Spontaneous decisions sometimes turn into the most thrilling of adventures. Several weeks ago I was presented with a last minute chance to visit the great white sharks of Guadalupe Island, Mexico, and after hesitating for a couple of days, jumped at the opportunity. Wow! Guadalupe Island lived up to its reputation as the world's best spot for observing these amazing creatures.
We boarded the Nautilus Explorer in Ensenada, Mexico, in the evening and spent the night and most of the following day heading south. The Explorer, a purpose-built dive boat, was our home for five nights,
offering excellent dive facilities,
comfortable beds, delicious and plentiful food, and spacious common areas for sharing our daily shark tales.
Once at Guadalupe Island, we were so eager to see sharks that many of us were on deck before sunup as the crew prepared cages for us and tuna for the sharks.
My excitement rose along with the sun.
After squirming into my wetsuit, getting fitted with over 30 pounds of weights, and adjusting my mask and regulator, I slipped into one of the surface cages. It didn't take long for the first shark to appear. Though they came close to the cages,
they were far more interested in the tuna then in us.
Not willing to make the investment myself, I used a GoPro for video (from which I can capture still images),
and the little Fujifilm point and shoot I bought earlier in the summer for my climb up the Grand Teton. They didn't give me the control or the crispness of images I am accustomed to with my DSLR, but I'm still happy with the results. One advantage of using these simple cameras is that I didn't spend time fiddling with settings.
Watching sharks from the boat deck was every bit as exciting as seeing them from the water. (I used my DSLR for these photos). Sometimes they skimmed close enough to the surface that their dorsal and caudal fins ominously sliced through the water.
Sometimes they grabbed for tuna at the last moment.
And sometimes they would shoot up from the depths, launching themselves almost entirely out of the water.
After watching the sharks for a while I became more aware of them as individuals, taking note of distinctive markings and scars to distinguish one from the next. By comparing photos to a printed catalog of known sharks, I was able to put names to at least a few. This male with the rope around his torso was easy. He is Ropey.
There were lots of interesting characters aboard the ship too. From our captain, TJ, who is an excellent wrangler,
to Hector, my favorite "Blueberry" dive master.
They and the rest of the crew of the Nautilus were wonderful hosts, keeping us safe, well entertained and well fed.
I must say that I also enjoyed the quiet, contemplative sea days getting to and from Guadalupe Island.
Sparkling blue waters reminded me of the quilt that I began work on many months ago.
Now I know what to call it: Sea Days. And having finally worked out an efficient procedure to cut and assemble the blocks, I hope to complete the remaining five rows reasonably quickly.
Tips for travelers
offering excellent dive facilities,
Once at Guadalupe Island, we were so eager to see sharks that many of us were on deck before sunup as the crew prepared cages for us and tuna for the sharks.
My excitement rose along with the sun.
After squirming into my wetsuit, getting fitted with over 30 pounds of weights, and adjusting my mask and regulator, I slipped into one of the surface cages. It didn't take long for the first shark to appear. Though they came close to the cages,
they were far more interested in the tuna then in us.
They weren't interested in mackerel either, though you might not guess it from some of the mackerels' expressions. We all got a laugh out of these.
I also took several turns in the submersible cages. These swing out from the ship and are lowered 25 or 30 feet,
giving divers a different perspective on the action. Rather than lunging for food, as at the surface, at this depth the sharks serenely glided by.
A few people had underwater housings for DSLRs and took some truly stunning photos.
Watching sharks from the boat deck was every bit as exciting as seeing them from the water. (I used my DSLR for these photos). Sometimes they skimmed close enough to the surface that their dorsal and caudal fins ominously sliced through the water.
Sometimes they grabbed for tuna at the last moment.
And sometimes they would shoot up from the depths, launching themselves almost entirely out of the water.
After watching the sharks for a while I became more aware of them as individuals, taking note of distinctive markings and scars to distinguish one from the next. By comparing photos to a printed catalog of known sharks, I was able to put names to at least a few. This male with the rope around his torso was easy. He is Ropey.
We think this male is Rhett.
There were lots of interesting characters aboard the ship too. From our captain, TJ, who is an excellent wrangler,
to Hector, my favorite "Blueberry" dive master.
They and the rest of the crew of the Nautilus were wonderful hosts, keeping us safe, well entertained and well fed.
I must say that I also enjoyed the quiet, contemplative sea days getting to and from Guadalupe Island.
Sparkling blue waters reminded me of the quilt that I began work on many months ago.
Now I know what to call it: Sea Days. And having finally worked out an efficient procedure to cut and assemble the blocks, I hope to complete the remaining five rows reasonably quickly.
Tips for travelers
- You don't need to be a certified diver to enjoy this trip. Anyone who is comfortable in the water and breathing through a regulator can go in the surface cages, which is where you'll see the most action anyway.
- The water is cold. Choose a 7mm wet suit, plus booties and hood.
- Despite being billed as waterproof, my GoPro had some hiccups underwater, especially at depths below 10 or 15 feet. Once it stopped working altogether and I couldn't unfreeze it until I took out and replaced the battery. Another time I was able to reset it while underwater by turning it off and then on again.
- Be prepared for rough water between Ensenada and Guadalupe Island.
- I booked this trip through Cheeseman's Ecology Safaris. They helped with some of the logistics for me and as they always do, provided a great trip. They won't be doing this again for a couple of years, but you can book directly with Nautilus.
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