Location: Guadalupe Island, Baja California, Mexico
Transit
With the threat of big seas, the Nautilus spent the night at the dock with the plan to let the ocean calm a little. This turned out to be a great move because as we left the harbor at 6am, we hardly noticed the transition to open ocean. The transit was smooth and the sun was shining. A few dolphin were sighted as we left Ensenada Bay in our wake. Closer to the island, the swell picked up a bit, but not enough to disturb anyone’s sleep.
Diving Day 1
Arriving at the island early in the morning, the crew was up early to set the cages. Open diving began at 7am and the first diver in immediately signaled that there was a White Shark under the boat. This really got the energy levels up on deck and soon the diver were rushing to finish their coffees and get suited up. At 8am the cages rotations started for the submersibles. What a great dive! A large unnamed female came right up to the cages inspecting the bars to see what they were made of. Andy Sallmon, who has been to the island many times over the years came out of the water and exclaimed that it was the best shark dive he had ever had. The female was beautiful. The next dive, another large female came in too. And then another. With three large sharks circling the cages, the photographers had a hard time deciding which direction to point the cameras. Soon, there were three Califorina Sea Lions chasing the sharks, three sharks chasing the tunas, and the tuna chasing the mackerel. It was quite a show. One rotation even said they saw a tuna get eaten by a shark. Every rotation today had a great show. by the time the cages were lifted out of the water, 5 different sharks were seen from the cages including Lucy with her broken tail.
After a fabulous crab feast on the top deck by the light of the stars, Dr. Mauricio Hoyos gave his lecture on the White Sharks of Guadalupe Island. With such a successful day of sharking, I am sure everyone will sleep well tonight and dream of the sharks that passed so close to the cages throughout the day.
Weather: Sky sunny in the morning overcast afternoon, Wind calm, Temperature 80-85 F, Seas calm
Water: Visibility +130′, Temperature 67 F, Swell calm
Smooth sailing and great sharking!
