Mantadiver
Registered
My turkey hangover has guilted me into catching up on everything I have procrastinated on. I have been meaning to post my trip but I just finished catching up on back logged work so here it is. Better late than never
Well, I sprung for a trip of a lifetime. I have been eyeing this trip for several years and after watching Expedition Great White on Nat Geo, I finally said screw it, Im going I flew to San Diego where I met up with a friend (he was the only one I could convince to go). We had a few drinks at a steakhouse called Island Prime on the harbor. They have a killer bar and great food I totally recommend it if youre down there. The next morning we boarded a charter bus at the hotel to Ensenada. The dive masters offered us coffee and donuts but we slept off our beers from the night before.
Once we got to the boat, we were served a pancake and egg breakfast. I have to say, the food was excellent more on that later. We waited for the Mexican officials to finalize some paperwork for the boat which took about an hour and a half.
We ended up booking with Islander Charters. Their trip prices were reasonable and included rental gear. I brought my own but my friend used their gear. They do luxury long range Tuna fishing trips to Guadalupe Island and have really detailed knowledge of the area. Plus - they are only operation at Guadalupe Island with a perfect safety record. Pretty important if youre coming face to face with a great white, huh?! They attribute their skill in handling the sharks to their experience as fishermen. It made sense to me after watching "Expedition Great White". The crew was professional, helpful and down to earth. Here is the link to their site: Great White Shark Cage Diving at Guadalupe Island on the Islander
The boat was basic but very clean and comfortable. The rooms were all private staterooms with sinks and dressers. There were three bunks in our room. The third bunk is where we stored camera cases, luggage, etc.
The ride to Guadalupe was the part I was dreading. It was 20 hours out. I thought it might be rough but we lucked out and the ocean was totally calm on the way there. Some of the other passengers still getting their sea legs slept through dinner.
For dinner the first night they served Cornish game hens with asparagus and scalloped potatoes. Chef Rick even made homemade rosemary and olive bread. It was excellent. Chef Rick worked his butt off. The homemade bread was to die for. It was different each night and complemented the dinner. We ended up really looking forward to it each night.
We arrived at Guadalupe Island just after dawn. Its a huge Island that rises out of the water to around 4000 ft.
We were given a dive briefing by the dive masters Jimi and Doc Anes of San Diego Shark Diving while the captain looked around for sharks. Apparently they have some high tech side scanning sonar they use for fishing that can tell them how many sharks are in the area even before choosing their dive site. The crew said there were already sharks around before they dropped the anchor so I kept looking over the side hoping to see a white shark while I was suiting up.
Once the crew hoisted the cages into the water, you could really see how blue and clear the water was. I was on the first dive so I was pretty excited. We saw our first White Shark before we got in the water. While I was putting my mask on getting ready to go in, one made a pass right in front of the cages. I was amped. I could not believe how fat it was.
From that point, it was almost non stop sharks coming by and circling. I took 235 photos on the first dive alone. Seriously! I was glad I brought my laptop so I could dump off and delete photos because at that rate, I estimated I would end up with 3,000 photos by trips end. After reviewing my photos, I realized there was a slight learning curve when taking photos from a shark cage. My best advice is to shoot with a wide lens because the sharks come so cloooooose! I was constantly over filling the frame with an 18mm lens.
Taking photos was a bit tricky with the cage moving but after the first dive, I started to get the hang of it. By the end of the trip, I didnt even think about it. The biggest challenge for me was timing the shots. The sharks were fast moving and getting them with their mouths open was the hardest part because there was only a split second before it was over. You really had to pan quickly with your camera and keep up with them and click the shutter before they opened their mouths to get teeth shots especially when they were super close to the cages.
We dove with 40-50 lbs of weight so it was a little different than scuba diving but there were no complaints. The weight belts were over-the-shoulder harnesses. The extra weight was nice because it helped me keep my feet on the ground. You could do floating jumps to the other side of the cage as if you were walking on the moon. It took a little getting used to but I guess thats shark cage diving. I asked for a little extra weight which helped with the photography.
The hour rotations were perfect because they allowed just enough time to download the photos, take a look and get ready for the next dive. It was helpful to review my photos after each dive because I could make corrections that ultimately allowed me to get some killer shots. I got tons of teeth shots and the famous "Guadalupe 2-shot". That's when you get two sharks in the same picture.
The crew was very helpful in getting everyone in and out of the water. They were also conscientious when it came to the camera gear. They handled them very carefully.
The sharks themselves were everything the brochure said they were. They are huge animals and are much, much fatter than I expected. Often times they would swim by so close you could reach out and touch one if you had the huevos. To be honest, by the end of the trip, I felt comfortable enough to actually do it. The sharks stayed around almost all day each consecutive day we were there. It was basically non-stop white sharks. I never expected to be surrounded by sharks the entire trip and frankly, I would have been satisfied if I only saw half the sharks we saw. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget.
Heres my take on the trip overall on a scale of 1-10:
Boat: 9 (It was clean and comfortable but only had one outlet per room)
Crew: 10 (From the dive masters to the captain, everyone was polite, helpful and very knowledgeable)
Food: 10+(Food was outstanding; Restaurant quality meals each day. The fresh Tuna was the best fish I have ever had. They even served sushi and poke as an appetizers a couple days)
Shark diving: 12! (It was more than I expected in terms of shark action.)
Vis: 70-100ft(baitfish getting in the way of the shot was biggest visibility problem)
Water temp: 67F(warm in 5mm, cozy in a 7mm)
What would I do differently?
Bring an extra towel because there is not a dryer onboard. Bring a removable flash drive to make sharing photos easier. Bring spray sunscreen that dries quickly. Bring a multi-port power strip for the room. My friend and I were trying to charge 2 sets of camera batteries,2 sets of video camera batteries and 2 laptops from the same outlet.
Would I go again? For sure. I really want to bring my nephew out when he's old enough. By the way, it looks like 12 years old is age the cut off for the boat. We have 2 years to wait!!
I hope this helps for anyone on the fence about doing it. If you have any desire to dive with great white sharks, Guadalupe Island is the place. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and should not be missed. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Well, I sprung for a trip of a lifetime. I have been eyeing this trip for several years and after watching Expedition Great White on Nat Geo, I finally said screw it, Im going I flew to San Diego where I met up with a friend (he was the only one I could convince to go). We had a few drinks at a steakhouse called Island Prime on the harbor. They have a killer bar and great food I totally recommend it if youre down there. The next morning we boarded a charter bus at the hotel to Ensenada. The dive masters offered us coffee and donuts but we slept off our beers from the night before.
Once we got to the boat, we were served a pancake and egg breakfast. I have to say, the food was excellent more on that later. We waited for the Mexican officials to finalize some paperwork for the boat which took about an hour and a half.
We ended up booking with Islander Charters. Their trip prices were reasonable and included rental gear. I brought my own but my friend used their gear. They do luxury long range Tuna fishing trips to Guadalupe Island and have really detailed knowledge of the area. Plus - they are only operation at Guadalupe Island with a perfect safety record. Pretty important if youre coming face to face with a great white, huh?! They attribute their skill in handling the sharks to their experience as fishermen. It made sense to me after watching "Expedition Great White". The crew was professional, helpful and down to earth. Here is the link to their site: Great White Shark Cage Diving at Guadalupe Island on the Islander
The boat was basic but very clean and comfortable. The rooms were all private staterooms with sinks and dressers. There were three bunks in our room. The third bunk is where we stored camera cases, luggage, etc.
The ride to Guadalupe was the part I was dreading. It was 20 hours out. I thought it might be rough but we lucked out and the ocean was totally calm on the way there. Some of the other passengers still getting their sea legs slept through dinner.
For dinner the first night they served Cornish game hens with asparagus and scalloped potatoes. Chef Rick even made homemade rosemary and olive bread. It was excellent. Chef Rick worked his butt off. The homemade bread was to die for. It was different each night and complemented the dinner. We ended up really looking forward to it each night.
We arrived at Guadalupe Island just after dawn. Its a huge Island that rises out of the water to around 4000 ft.
We were given a dive briefing by the dive masters Jimi and Doc Anes of San Diego Shark Diving while the captain looked around for sharks. Apparently they have some high tech side scanning sonar they use for fishing that can tell them how many sharks are in the area even before choosing their dive site. The crew said there were already sharks around before they dropped the anchor so I kept looking over the side hoping to see a white shark while I was suiting up.
Once the crew hoisted the cages into the water, you could really see how blue and clear the water was. I was on the first dive so I was pretty excited. We saw our first White Shark before we got in the water. While I was putting my mask on getting ready to go in, one made a pass right in front of the cages. I was amped. I could not believe how fat it was.
From that point, it was almost non stop sharks coming by and circling. I took 235 photos on the first dive alone. Seriously! I was glad I brought my laptop so I could dump off and delete photos because at that rate, I estimated I would end up with 3,000 photos by trips end. After reviewing my photos, I realized there was a slight learning curve when taking photos from a shark cage. My best advice is to shoot with a wide lens because the sharks come so cloooooose! I was constantly over filling the frame with an 18mm lens.
Taking photos was a bit tricky with the cage moving but after the first dive, I started to get the hang of it. By the end of the trip, I didnt even think about it. The biggest challenge for me was timing the shots. The sharks were fast moving and getting them with their mouths open was the hardest part because there was only a split second before it was over. You really had to pan quickly with your camera and keep up with them and click the shutter before they opened their mouths to get teeth shots especially when they were super close to the cages.
We dove with 40-50 lbs of weight so it was a little different than scuba diving but there were no complaints. The weight belts were over-the-shoulder harnesses. The extra weight was nice because it helped me keep my feet on the ground. You could do floating jumps to the other side of the cage as if you were walking on the moon. It took a little getting used to but I guess thats shark cage diving. I asked for a little extra weight which helped with the photography.
The hour rotations were perfect because they allowed just enough time to download the photos, take a look and get ready for the next dive. It was helpful to review my photos after each dive because I could make corrections that ultimately allowed me to get some killer shots. I got tons of teeth shots and the famous "Guadalupe 2-shot". That's when you get two sharks in the same picture.
The crew was very helpful in getting everyone in and out of the water. They were also conscientious when it came to the camera gear. They handled them very carefully.
The sharks themselves were everything the brochure said they were. They are huge animals and are much, much fatter than I expected. Often times they would swim by so close you could reach out and touch one if you had the huevos. To be honest, by the end of the trip, I felt comfortable enough to actually do it. The sharks stayed around almost all day each consecutive day we were there. It was basically non-stop white sharks. I never expected to be surrounded by sharks the entire trip and frankly, I would have been satisfied if I only saw half the sharks we saw. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget.
Heres my take on the trip overall on a scale of 1-10:
Boat: 9 (It was clean and comfortable but only had one outlet per room)
Crew: 10 (From the dive masters to the captain, everyone was polite, helpful and very knowledgeable)
Food: 10+(Food was outstanding; Restaurant quality meals each day. The fresh Tuna was the best fish I have ever had. They even served sushi and poke as an appetizers a couple days)
Shark diving: 12! (It was more than I expected in terms of shark action.)
Vis: 70-100ft(baitfish getting in the way of the shot was biggest visibility problem)
Water temp: 67F(warm in 5mm, cozy in a 7mm)
What would I do differently?
Bring an extra towel because there is not a dryer onboard. Bring a removable flash drive to make sharing photos easier. Bring spray sunscreen that dries quickly. Bring a multi-port power strip for the room. My friend and I were trying to charge 2 sets of camera batteries,2 sets of video camera batteries and 2 laptops from the same outlet.
Would I go again? For sure. I really want to bring my nephew out when he's old enough. By the way, it looks like 12 years old is age the cut off for the boat. We have 2 years to wait!!
I hope this helps for anyone on the fence about doing it. If you have any desire to dive with great white sharks, Guadalupe Island is the place. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and should not be missed. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
