Want to be notified of special trips and prices? Subscribe to our mailing list.

Please request information and pricing.

Shark Diving

AMOS NACHOUM: The Great White Shark Research and Photography Expedition

Great White Shark Cage Diving

Isla de Guadalupe, Mexico

Great White Shark Cage Diving: How it Started

Cage diving with a Great white shark at Guadalupe Island, Mexico is an opportunity for everyone, divers and non-divers alike, to get extremely close to these magnificent apex predators. Our first great white shark expedition was in September, 2005 when Doc Anes of San Diego Shark Diving chartered the Nautilus Explorer to voyage down to Guadalupe Island. The Nautilus was custom built for just this sort of adventure and we had a very comfortable ride on the way down.

The experience with great white shark cage diving was incredible and vastly exceeded our expectations. We anticipated that the shark wranglers would make long slicks of blood and chum and that a white shark might show up every couple of hours to bash against the cages before taking off again. Instead, a steady stream of animals showed up each day and very little chum was required to bait these magnficent animals into the Nautilus Explorer. While the great white sharks didn't bash the cages other than the occasional accidental "tail hit", these really, REALLY big animals often examined our divers from extremely close up which was definitely a heart pounding, adrenalin rush experience! The photo opportunities were amazing.

Great White Shark Cage Diving: The Experience

This great white shark cage diving is extraordinary and we now offer our own great white shark trips every September and October... We use surface supplied air (hookah) which means you do not even have to be a scuba diver to get into the cages! Our four shark cages are large and uncrowded with a maximum of 3 divers per cage and very well suited for photography.

Guests jokingly refer to them as Megaladon cages because of their unusually sturdy construction. Each one is fitted with wraparound viewing ports so that photographers can have the most unobstructed view possible without any annoying corner posts. Our (2) transom cages are moored behind the Nautilus Explorer and the other (2) cages trail from a boom on each side of the ship - offering a 360view of the shark action as well as the occasional startling moment when a great white shark appears from behind! Please remember that while our past white shark sightings have been excellent and numerous, these are wild animals and there is no guarantee that all future trips will have the same number of sightings.

These are 5 night trips and allow 3 full days in the cages. The Nautilus Explorer arrives arrive onsite at the Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve the evening before "sharking" begins with ample time to get our cages setup and to brew up a really tasty chum (tasty that is, if you are a shark!!). Guests are welcome to splash in the cages from 0630 onwards until sunset. Our experience has been that the first white shark will generally show up somewhere between 0730 to 0900..

Guests are guaranteed at least 18 cage hours each over 3 days of diving with our boat record standing at 31 hours!! Water temperatures range from mid-60's to 71 degrees and the surface weather is usually beautiful, hot and fairly calm in the anchorage. Visibility is typically 100 feet plus and the water is an amazingly beautiful shade of cobalt blue. This is a very different experience than diving with great white sharks in Australia or South Africa and we promise to spoil our guests rotten with everything from hot drinks and towels delivered to divers as they exit the cages to cheerful and friendly bar service at the hot-tub to a gourmet cuisine of dungeness crab, king salmon, steak and lots of other goodies. Oh yeah, our bar selection of 35 micro-brew beer, 11 single malt scotches, 5 different types of port and over 50 different kinds of wine adds a certain ambience as well.

We provide a hospitality suite in both San Diego and Tijuana at the start of each trip with luxury coach transfer to our berth in Ensenada. Driving time from San Diego to the ship varies from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours depending on the border crossing and whether we are picking anyone up in Tijuana. These adventures feature an evening departure and a 20 hour ocean passage to Guadalupe Island. The Nautilus Explorer is a heavy steel stabilized ship and the ride is generally quite comfortable. Please note that it may be "bouncy" on the way home aproximately 30% of the time -- however, the motion is much less than other diveboats and it's amazing how relaxed "motion sensitive" folks become after putting on a scopolamine patch or taking anti-seasickness medication. We usually return to Ensenada by 2 p.m. on the last day of each trip with complimentary coach transfers back to Tijuana and San Diego.

Education & Conservation

As an additional bonus for our guests, and as part of our passionate commitment to shark conservation, we provide berths on each trip to various shark researchers and scientists. Part of their mission is to help guests understand more about shark behaviour and identification and also provide interesting evening presentations. In addition, we choose to donate USD150 for every berth sold on these trips to the 501C3 registered Guadalupe Conservation Fund operated under the auspices of the International Community Foundation - we urge any interested parties to contact us for more information about this terrific Fund.

This is a fantastic trip with easy sameday connections to San Diego from anywhere in North America. It may well be the experience of a lifetime and we hope that you can join us.

What's Included

You get cozy staterooms with side-by-side beds, private heads with showers and central air conditioning. Lower deck cabins have non-opening portlights and most have a 52" bed and a 36" bed. Configurations and the length of the beds do vary from Cabin to cabin. Upper deck executive suites have 2 big windows, an outside door and can be configured with either a quasi-king or (2) 36" side by side beds. All meals (and we promise you losts of 4-star gourmet cuisine that is both imaginative and hearty!), snacks, pop and non-alcoholic beverages are included with your trip.

*Not included in the cost of your trip are the following: USD 65 port fee payable in cash onboard, transfers, gear rentals, bar charges, gift shop purchases and crew gratuities

2003 Trip Report

For more information
Contact:
Dive Discovery
@
1 800 886-7321
ph- 415-444-5100
or
Request Info