Cage Shark Diving ?

[manny1974uk]

hello,

i have a question for any members who have experience doing caged shark dives.


which is the best destination in the world to see & cage dive with great whites?


is it south africa, austrailia, or california?


i wish to do my first ever cage dive soon, so any help, info or advice would be very greatly appreciated.

thankyou,

manny

 

[mselenaous]

Hi Manny,
Although I have not dove with the Great Whites of South Africa or the Farallon Isl of No. Cal, I have dove with them at Isla Guadalupe in Mexico (South of Ensenada). Other divers aboard who had been to those locations did make the following comparisons. The 15-20 ft vis in So. Africa compared to the 80+ ft vis at Guadalupe. More sharks at Guadalupe where they usually see at least one GW every dive, but sometimes spend 3 days at the Farallons without a sighting. The GW season at Guadalupe runs Aug - Dec.

Do a search on Guadalupe great whites for more info.

I know there are several ops that run trips there out of Ensenada and San Diego. I dove with San Diego Shark Diving. www.sdsharkdiving.com. Also the Nautilus Explorer www.nautilusexplorer.com and the SolmarV www.solmarv.com get favorable reviews. There are others that I am not familiar with.


Diving with the Great Whites is definately a life's must do. You will be awed and inspired by these creatures.

Enjoy your shark dives.

 

[manny1974uk]

Hi mselenanous, thanks for yr reply.

Guadalupe does seem a much better place to go diving for the great whites.
it seems there is more chance of seeing them there, than anywhere else.


by the way do you mean that the visibility in guada is much much better?

can you really see the sharks from 80 feet away?

I have also heard that the great whites off the coast of california are the largest in the world, and grow upto 20 feet in length, however they do not tend to breach the water, unlike the whites at SA.



I am at the stage where i am doing my indepth research as to where to go and actually do my dive.

so any help or information will be greatly appreciated.

thanks for those websites by the way, i will check them out.

much appreciated ms,

regards,

mannyuk

 

[livinoz]

I'd recommend this trip, if you ever get downunder:

Calypso Star Charter - Shark cage Diving

PS: and 7 metres (20 feet) is about the size of most of the larger female GWS.

 

[voodoomagic5]

great thread! i just joined this forum to research where i can go and with which company i should do a great white shark cage dive.

sounds like guadalupe is best. any others have experiences with any trips out there?

thanks!

 

[trogloxene]

I went to Isla Guadalupe last year. IT was Awesome!!

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-conch-divers/249730-trip-report-back-isla-guadalupe.html


Enjoy

Sean

 

[voodoomagic5]

great pics!

i am comfortable in the water. however, i am not scuba licensed. you think that'll be a problem? did you get seasick? my stomach isnt very strong. =( also, what type of camera would i need?

thanks for the info!

 

[trogloxene]

great pics!

i am comfortable in the water. however, i am not scuba licensed. you think that'll be a problem? did you get seasick? my stomach isnt very strong. =( also, what type of camera would i need?

thanks for the info!

There are dive master's on board that will teach you how to clear your mask and breathe with a regulator and make sure you are comfortable in the cage. It is a long boat ride and I took Bonine Sea sick pills each day. Most operators will rent you an underwater digital camera and help you operate it as well

Sean

 

[voodoomagic5]

very cool! i read that a dry suit is recommended. do they rent those? is the camera they rent good? since my pics will be my only takeaway, i want really good pics.

thanks again!

 

[trogloxene]

very cool! i read that a dry suit is recommended. do they rent those? is the camera they rent good? since my pics will be my only takeaway, i want really good pics.

thanks again!

We were supplied with 7mm wetsuits and hoods which was fine for the 69 degree water in August. They did not offer or have drysuits. I cannot comment on the camera because I brought my own. I recommend you call the operators and ask them about their gear

Good luck

Sean