Great white shark (cage) diving - Farallon Islands

[neve]

3D Diver that sounds dire :shocked2:

I just thought I'd do something interesting during a business trip when the airfare, accommodation, and meals are paid for

My other option is Neptune Island in Australia, LOB with Rodney Fox. They lower the cage to the bottom, about 65ft, so you see some shark action around and above you. Sounds more like my kind of thing, but it costs about four times more than Farralon.

 

[g1138]

Why don't you go to the Georgia Aquarium and swim with the Whale sharks.
Or Disney World, swim with the bat rays and sharks.

 

[3D diver]

3D Diver that sounds dire :shocked2:

Heck, I left out the dire stuff:

The dive operator had brought two cages, one profesionally built the other...not so much, the paint was still wet! I was told he simply dumped the second cage after the Sunday dive rather than taking it back, got caught, and was banned from future Farallon visits!

Worse still for me, I didn't tell my wife where I was going & she was pissed when I fessed up.

Honestly, under the circumstances you describe I'd consider going. It will be an interesting boat trip. Just have realistic expectations about seeing Jaws.

Why don't you go to the Georgia Aquarium and swim with the Whale sharks.
Or Disney World, swim with the bat rays and sharks.

I got to dive in the old Palos Verdes Marine Land shark tank years ago...$20 for 20 minutes.

 

[TracysaCADiver]

3D Diver that sounds dire :shocked2:

I just thought I'd do something interesting during a business trip when the airfare, accommodation, and meals are paid for

My other option is Neptune Island in Australia, LOB with Rodney Fox. They lower the cage to the bottom, about 65ft, so you see some shark action around and above you. Sounds more like my kind of thing, but it costs about four times more than Farralon.

There's also the Guadalupe Islands in Mexico that offers a caged GW shark experience. I believe it's from a couple of Liveaboards.

 

[neve]

Why don't you go to the Georgia Aquarium and swim with the Whale sharks.
Or Disney World, swim with the bat rays and sharks.

Are you saying I should stick to aquariums? Good advice, I tell some divers the same thing

On a more serious note, I've had really good snorkeling experience with whale sharks in Donsol, Philippines. The local community runs the whale shark experience boats (with whale shark interaction officers!) and they're very strict about what people can and cannot do. They also have excellent conservation programs too, in cooperation with WWF. There were guests who could barely swim, so they were just bobbing around in life vests, getting in the way of people who can actually freedive to see the sharks. Hence my questions about cage diving, I want to know if it's worth the moolah.

Heck, I left out the dire stuff:

The dive operator had brought two cages, one profesionally built the other...not so much, the paint was still wet! I was told he simply dumped the second cage after the Sunday dive rather than taking it back, got caught, and was banned from future Farallon visits!

Worse still for me, I didn't tell my wife where I was going & she was pissed when I fessed up.

Honestly, under the circumstances you describe I'd consider going. It will be an interesting boat trip. Just have realistic expectations about seeing Jaws.

Sounds good, I'll have a chat with my buddies before deciding. We don't have unrealistic expectations. Heck, we got caught in a typhoon in Tubbataha offshore reefs once, and we still managed to dive and have a good time :cool2:

I got to dive in the old Palos Verdes Marine Land shark tank years ago...$20 for 20 minutes.

I did the dugong tank in Underwater World Singapore a few times on dates, Gracie the dugong and I are good friends now :blinking: so much so that her keeper let me dive for at least an hour each, instead of the standard 20 mins.

 

[bridgediver]

So Neve. (or anyone else?) Did you end up going last year... or even this year.
Curious if anyone has any more experience with this?

 

[mathauck0814]

Why don't you go to the Georgia Aquarium and swim with the Whale sharks.
Or Disney World, swim with the bat rays and sharks.

There's no experience more authentic than swimming with a well fed, docile animal in an artificial environment. I think I'd quit diving before you caught me in an aquarium tank.

I say go for it. It sounds like few people have had luck which means when you get an awesome experience it'll be more unique and very definitely yours. Besides, what else are you going to do for a weekend in the People's Republic of San Francisco?

 

[tracydr]

3D Diver that sounds dire :shocked2:

I just thought I'd do something interesting during a business trip when the airfare, accommodation, and meals are paid for

My other option is Neptune Island in Australia, LOB with Rodney Fox. They lower the cage to the bottom, about 65ft, so you see some shark action around and above you. Sounds more like my kind of thing, but it costs about four times more than Farralon.

There are some great places to shore or boat dive around San Francisco and Monterey, if you're not stuck on the shark dive.

 

[mathauck0814]

There are some great places to shore or boat dive around San Francisco and Monterey, if you're not stuck on the shark dive.

Let's be honest - Monterey is not "near" San Francisco. It's quite a ways off.

 

[drbill]

I can't speak for the Farallons but I have heard the vis there generally sucks. I have a friend here on Catalina who used to dive for urchins, etc., and said he was diving in the Farallons years ago and had incredibly good visibility... and two quite large GWS approached him within touching distance. However, I think that was a very rare occurence (the vis).

I've done the Guadalupe trip (back in 2005 as part of a scientific expedition) and we did see GWS every day, including one 18 ft female who dwarfed Dr. Guy Harvey who was filming in the other cage.