions Mane jelly fish with their 5 foot tendrils as they drifted with the current through the cage. To bracing yourself inside the cage as you get slammed around like a rodeo clown in a barrel being hit by a bull. To franticly looking over each shoulder knowing that at any moment a beast the size of a van could appear as it checks out the bait in the cage.
Though I was disappointed, there were no shortage of adrenaline filled moments and it is always good to test your self.
Vin
Clearly timing in life is everything and you cannot predict nature. All we saw were bloody oil slicks where a elephant seals had just been chomped. Mind you, these are 2000 pound beasts and the slicks are easily the size of a basket ball court. Birds and guts were every where. The Great Whites are out there.
2 1/2 hours and 26 miles out of SF on the continental shelf - through some brutally rough seas.
The cage is 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide and 4 feet deep. - made from aluminum alloy. A 5000 lbs shark could destroy it with little effort. I dove 3 times, and each dive 30 – 40 minutes. First time the viz was maybe 8 feet. Second time the viz was 10-15 feet.
Great White Adventures advertises an 80% hit rate @ the Farallon Islands. It was a bummer to hear from the Dive Master that they used to troll the decoys, but stopped because they worked too well and that too many boats were heading out in search. Apparently, conservationist said that the trolling was altering with the GW eating habits and is not "eco friendly". The DM then said that the most successful way to chum is with mammal blood, but it’s illegal to toss a cow over board. The best is elephant seal, but it is VERY hard to come by as it’s expensive and clearly tough to rope a 2000 pound seal.
I dropped well in excess $1000 (not including air fair) and thought, don't tell me how successful your other method were and that elephant seal is too expensive to use as chum. There is no doubt in my mind the big sharks are out there, but the probability that you are going to see a 18 -20 foot shark swim by your cage in 15 foot visibility is very slim. Or, that with out a more sure fire way of attracting them, all you can hope for is to hear the yell of “shark attack” broad cast over the marine radio. A team of environmentalists keep constant watch, monitoring all attacks and locations. Upon hearing the coordinance, the dive outfit yanks all divers out of the cage, and hauls over to the site hoping to catch the action.
A lot of time and money was spent only to bouncing around in a cage waiting to catch a glimpse of the “Sisters” (the big 22 foot 7000 pound females) doing a fly by.
Next time, I'll head to Mexico or South Africa where the rules are either less stringent or the viz is better. Because, without a better method of attracting the massive predators closer to the cage, there is very little chance you are going to have a close encounter with one of the Big Girls in zero visibility.
Never the less, the trip was blowing intense. From the 4 AM wake up call. To jumping into an aluminum cage in rough seas. To not being able to see more than 8-15 feet through the deep thick green of the Pacific. To trying to dodge the Lions Mane jelly fish with their 5 foot tendrils as they drifted with the current through the cage. To bracing yourself inside the cage as you get slammed around like a rodeo clown in a barrel being hit by a bull. To franticly looking over each shoulder knowing that at any moment a beast the size of a van could appear as it checks out the bait in the cage.
Though I was disappointed, there were no shortage of adrenaline filled moments and it is always good to test your self.
Vin
