Chris' Dive Experiences: Cage Diving With The Great White Sharks Of Guadalupe Island (Part 2)



Photo Courtesy of Shaowen Lin

Less than 2 hours had passed since arriving at the island, when the call we were all waiting for rang out. “SHARK”. With that single word, everyone scrambled to get a glimpse of a great white shark - for most it would be their first. When I leaned over the railing of the sun deck to see for myself the reason we came to Guadalupe, the only thing I could muster up was dropping my jaw to the floor. The sheer size, in both length and girth, of a great white is impossible to truly express to someone. It is something you must see for yourself. To get an idea of what I was seeing, take out a tape measure and roll out 17 feet. This is generally the average length of the sharks of Guadalupe, with 7½ feet from pectoral fin to pectoral fin the average width.

Lesley and I were geared up and ready to go as we waited our turn to get in the cage. After zipping up our suits we were loaded down with over 50 lbs of weight which allowed us to stand on the bottom of the cage without floating up. Then we made our way into the cage with 3 other divers.

The water was a beautiful blue with the sun rays shimmering through. Thanks to the 100-foot visibility, I saw thousands of mackerel swimming around the boat, tuna swimming below at deeper depths, and a sea lion swimming about, eating some of the fish bits that were in the water. Only a couple minutes passed before I spied a huge, dark shape coming up from the depths. My first great white while diving! Everyone in the cage eagerly watched as “Mau” came right up at the hang bait and then by the cage only a foot away. The expression of "WOW" washed across all of our faces as he swam past.

Over the next couple of days encounters continued nonstop, with many different sharks like “Shredder", aka "Cal Rip Fin”, and “Lucy” making appearances. During these days I learned some pretty cool things about great whites. I was amazed how they would appear out of nowhere in the water and disappear as fast, even with the 100'+ visibility. And great whites don’t have the black empty eyes that you hear about, but instead they have beautiful blue & purple eyes that look right at each diver as they pass the cage. It was also pretty cool to watch how the sharks seemed to plan their approach and the different tactics they used to take the bait away from the bait wranglers who controlled it. The last thing that stuck with me was how different the sharks were from each other. Some were very calm and patient while others were flat out crazy, going after even a kelp patch that was floating on the surface.

In the end it was pure luck that our original dive trip was cancelled, that Lesley and I could have this amazing experience. To think, I may still not have yet gotten to do what I have come to love so much had fate not jumped in! Since this first trip, Lesley and I have travelled to Guadalupe Island two more times. This last October, our third trip to the island was very special. Lesley and I became part of an elite group of 20 or so people that have been allowed to dive cageless with the great white sharks of Guadalupe Island. It was unforgettable!

If you ask me, cage diving with great white sharks is a trip all divers should experience once in their lifetime.

Chris' Dive Experiences: Cage Diving With The Great White Sharks Of Guadalupe Island (Part 1)

Photo courtesy of Lesley Alstrand

Thinking back now, it seems funny that Guadalupe Island wasn’t even on my “must dive list” back in 2008. Lesley and I were booked to be diving with humboldt squid in Baja and when the operator ceased operations. We were given a nice refund check and forced to change our plans.

I had always wanted to see a great white shark and was fascinated as a child by them. The thought of diving with great whites excited me, but I was having a hard time with the idea of sitting in a cage for 3 days. This went against everything scuba diving was to me; the pure freedom to move both vertically and horizontally when you want to.


After talking about different trips and seeing lots of videos and pictures from Guadalupe at different scuba events, Lesley and I decided Guadalupe was the place to see. Guadalupe Island is a large volcanic land mass 250 miles southwest of San Diego and about 160 miles west of Ensenada, Baja. The island is inhabited 10 months out of the year by about 30 families’ of fisherman that dive for abalone and lobster, and also by 1 to 3 people that tag, track, protect and record the lives of the great whites. To get to the island you can board a boat in San Diego or take a short bus ride to Ensenada. After boarding your boat in Ensenada, you settle in for a 22-24 hour crossing to the island.

After our short bus ride from San Diego to Ensenada, we were greeted by our crew and welcomed aboard the boat. We had a good mix of divers from both the US and Europe. The boat had refreshments and a huge bowl of fresh guacamole with chips, jalapeño poppers and cheese quesadillas, waiting for us. I was in heaven! After a briefing by the captain, we started our smooth crossing to Guadalupe Island. Those 22 hours were spent reading, watching movies, snoozing, eating, and setting up equipment.


Not long after eating breakfast the call came out that the island was in view. Guadalupe Island jets up from the vast sea out of nowhere. It reaches over 4,200 ft at its highest point and has all the rich colors of a volcanic island.

As the boat was being anchored at the dive site called “Discovery Bay”, the dive briefing was beginning. The briefing went over a lot of the basics that you get on regular boat dives, but also a few new rules and tips unique to cage diving. One rule was to stay in the cage unless the shark comes into the cage. Another was "if you stick your camera outside of the bars and the shark comes to check it out, don’t pull the camera back through until the shark has swam away". They explained that if you pull your camera back in, the shark will continue to swim toward the cage, and possibly into the cage, expecting to feel and bump your camera, aka “the new shinny thing that’s in the free-for-all zone”, while investigating it.

After such statements during the briefing as: "This diving is as real as it gets”, “Anything can happen, this isn’t a zoo”, and “Once you enter the water, you are no longer at the top of the food chain”, it was time to gear up and dive! Both excited and a little apprehensive, I couldn't wait to see what was in store on this adventure!

We Are Excited To Announce Our New Blog!

You may have seen our earlier posts when we were testing the waters, but we are excited to announce our official launch of the new blog "The Dive Shack Tides".  You can access the blog by going to our website gotodiveshack.com or when we post to Facebook, Twitter or Google+.  Those of you in the TDS Yahoo Group will also see it in our emails.

The DIve Shack Tides will feature articles on dive adventures, interesting sea creatures, underwater photography tips, equipment maintenance tips, and equipment reviews.  Our plan is to publish every couple of weeks, so stay tuned please!

We are open to having outside authors contribute their stories to our blog.  If you would like to contribute an article, please submit your story to Liz at ltuttle@gotodiveshack.com.  We will review your article and if it fits into our format, we will be happy to publish it.

Don't see what you're looking for in our blog, just drop us an email with your suggestions.

Our travel blog "Delightful Departures from the Everyday Grind" will still continue with its focus on destinations and travel adventures.  You can also access our travel blog from the website, social networks, and Yahoo group.

So please take time out tomorrow to enjoy our first official posting by our trusty divemaster Chris Alstrand, as he regales his tale of diving with the Great Whites of Socorro Island.  It's a good one!

P.S.  DON'T FORGET TO FEED THE FISHIES!  Just click your cursor on their aquarium to give them some food and watch them go.

Keep blowing those bubbles!

Will We Keep Those New Year's Resolutions?

Well it is the third day of the new year and most of us have gone back to work and reality.  As we depart from those hectic holiday schedules and the abundance of decadent treats, we settle back into our usual routines.  But what of those promises we made to ourselves on New Year's Eve?  Are we truly going to stick to our guns and follow through?  Will we do those promised workouts?  Will we lose those unwanted pounds?  Will we make more time for ourselves?  Will we take that exotic adventure we have been promising?  Or will we strive to learn something new in 2012?

All great questions...and all things we can apply to the world of SCUBA!

Although the act of recreational diving is supposed to be for the purpose of relaxation, you can apply it to physical fitness.  When the waves won't let you do that shore dive you so longed for, take that opportunity to do a few laps in the soft sand or shallow water to strengthen those legs.  Or is it a rainy day and environmental warnings keep you from entering the water?  Throw those weights in your BCD and do a few lunges around the house.  And don't forget to keep up-to-date with DAN's Alert Diver magazine which often has great workout articles to help keep you physically fit for diving.

Make time for yourself.  Take time out of your schedule to do that weekend, or even after work, dive with your friends or family members.  You say they're not certified?  Then what are you waiting for, get them to The Dive Shack to get your new best dive buddy certified!

Promised yourself you would strive to learn something new this year?  TDS always has specialty classes scheduled to broaden and improve your dive skills.  You are never too old to learn something new!

What about that exotic adventure you have always longed for?  Did you take up SCUBA so that you could dive those distant destinations?  TDS is always coming up with group travel trips for divers who like the idea of traveling with other divers they know, or for those divers who want to meet more divers.  These trips are lots of fun and you can make friendships that last a lifetime.  Or maybe you don't see a destination you would like to visit under TDS's group travel, we can always customize an individual or family trip to meet your desires and needs, just come on in and tell us what you are looking for.

The world is your oyster and 2012 is your pearl.  Stick to your resolutions and that treasure will be yours!

WELCOME 2012!

With the start of the new year, the staff at The Dive Shack would just like to offer their best wishes to you and yours for a happy, healthy & prosperous new year!

We look forward to being your source for all things scuba.  We want to fulfill all your educational and equipment needs.  We also anticipate special group and travel events in 2012, so stay tuned to our website, blog and social network posts to keep up with all that is happening at TDS.

Thanks for being a part of the TDS family!