We’re back to the rugged volcanic isla of Guadalupe for another white shark expedition.
After the 185 nautical mile transit from Ensenada we arrived in the sheltered bay of the north- east end of the island early this morning to find beautiful, flat calm water and a sky just starting to lighten from the coming sunrise.
As the smell of the first pots of coffee brewing made it’s way through the ship and onto the back deck, we began preparing cages, the crane lifting them overhead and getting them into position in preparation for the day. By 0630 we were ready to go and our first divers were climbing into the cages a few minutes thereafter, as the sun broke the horizon over a gorgeous, flat sea. Conditions looked ideal with the water a deep, clear blue.
After 5 years as Captain here on the Nautilus Explorer, and this being my 6th season of white sharks, I have yet to tire of the thrill of seeing these animals under water. Even that first dive of the morning, when maybe we don’t have a shark around yet, the anticipation alone of catching that first glimpse is enough to start the adrenaline leaking into your blood. Then the first glimpse. Maybe it’s a profile view as a shark swims by just at the edge of your vision, or the torpedo-like outline as one swims underneath the cage. Sometimes you turn your head and there is a 15 ft white shark coming right at you. One of the best parts of these dives is the unpredictability of the sharks. Today we had a day full of both aspects, the quiet times when we would all be looking in every direction, searching for the next appearance, as well as those times when the sharks would come right up to the cages, trying to see what was going on inside, circling, diving, and then reappearing from a different direction. We had at least 5 individual sharks today, with 2 at a time around us on several occasions.
Conditions were great, visibility 125ft plus with a water temp of 68F. Up on the surface was equally beautiful: clear skies, calm seas, and an air temp around 80F.
– Captain Gordon Kipp
First glimpse of a great white shark this morning was enough to start the adrenalin leaking into my blood
