Hell yeah! We are back in Guadalupe Island. It’s so exciting to be back at this very special spot after its closure due to the pandemic. It’s the best place in the world to observe great white sharks.
The great white shark has been stereotyped so much and I really don’t understand it. You actually just need one hour in the cage to realize that they are cautious, curious, investigative but also shy; loaded with power but far from aggressive. Behind that sheer power you have a big brain and 450 million years of evolution – they are super evolved; and far from being primitive and blood thirsty. They have such a vast range of behaviour and every shark has its own character which is something you begin to realize quickly.
It’s so cool to observe and afterwards, discuss all the big and small differences between the sharks and also speculate about the movement of different patterns that they present to us. Juveniles being a little more erratic and the older ones moving more majestically. But all of them are curious and check the divers out. They don’t only go for the bait but they assess the situation and environment around them too. Eventually they will go for the bait but not before investigating with all their senses. I think it’s much more of a play behaviour than predatory. The sharks even play with the birds! They swim underneath them and chase them away but without bursting towards them, I think they are just having fun, to explain it in human words.
Great white sharks are far from just being instinct driven, they are much more driven by curiosity and complex thoughts; and here on the coast of Guadalupe Island you will realize that within 45 minutes. Your perception of the great white shark is going to change forever.
It’s amazing to observe those super evolved apex predators in their world and to be able to share some time with them. It makes it even more special to share that time with super happy and interested guests.
- Divemaster Pascal onboard the Nautilus Belle Amie.
