Photos of Great White Sharks of Guadalupe -- October 2009

[divengolf]

Great Pics.

How much time was each diver able to spend in the submersible cage as that appears to be where most of the action was?

Did they raise and lower it for shift change or did you swim in and out?

I assume that you were in full scuba gear for the submersible cage.

Thanks for sharing. I'm planning to go next fall.

Harry

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

Yes, most of the action was around the submersible cages. There were 2 surface cages and 2 submerisble ones. There was a rotation through the submersible cages with one hour rotations. We got about 3-4 hours per day in the submersible cages. They would be raised and lowered to get people in and out. They were 40 feet down and a free swimming ascent with the sharks around probably would not be a good idea!

The air was supplied by hookah regs all the way down to 40 feet. There were aluminum 80s with multiple 2nd stages in the cages, however, in case there was a problem with the hookah system.

Hope that helps.

Doug

 

[mselenaous]

"Shaking hands with the tax man" when you get to touch one of them.

Working a season at Guadalupe with the Great Whites is one of my most memorable adventures. I highly recommend it to everyone. The crystal clarity and blueness of the water gives those huge magnificent creatures a surreal quality. Thanks for sharing your great photos.

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

Thanks, Elena. I agree it's an incredibly memorable adventure and one that every shark enthusiast should take advantage of if at all possible.

 

[divengolf]

Thanks, Elena. I agree it's an incredibly memorable adventure and one that every shark enthusiast should take advantage of if at all possible.

My big question is the effect of not being able to chum was on the experience. Most of the reports were written on trips taken while chumming was still allowed or being done igoring the rule. Now that it's no longer permitted, seems like shark action would be way down.

Did you experience this??

 

[diverdwn71]

I want to go. I miss the ocean.

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

We did not chum or "wrangle" the sharks with fish but we still had very good action. As I've mentioned a couple of times on this thread, though, the sharks were very curious about the submersible cages but didn't pay a lot of attention to the surface cages -- especially any time the submersible cages were down.

 

[claudine]

WOW! Thanks for sharing pictures on cage diving with great whites, it's nothing short of amazing!

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

Thanks for your kind words. As I've said before, it's an amazing experience and one every shark enthusiast should do at least once.

 

[Hammerhead]

Hmmmm, I notice on your profile that you are a cardiologist and at my age adopting you might be a great idea . Welcome to the family son .

Regards,

Bill

What about me? I'm a proctologist, and I wouldn't even have to change my name much!



@ Doug, superb pictures and Guadeloup just joined a return to the Sardine Run at the top of my to-do list. BTW my avatar is from Cape Town last year...