One of my favorite things about this white shark season so far, besides for the big white sharks of course, is arriving at the island and having the whole bay to myself, no other boats in my favorite spot, just us, the island, and the sharks…perfect! The 185 nautical mile transit from Ensenada was not what I would consider perfect as far as the weather goes, but it was decent. The beam sea was not particularly large, but the wavelength was short enough to keep the vessel rocking and I admit I did see a couple green-tinged faces peering at me with what I would not call love in their eyes. However most fared quite well, and on our evening arrival in the sheltered bay on the north-east side of Guadalupe the seas magically flattened, the wind disappeared, and the green faces were suddenly pink again. Captain Mike and I always try to arrive in the bay just before dinner so that everyone can enjoy the calm smooth protected waters. A small group of common dolphins greeted us and performed for the guests peering down from the bow.
The morning weather was beautiful today as we prepared the cages for a bright and early 0630 start for those eager to catch their first glimpse of the most famous shark in the ocean. We didn’t have to wait long, and in fact saw our first shark from the surface as we were lowering the cages in. A 3.5 meter male cruising by, curious about all the commotion, who would end up spending the day with us and being our super-star.
Our as yet unidentified male ended up being our only shark today, but he was all we needed, staying with us all day and coming in close enough for both the photographers and the adrenaline junkies. Besides for all the white shark excitement we were also visited by a Mexican Navy frigate patrolling the island, who boarded us for a routine, albeit very thorough, inspection.
Another amazing day with the white sharks of Guadalupe, looking forward to more in the next couple days.
Goodnight,
Captain Gordon Kipp
After a hugely successful opening season great white shark trip we are back at the magical island of Guadalupe for round 2. – Captains Log – Aug 7/10
