GUADALUPE ISLAND GREAT WHITE SHARK EXPEDITION ITINERARY

Day 1: Islander passengers board the vessel at Fishermen's Landing after 8 PM the night of the departure date. The boat will depart around 10 PM

The captain will conduct a boat orientation and safety at sea presentation. He will also outline the galley procedures and meal times. The shark crew leader will introduce the shark crew and give a brief rundown on what to expect. Once we leave the dock, the boat will head for Ensenada where we will check-in with Mexican immigration and customs officials. Then we head directly for Guadalupe Island 180 miles to the south and an 19 hour boat ride away. This is the time to assemble your camera equipment and charge up your batteries and strobes. You want to be able to use your underwater cameras and videos just as soon as you hit the island. There have been times when the sharks have shown up before we've even gotten the anchor set. After setting up your gear you can place your large camera boxes either in your cabin or the crew will store them for you. Relax take a nap before dinner, work on your tan on the sun deck, or watch for whales and dolphins. It is not unusual to see Blue and Fin Whales during these transits.

After dinner you can enjoy one of the shark diving videos or perhaps a feature movie. Most people find that everyone usually retires early during these trips. When on this trip you won't find the time to be doing anything other then relaxing even if you brought pieces of your job with you. You could bring a couple leisurely activities for when your laying in bed like looking at old car brochures

Day 2:
At 7:30 AM the shark crew will conduct a complete shark dive briefing. They will explain the cage entry and exit procedures and in cage etiquette. The rotations into the cages and will be outlined so you'll have a good idea of what the diving day will be like. One of the shark crew will also present a synopsis on the individual white sharks we've been able to identify and their characteristics. See if you can identify them yourself during today's dives.
The boat should arrive at the primary dive site around 8:30 AM. The cages will be deployed and the first group readied for their first one-hour rotation. It is highly recommended that you bring ankle weights with you to help keep your feet on the bottom of the cage. Please make sure your are ready for your turn into the cage. That means that you have ALL your gear on, and are standing by the gate with your camera ready to hand off to the crew at the gate. . Please make sure you have labeled each of your cameras with your name and camera number. i.e. Jones #1, Jones #2. That way when you pop up in the cage to shout for a camera change and request Jones #2 we know which camera it is and where the camera is located. There's nothing more frustrating for the crew than to have a diver pop up and ask for a camera that's somewhere in the salon. Heck there are probably a half dozen different cameras in there!!! If you are not ready when you name is called, then we'll just go on to the next diver. Pay attention!! If you want to pass on your rotation, please let one of the shark crew know. We'll move someone else into your slot for that rotation. You've got plenty of options when you're not in the water, you can reload your film or memory card, replace the video battery, relax, sun bath or take surface shots. Hey you're on vacation, you're suppose to relax and enjoy it!!! We will continue to rotate divers into the cages until around sunset. The cages will be pulled out of the water just before dark and the dive day will be concluded. Time to shower up catch a couple of cold ones before dinner and perhaps view some of the videos taken during the day. The captain will usually make an announcement after dinner and one of the shark crew will do a synopsis of the days sightings. Most folks crash around 8:30 PM and sleep like rocks the first night on the anchor.

Day 3:
The cages will be deployed at first light. Sometimes the white sharks will hang around the boat all night so we might be going into the first rotation right away so be ready. There are often situations where there are multiple Great White Sharks around the cages. This makes for some interesting photo opportunities and surface shots. These are very intelligent sharks and quickly learn to modify their attack approaches on the hang baits laid out for them by the wranglers. If a well focused wrangler jerks the bait away from the white shark at just the right moment the shark misses and often changes its next effort based upon what it saw previously. Please give the wranglers plenty of room to operate. They often have to heave the baits out in front of the cages. If you hear "fire in the hole" watch where you are or else you could end up with a 20 lb tuna head on the side of your face! You'll often hear us shout, "Don't talk to the wranglers!" It breaks their concentration when someone tries to engage them in a conversation while they need to focus on the bait, so "don't talk to the wranglers!!"
We again continue the rotations until just before dark. The cages are pulled shortly thereafter.

Day 4:
Hopefully the white sharks will still be with us when we launch the cages at first light. We will dive until late-afternoon when we need to pull the cages and clean the boat. All the gear is secured for the return transit. This is the time when you must also secure your personal equipment. Make sure your gear is in a safe spot so that it won't be damaged during the transit if it gets rough. Time to head for home.

Day 5:
The boat should arrive into Ensenada around 1:00 depending upon the weather and strength and direction of the prevailing current. After checking out with Mexican officials final announcements will be made and the souvenir shirts and other items will be laid out for purchase. After this its time to settle up for any items purchased during the trip.

Please make sure your gear is packed and organized for off loading before we arrive into San Diego. We must check-in with US Customa and Immigration. Once cleared we head back to Fishermen's Landing The crew will help off load your luggage and cart it up to the landing. We should return to San Diego around 6-8PM.

We don't recommend trying to fly out the same night. It would be best to overnight in San Diego, then fly out the next day.