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.