There are big fish, and then the are BIG FISH – and adult female great white sharks rank amongst the biggest out there! Deep Blue & the R/V Sea Watch ran a trip down to Isla Guadalupe to hang out with some of the most amazing creatures on the planet. We spent 4 full days at the island with people going up in down in cages all day long. However, that isn’t all we did – quite a few of us spent a lot of time outside of the cages and video from those trips has been featured on ABC, the GoPro website, and Patagonia’s website. It was a life-changing experience for all involved and Deep Blue is extremely excited to have been a part of it!
In case you missed it, this is how the trip worked –
We drove down to San Diego where we caught a shuttle down to Ensenda, Mexico. From there we took a peaceful 24 hour ride through awe-inspiring waters aboard the R/V Sea Watch out to Isla Guadalupe where-in a cage-we dropped down into the crystal blue water. After studying the behavior of the animals and judging the experience and comfort level of the divers on the trip we were allowed to dive outside of the cages! There’s nothing quite like watching a 14 foot Great White glide silently to you and knowing that while it could swallow you whole, it has absolutely no interest in eating you. Everybody that wanted to dive outside this past year got their chance, and the free divers even got a chance to ride the most docile of them (a shark named Bella).
Variables with Kimi Werner from Patagonia on Vimeo.
More footage from our 2012 trip – Thanks to Juan Oliphant, Morgan Ball, Captain Chris Wade, and Ocean Ramsey (of course) for the incredible film.
Chosen as the Go Pro Video of the Day Feb 14, 2013.
Ask any diver about sharks and almost 100% of the time you’ll get the same response: “I love sharks!” Getting the chance to swim with some of the most misunderstood animals of the ocean was an absolutely incredible experience for all involved and we all feel incredibly lucky to have had the chance. Hopefully everybody will come to appreciate these gorgeous creatures just like us. Thanks everybody for the life-changing trip!
A Bit About the Boat
R/V Sea Watch is owned and operated by Captain Chris Wade. Capt. Chris purchased the Sea Watch from University of Southern California, when they decommissioned her from their research fleet after 24 years of service in October of 2010. Capt. Chris and his crew rebuilt the vessel from bottom to the top and repainted her in the current blue camo color scheme.
She is an expedition class vessel and has already operated for shark productions from San Francisco’s Farallon Islands to fabled lands and Great White Sharks of Isla Guadalupe, Mexico. She has an incredible soul and it becomes clear the moment people lay eyes on her.
At 73 feet long and with 25 bunks the Sea Watch can accommodate up to 12 passengers and 5 crew. The range on the vessel is 900 NM.
Testimonial From A Satisfied Diver:
"I am so happy that I was able to go on this trip! The sharks were amazing and it was so wonderful to be able to witness their power, and grace, underwater!"
"Getting to know the other divers was also fun, and I am appreciative of chance to develop friendships!"- Gwen
Click here to read Gwen's journal from the trip.