How to pick a Guadalupe great white liveaboard
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Hoag
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The timings are pretty simple. Once you have found and chosen the boat you want to go on, look for availability. They only go out to the island when the sharks will likely be there. In general the season runs late August/early September to mid October to November with the smaller males showing up first and then the big females showing up toward the end. I went at the end of September, and the females were just starting to show up (including one who was 17feet).
As for boats, I did the trip on a boat called the Solmar V. It was a gorgeous boat with mahogany wood work, frosted glass panels and brass fittings. The dining area/salon was spectacular. The cabins, however were TINY! There was not enough room for two people to stand up at the same time in the cabin. One person would have to get up and get ready, then the other could do the same after the first person left. Each cabin had a head with a shower, but even here, space was at a premium. The toilet was in the shower, so if you wanted to take a shower, you literally had to straddle the toilet. The other thing to be aware of is that when I did my trip, one of the crew (IIRC, it was "Geronimo".) was more fascinated by the local elephant seal population so when he offered a "quick trip in the zodiac to go take a peek at the seals", little did I know that this "quick trip" would be over two hours and that was basically an entire morning that I wasn't in a cage watching the Great Whites.
As for boats, I did the trip on a boat called the Solmar V. It was a gorgeous boat with mahogany wood work, frosted glass panels and brass fittings. The dining area/salon was spectacular. The cabins, however were TINY! There was not enough room for two people to stand up at the same time in the cabin. One person would have to get up and get ready, then the other could do the same after the first person left. Each cabin had a head with a shower, but even here, space was at a premium. The toilet was in the shower, so if you wanted to take a shower, you literally had to straddle the toilet. The other thing to be aware of is that when I did my trip, one of the crew (IIRC, it was "Geronimo".) was more fascinated by the local elephant seal population so when he offered a "quick trip in the zodiac to go take a peek at the seals", little did I know that this "quick trip" would be over two hours and that was basically an entire morning that I wasn't in a cage watching the Great Whites.
FettSolo
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@Hoag summed it up well.
I've been twice, with two different operators. The second time around was on the Nautilus Undersea. I enjoyed both trips, but I thought Nautilus was the better op. They have a couple different boats, but the Undersea has the least amount of people, which means more time in the water - I logged 29 hours in the cage on their trip!
I've been twice, with two different operators. The second time around was on the Nautilus Undersea. I enjoyed both trips, but I thought Nautilus was the better op. They have a couple different boats, but the Undersea has the least amount of people, which means more time in the water - I logged 29 hours in the cage on their trip!
You can spring for the Vortex. It goes really fast, which is good if you don't care for the open seas.
Otherwise Nautilus runs a fine operation. Great setup for shark baiting, comfortable living, and really good food. I only did cursory research on Solmar.
Otherwise Nautilus runs a fine operation. Great setup for shark baiting, comfortable living, and really good food. I only did cursory research on Solmar.
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