Great white off of Ship Rock, Catalina Island

[mikeguerrero]

As Dave (Teamcasa) and I have said, carrying a camera is the surest way NOT to see a great white. Cameras are considered insurance that you will not see one. The one time I had one swim by close enough, my camera was focused on the giant sea bass in the other direction.

Dr. Bill,

I am not sure I understand what your mean? Are you stating that a camera perhaps gives off magnetic impulses that the GWS considers cold spots in hunting, (not a food source)?

Thus Joe the diver with his new gear enters GWS high traffic and his camera emits signals that the GWS has no interest in and keeps at a distance?

Dr Rocky Strong suggested that, GWS are very inquisitive and will seek such a source of loud banging or propellors moving, once the shark comes close to investigate, such noise will keep it away and repel it. So the question remains, what factors are at play with a underwater camera and a GWS?

Were you filming or taking pictures of the giant Sea Bass, is filming the same as a picture in terms of what a GWS will consider a deterent?

Thanks, Dr. Bill....

MG

 

[SCUBA_Phil]

Some other thinks to consider about the chances of seeing a GW.

1) I'm on a RB, I just need to be back on the boat in 60 min.
2) I bring my Dive-X scooter.
3) Half of my dives are solo. :shocked2:

My normal dive profile at Ship Rock when on a recreational boat is to go west of the rock to the wall that starts at ~120’ and drops to ~180’, hang at 120 to 140 for about 30 min (now I’m almost due east) and deco for the last 20 min (completing the loop around the rock). I keep 10 min of margin for issues. I see a lot more stuff than the average recreational diver.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Scuba Phil,

Would you consider that since the RB is more stealth than regular scuba, would that enhance your chance of an encounter?

The attack that took place at Blue Fish cove was postulated that the impulses perhaps of the scooter he was using elicited a mid water attack. The diver was literally sandwiched between steel plate on his chest and tank on his back.

Large bruising was left from the enormous bite from such a large GWS.

He was alone during the attack but was in the water with two other divers, Marco Flagg was very lucky to escape other fatal injuries.

I wonder though if there have ever been an attack on a scuba diver down to the depths that you go and then must deco hang after, makes for a scary moment if it does happen and you are alone.

What types of things do you see down there that most divers don't get a chance to see?

Very curious,

Thanks,

MG

 

[fnfalman]

Dr. Bill,

I am not sure I understand what your mean? Are you stating that a camera perhaps gives off magnetic impulses that the GWS considers cold spots in hunting, (not a food source)?

MG

No, what he meant in tongue-in-cheek parlance is that nothing cool ever happens when you have a camera around and ready for use.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

What types of things do you see down there that most divers don't get a chance to see?

Very curious,

Thanks,

MG

There are Chimney sponges and rockfish found in shallow water as far south as Seattle, but are only found in certain spots below 200 feet in SoCal. Ring Reef, the series of crescent shaped rocks NW of Ship Rock are a great spot to see them.

 

[fnfalman]

That's a beautiful video!!!

 

[drbill]

Fnfalman hit the nail on the head.

What would Rocky Strong know? I aced every test when we were grad students together. Just teasing... Rocky has done some very interesting work on GWS and certainly knows more about them than I do. I did film them down at Guadalupe with Dr. Guy Harvey who used my footage in his "Portraits from the Deep" episode on them.

Since I was teasing about the camera deterring GWSs, it would probably apply to both still and video cameras.

Dr. Bill,

I am not sure I understand what your mean? Are you stating that a camera perhaps gives off magnetic impulses that the GWS considers cold spots in hunting, (not a food source)?

Thus Joe the diver with his new gear enters GWS high traffic and his camera emits signals that the GWS has no interest in and keeps at a distance?

Dr Rocky Strong suggested that, GWS are very inquisitive and will seek such a source of loud banging or propellors moving, once the shark comes close to investigate, such noise will keep it away and repel it. So the question remains, what factors are at play with a underwater camera and a GWS?

Were you filming or taking pictures of the giant Sea Bass, is filming the same as a picture in terms of what a GWS will consider a deterent?

Thanks, Dr. Bill....

MG

 

[drbill]

Ah, Phil... the video reminded me of how I used to love my deep dives at Ship Rock (although just to 200 ft, not as deep as 320 ft since I was diving air). Maybe I'll have to recondition myself to deep diving again.

Correction: to the best of my knowledge, Ship Rock was named because it looks like the sail of a sailboat from a distance, not because ships keep hitting it (which they do on occasion).

Question: Were the "clam beds" actually beds of orangish brachiopods, which look like bivalves but are in a completely different phylum? I would start seeing them at about 170 ft.

Certainly one of the best dive sites on Catalina... second only to Farnsworth Banks IMHO.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

My buddy John Walker shot the video, so I'll have to ask him. My deepest dive was at Ship Rock, around 240. Until I saw that video I had no idea there was a pinnacle down there.
I've always heard the sailboat reference myself. When Merry saw the video for the first time she said,"Maybe Dr. Bill will know if those are really clams."
She thinks they may be lamp shells (brachiopods).

 

[SCUBA_Phil]

Would you consider that since the RB is more stealth than regular scuba, would that enhance your chance of an encounter? No

What types of things do you see down there that most divers don't get a chance to see?
I did not have my scooter on this dive but here is a clip of a 230' dive from last year

Catalina's Ship Rock on Vimeo

What increases my chance is the fact I can stay at depth longer than OC and the scooter triples my range.

A 10 second encounter is not enough data to form opinions