elbuzo
Registered
I went to Guadalupe Island ( 280 km off the coast of Baja California, Mexico) on sept.23-28 with Great White Shark Expeditions on board of the M/V Searcher.
It takes aprox. 22 hours from San Diego,C.A. and luckly we have very calm seas during all trip.
As soon as we arrived we anchored about 150 meters from shore and start chumming , putting the 2 main cages in the water and fishing for tuna .
After 45 minutes the first shark arrived, the action and the adrenaline rush didn't stop for 3 days!!
First day we take 1 hour turns rotation , eight people in 2 cages . These are big cages floating at the surface and attached to the tramson of the boat that allow 4 people to be inside using hookah regulators.
Second day the crew put in the water ( at 20 feet deep) the third cage that is is a small cage for 2 people ( 1 crew and 1 passenger) and without the top ! so people is seated on the border and only 4 steel wires, that holds the cage from the 4 corners , is all between people and sharks . Definitly not for the faint of heart !
Third day , besides the 3 cages , the crew made the crane feeding ... a big whole tuna is lowered to the water using the boat crane and the shark put in a show going all head out of the water to eat the tuna creating great photo opportunities .
During 3 days we have sharks around all the time , sometimes 3-4 at the same time and in the range of 12-14 feet that for a gws is an sub-adult , but they looks like an submarine to me because of the massive girth . I think that the must weight something like 1500-2000 pounds!! After i saw those sharks , all others sharks looks like sardines.
The population of gws at Guadalupe during the tuna season (sept-nov) is estimated in aprox. 100 individuals (swiming around a small island) that in terms of gws is one of the biggest concentration in the world . We calculate that we saw 12 different individuals during the time we were there.
You put this together with very clear water ( 100 ' average) and warm enough ( 25 c.) and you have the perfect recipe for a great white's watching paradise.
The boat is big and have plenty of space , it is designed and used mainly as a sport fishing boat for 32 passangers so for 16 divers is quite roomy.
Food is good and plenty and if the sharks allows to bring some tuna inside , you can taste a great shashimi or steaks on the grill !
The island is from volcanic origin and is all rocks without vegetation , a colony of young elephant seals can be seen sunbathing at shore that surprisingly seems to share the same waters with gws apparently without being attacked.
In conclusion :
if anyone wants to get close and personal to great white sharks , Guadalupe is the place.
It takes aprox. 22 hours from San Diego,C.A. and luckly we have very calm seas during all trip.
As soon as we arrived we anchored about 150 meters from shore and start chumming , putting the 2 main cages in the water and fishing for tuna .
After 45 minutes the first shark arrived, the action and the adrenaline rush didn't stop for 3 days!!
First day we take 1 hour turns rotation , eight people in 2 cages . These are big cages floating at the surface and attached to the tramson of the boat that allow 4 people to be inside using hookah regulators.
Second day the crew put in the water ( at 20 feet deep) the third cage that is is a small cage for 2 people ( 1 crew and 1 passenger) and without the top ! so people is seated on the border and only 4 steel wires, that holds the cage from the 4 corners , is all between people and sharks . Definitly not for the faint of heart !
Third day , besides the 3 cages , the crew made the crane feeding ... a big whole tuna is lowered to the water using the boat crane and the shark put in a show going all head out of the water to eat the tuna creating great photo opportunities .
During 3 days we have sharks around all the time , sometimes 3-4 at the same time and in the range of 12-14 feet that for a gws is an sub-adult , but they looks like an submarine to me because of the massive girth . I think that the must weight something like 1500-2000 pounds!! After i saw those sharks , all others sharks looks like sardines.
The population of gws at Guadalupe during the tuna season (sept-nov) is estimated in aprox. 100 individuals (swiming around a small island) that in terms of gws is one of the biggest concentration in the world . We calculate that we saw 12 different individuals during the time we were there.
You put this together with very clear water ( 100 ' average) and warm enough ( 25 c.) and you have the perfect recipe for a great white's watching paradise.
The boat is big and have plenty of space , it is designed and used mainly as a sport fishing boat for 32 passangers so for 16 divers is quite roomy.
Food is good and plenty and if the sharks allows to bring some tuna inside , you can taste a great shashimi or steaks on the grill !
The island is from volcanic origin and is all rocks without vegetation , a colony of young elephant seals can be seen sunbathing at shore that surprisingly seems to share the same waters with gws apparently without being attacked.
In conclusion :
if anyone wants to get close and personal to great white sharks , Guadalupe is the place.
