Great White Cage Diving

Can anybody give me a recommendation for a charter to cage dive with the Great White? Perferable to the Farallon Islands and not Guadulapee Island off of Mexico.

RoyN:

http://www.greatwhiteadventures.com/

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Hmmm... I was only aware of Guadalupe for great white diving near the US. Has anyone on the board ever done this one day trip to the Farallon Islands?
Thanks
-Chris

I've got a friend who dive masters for them. They've been in business for several
years which is a good sign. But sharks are not guaranteed. And note that it's for
a fairly narrow calendar window.


Chuck

Chuck Tribolet:

I've got a friend who dive masters for them. They've been in business for several
years which is a good sign. But sharks are not guaranteed. And note that it's for
a fairly narrow calendar window.


Chuck

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And it's not cheap either.

And it appears that nobody on this board has gone out with them. This question gets asked every 6 months or so and I always follow the topic with interest, but nobody has ever replied that they've been out on this trip.

If anyone ever goes, be sure to let us know how it was!

FWIW you might find this thread of some interest.
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=177015

D_O_H:

And it appears that nobody on this board has gone out with them. This question gets asked every 6 months or so and I always follow the topic with interest, but nobody has ever replied that they've been out on this trip.

If anyone ever goes, be sure to let us know how it was!

Click to expand...

It's a real toss up. I joined them for a day trip on October 17th of 2005. I pretty much worked out the exact mathematical middle of the season to greaten my chances of sightings but had no luck.

We had zero sightings after a day that they claimed to have nine different sharks around the cage at various times.

Made for a sad ride under the Golden Gate and over the Bay Bridge back home.

What's even sadder....I would gladly drop 800 bucks again for the outside possibility of diving with these beauties.

If I could afford to take a week away from work to join the Guadalupe trip I would.

But right now it's just far easier to make a day trip to the Farallons from San Francisco.

been there done that...guys, save your money with the farallon trips...these guys will rob you blind with a smile...had the same experience as kelp coasters during "peak season" and they were VERY nonchalant about taking our 800.00$

what a Jip....beautiful Island though, the Farallones

I have a fair amount of information about Shark diving at the Islands. There are two boats which offer diving. The Tamalpais which is chartered by Incredible Adventures and the Superfish. In my opion the best viewing of the Sharks at the Islands are topside and not in a cage. Most of the shark sightings are on days where visibility is pretty bad, the skies overcast, high tide, and a full moon. One of the problems with the Tamalpais is the cage is mounted on the side of the boat. If there is an attack it is difficult for the boat to maneuver with the cage in the water to get close to the attack if it is not right off of the boat. The cost of the diving is quite high for the remote chance of actually seeing a shark while in the cage. In my opinion the best bang for the buck is to try and view sharks from a Whale Watching boat called the Salty Lady. They offer day trips to the Islands during the peak season of October and November. They are on the radio with all the other boats and quickly move to the seen of any boils, attacks, or sightings. Both of the Shark boats offer topside only viewing but at a much higher price than the Whale Watching boats.I am in no way associated with the above boats but just wanted to give my opinion on the best way to see the Sharks at a fair price. I do highly recomend a trip out to the Islands. They are beautiful and offer incredible wildlife viewing.

Gary