Anyone ever swim with great white sharks?

DamnPepShrimp · 08/06/2009, 10:07 AM

I have always wanted to go in a shark cage and see great white sharks up close and personal. I am just gathering info now, but would love to look into planning a trip in a year or two. Just curious if anyone has ever done anything like this, with any sharks? I'd rather be great whites. I'm not certified to scuba dive, but will probably get that before I go in a couple years. Australia would be cool, but probably pretty expensive. Africa would be cool to see them jump out of the water, but too cold to dive I believe, not to mention expensive. California seems to be the best place. I was looking at something like this:

http://www.incredible-adventures.com...encounter.html

Anyone been there or similar? The only thing that sucks is they don't chum the waters or try and get the sharks in, so you could go out there, pay all that money and not see a single shark! Would love to hear opinions or any other suggestions? Thanks!

(I put this in the scuba section as well, but there is little traffic there).

Katmanblue · 08/06/2009, 11:01 AM

I've been watching shark week on TV this week. Swimming with a great white huh...if you can find it, look for the episode of the tourists that were in the cage when a female great white wedged herself in the cage and completely destroyed it...

Good stuff.

flyhigh123 · 08/06/2009, 11:06 AM

i heard some of the best white shark diving is based off of san/diego/mexico. there is a boat that takes a 2 day boat ride out. These great whites head to that island a month a year when the seals go to the island for mating. that island has better water visability than the SF or the south africa one... u should look that one up... i think its around $3,000 for the trip

DamnPepShrimp · 08/06/2009, 11:16 AM

I know there are risks involved, but I'm a risk taker and you only live once.

flyhigh, any idea on where I can find more info on that trip? I googled with not much success. 3k is more then double what I'd for the other trip, but might be worth it.

sikpupy · 08/06/2009, 11:41 AM

If you’re a risk taker, you should help the environment and take a toothbrush to brush their little teefy wif. Good oral hygiene makes for a healthier and happier shark. I think it is your civic duty.

serpentman · 08/06/2009, 12:04 PM

I was watching Air Jaws II where they documented 2000lb white sharks hitting seals so hard that they completely breached the water's surface. A motivated shark could shread one of the cages. With that being said, would love to dive with one.

The only sharks I have seen diving were black tips and nurse sharks. Not very scary but cool nonetheless.

Tswifty · 08/06/2009, 12:18 PM

Did you catch the episode the other day where the family was getting ready to go study white sharks together, and the father stuck himself in a clear plastic tube? I think they said the plastic that the tube was made out of was only 1/8" thick!

I figured that'd be like eating a twinkie without removing the wrapper for those sharks.

Katmanblue · 08/06/2009, 12:34 PM

Mmmmmm...twinkies.....

DamnPepShrimp · 08/06/2009, 01:04 PM

Whites only jump off the coast of africa, the "ring of fire". The ones I'd see in cali/mexico would be interested in the cage, but I highly doubt they'd come full steam after it. I know they CAN break the cage, but they generally don't really mess with it, just a check bite to see what it is. I'd be willing to venture outside the cage a little bit, but not brush the sharks teeth, haha. Yeah, no 1/8" for me, it better be 8" for me to do that. I just saw a show where they did one like that, put a guy in a predator shield and the shark didn't bother him. Then they put a tuna in there, yeah, it broke it!

Amoore311 · 08/06/2009, 01:14 PM

Quote:

I just saw a show where they did one like that, put a guy in a predator shield and the shark didn't bother him. Then they put a tuna in there, yeah, it broke it!

I caught that episode last night. Was it bad the first thing I noticed was the bad welds on the acrylic seams?

welsher7 · 08/06/2009, 01:25 PM

white sharkshave been known to breach off the coast of cali too. It is just more often in s. a.

tischdog32 · 08/06/2009, 01:32 PM

who doesnt love sharks ...

sikpupy · 08/06/2009, 02:18 PM

The person floating in the middle of the atlantic after thier boat sank. White tips are nasty little buggers!!

vickreyreef · 08/06/2009, 02:42 PM

My husband has done it in Australia and we both did it together in Mexico...send me an email if you want to learn more....I can give you details of who we used etc.....my husband did say it was 100% better in Mexico then in Australia....and the visibility will be much better there then in CA btw...

DamnPepShrimp · 08/06/2009, 11:55 PM

Amoore, yeah thats pretty bad, haha, but I noticed how thin the acrylic was and there was no bracing.

welsher, are you sure? I have ALWAYS heard they only jump in south africa.

sikpup, screw the white tips, its the bull sharks that are most dangerous!

vickreyreef, great news! Sending you a PM now since you don't have email. Thanks!

flyhigh123 · 08/07/2009, 12:14 AM

http://www.incredible-adventures.com...guadalupe.html

JuliusJames · 08/07/2009, 12:44 AM

I swam with sharks once. One was actually swimming after me. Only to find out, it was a nightmare. Then I woke up

SmokeFish · 08/07/2009, 12:50 AM

yeah, Welsher7 is right, great whites do breach off the coast of Cali but it is rare in comparison to South Africa.

there was a show on shark week where they did an experiment to see if towing a fake seal would compel great whites to breach in areas where they are not known for doing so. their theory was that great whites living in CA and Australia don't eat seals as their primary diet so they don't need to breach since their food source is typically under water instead at the top. When they towed the fake seal in CA they got sharks to breach fairly quickly, it took longer in Australia but they did eventually get one to breach...

the great white that destroyed the cage was going after bait, it ran into the cage when it rolled its eyes back to get the bait. its probably not something likely to happen that often, but I personally wouldn't get in the water with one of those things, cage or no cage

good luck with your shark diving trip! did you check out http://www.sharkdiver.com/

rando45 · 08/07/2009, 07:52 AM

i have swam with blacktip reef sharks, zebra sharks, bull sharks, nurse sharks and smaller ones like bamboos. I used to work at a public aquarium.

vickreyreef · 08/07/2009, 08:24 AM

Damnpepshrimp...you have response....

serpentman · 08/07/2009, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DamnPepShrimp
Whites only jump off the coast of africa, the "ring of fire".

Not true. They have successfully documented whites breaching off the coast of California as well as Australia.

With that being said, they are a lot less likely to jump in those area. The water is not as deep off the coast where they are found in Australia and they are not exclusive to seals there, so they don't "hit" as hard. The sharks in Cali are so big they have a hard time breaching.

DamnPepShrimp · 08/07/2009, 10:47 AM

Wow, I didn't think there would be so many different charters to go! So is the best place Isla Guadalupe to see them? As far as breaching, I've never heard of them doing it, but I guess it is possible. It must be the depth issue because at the farallon islands, all there is to eat is seals!

I guess I can narrow it down to just Isla Guadalupe though, prices are around 3k, man, that is a new tank upgrade! I'd love to see them feed, but it doesn't look like any trip throws in tuna's etc to attract them? Only decoys. Although this trip
http://www.seesharks.com/guadalupe.php
says you can sport fish as well, and when your reeling in a tuna, you could end up losing it to a great white! I really want to be in the cage with them, I'd love to touch one as it swims by, but I doubt they'd let me, haha.

Cracken · 08/07/2009, 10:49 AM

Yea great white diving sounds crazy.

i dove with sharks when i was 13 and it was intense. it was at a blue hole in Nassau with like 40-60 of 4-6 ft reef sharks. crazy very peaceful totally ignored our group of divers. however from the blue hole you would see sharks swimming towards you and see there teeth. and they looked so close but were actually like 50-60 feet below us.

Yea diving with whites sounds AMAZING

DamnPepShrimp · 08/07/2009, 10:56 AM

I can't wait, even though it will probably be a couple years before I can go do it. Money and vacation time will be the issue, and finding someone else as crazy as me to actually spend money (let alone 3K) to go face to face with something that could eat you, haha. Anyone want to see if we can get a GP!?

64Ivy · 08/07/2009, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DamnPepShrimp
Anyone want to see if we can get a GP!?

Nah, I'm already booked for the special 'Joust With The Rhinos/ Boogie Board In The Magma' vacation combo.

08/06/2009, 10:07 AM	#1
DamnPepShrimp Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Delaware Posts: 5,152	Anyone ever swim with great white sharks? I have always wanted to go in a shark cage and see great white sharks up close and personal. I am just gathering info now, but would love to look into planning a trip in a year or two. Just curious if anyone has ever done anything like this, with any sharks? I'd rather be great whites. I'm not certified to scuba dive, but will probably get that before I go in a couple years. Australia would be cool, but probably pretty expensive. Africa would be cool to see them jump out of the water, but too cold to dive I believe, not to mention expensive. California seems to be the best place. I was looking at something like this: http://www.incredible-adventures.com...encounter.html Anyone been there or similar? The only thing that sucks is they don't chum the waters or try and get the sharks in, so you could go out there, pay all that money and not see a single shark! Would love to hear opinions or any other suggestions? Thanks! (I put this in the scuba section as well, but there is little traffic there).

08/06/2009, 12:04 PM	#6
serpentman part time superhero Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Deep in the Heart of the Snowbelt (NE OHIO) Posts: 5,698	I was watching Air Jaws II where they documented 2000lb white sharks hitting seals so hard that they completely breached the water's surface. A motivated shark could shread one of the cages. With that being said, would love to dive with one. The only sharks I have seen diving were black tips and nurse sharks. Not very scary but cool nonetheless. __________________ BS in Marine Bio ('96), First SW tank in 1992. Current Tank(s) 300g SPS with 90g frag tank and 40 anemone tank - decommissioned 46g LPS/Softy Cube 300g FOWLR under construction - decommissioned

08/06/2009, 12:18 PM	#7
Tswifty Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: PA Posts: 14,022	Did you catch the episode the other day where the family was getting ready to go study white sharks together, and the father stuck himself in a clear plastic tube? I think they said the plastic that the tube was made out of was only 1/8" thick! I figured that'd be like eating a twinkie without removing the wrapper for those sharks. __________________ "Enough light? Heck I could go barebottom and grow SPS in the stand!" - DiscoReefRover

08/06/2009, 01:25 PM	#11
welsher7 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Posts: 896	white sharkshave been known to breach off the coast of cali too. It is just more often in s. a. __________________ Dan Current Tank Info: A rebuilding year.....

08/07/2009, 12:50 AM	#18
SmokeFish Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 75	yeah, Welsher7 is right, great whites do breach off the coast of Cali but it is rare in comparison to South Africa. there was a show on shark week where they did an experiment to see if towing a fake seal would compel great whites to breach in areas where they are not known for doing so. their theory was that great whites living in CA and Australia don't eat seals as their primary diet so they don't need to breach since their food source is typically under water instead at the top. When they towed the fake seal in CA they got sharks to breach fairly quickly, it took longer in Australia but they did eventually get one to breach... the great white that destroyed the cage was going after bait, it ran into the cage when it rolled its eyes back to get the bait. its probably not something likely to happen that often, but I personally wouldn't get in the water with one of those things, cage or no cage good luck with your shark diving trip! did you check out http://www.sharkdiver.com/ __________________ Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. – The Buddha

08/06/2009, 11:01 AM	#2
Katmanblue Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Boynton Beach, FL Posts: 222	I've been watching shark week on TV this week. Swimming with a great white huh...if you can find it, look for the episode of the tourists that were in the cage when a female great white wedged herself in the cage and completely destroyed it... Good stuff.

08/06/2009, 11:06 AM	#3
flyhigh123 funky member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Hacienda Heights (605 and 60 fwy) Posts: 1,893	i heard some of the best white shark diving is based off of san/diego/mexico. there is a boat that takes a 2 day boat ride out. These great whites head to that island a month a year when the seals go to the island for mating. that island has better water visability than the SF or the south africa one... u should look that one up... i think its around $3,000 for the trip

08/06/2009, 11:16 AM	#4
DamnPepShrimp Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Delaware Posts: 5,152	I know there are risks involved, but I'm a risk taker and you only live once. flyhigh, any idea on where I can find more info on that trip? I googled with not much success. 3k is more then double what I'd for the other trip, but might be worth it.

08/06/2009, 11:41 AM	#5
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	If you’re a risk taker, you should help the environment and take a toothbrush to brush their little teefy wif. Good oral hygiene makes for a healthier and happier shark. I think it is your civic duty.

08/06/2009, 12:34 PM	#8
Katmanblue Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Boynton Beach, FL Posts: 222	Mmmmmm...twinkies.....

08/06/2009, 01:04 PM	#9
DamnPepShrimp Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Delaware Posts: 5,152	Whites only jump off the coast of africa, the "ring of fire". The ones I'd see in cali/mexico would be interested in the cage, but I highly doubt they'd come full steam after it. I know they CAN break the cage, but they generally don't really mess with it, just a check bite to see what it is. I'd be willing to venture outside the cage a little bit, but not brush the sharks teeth, haha. Yeah, no 1/8" for me, it better be 8" for me to do that. I just saw a show where they did one like that, put a guy in a predator shield and the shark didn't bother him. Then they put a tuna in there, yeah, it broke it!

08/06/2009, 01:32 PM	#12
tischdog32 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 15	who doesnt love sharks ...

08/06/2009, 02:18 PM	#13
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	The person floating in the middle of the atlantic after thier boat sank. White tips are nasty little buggers!!

08/06/2009, 02:42 PM	#14
vickreyreef Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Nova Posts: 331	My husband has done it in Australia and we both did it together in Mexico...send me an email if you want to learn more....I can give you details of who we used etc.....my husband did say it was 100% better in Mexico then in Australia....and the visibility will be much better there then in CA btw...

08/06/2009, 11:55 PM	#15
DamnPepShrimp Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Delaware Posts: 5,152	Amoore, yeah thats pretty bad, haha, but I noticed how thin the acrylic was and there was no bracing. welsher, are you sure? I have ALWAYS heard they only jump in south africa. sikpup, screw the white tips, its the bull sharks that are most dangerous! vickreyreef, great news! Sending you a PM now since you don't have email. Thanks!

08/07/2009, 12:14 AM	#16
flyhigh123 funky member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Hacienda Heights (605 and 60 fwy) Posts: 1,893	http://www.incredible-adventures.com...guadalupe.html

08/07/2009, 12:44 AM	#17
JuliusJames ReefB4H**s Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 623	I swam with sharks once. One was actually swimming after me. Only to find out, it was a nightmare. Then I woke up

08/07/2009, 07:52 AM	#19
rando45 Moved On Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: sea level Posts: 199	i have swam with blacktip reef sharks, zebra sharks, bull sharks, nurse sharks and smaller ones like bamboos. I used to work at a public aquarium.

08/07/2009, 08:24 AM	#20
vickreyreef Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Nova Posts: 331	Damnpepshrimp...you have response....

08/07/2009, 10:47 AM	#22
DamnPepShrimp Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Delaware Posts: 5,152	Wow, I didn't think there would be so many different charters to go! So is the best place Isla Guadalupe to see them? As far as breaching, I've never heard of them doing it, but I guess it is possible. It must be the depth issue because at the farallon islands, all there is to eat is seals! I guess I can narrow it down to just Isla Guadalupe though, prices are around 3k, man, that is a new tank upgrade! I'd love to see them feed, but it doesn't look like any trip throws in tuna's etc to attract them? Only decoys. Although this trip http://www.seesharks.com/guadalupe.php says you can sport fish as well, and when your reeling in a tuna, you could end up losing it to a great white! I really want to be in the cage with them, I'd love to touch one as it swims by, but I doubt they'd let me, haha.

08/07/2009, 10:49 AM	#23
Cracken Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 306	Yea great white diving sounds crazy. i dove with sharks when i was 13 and it was intense. it was at a blue hole in Nassau with like 40-60 of 4-6 ft reef sharks. crazy very peaceful totally ignored our group of divers. however from the blue hole you would see sharks swimming towards you and see there teeth. and they looked so close but were actually like 50-60 feet below us. Yea diving with whites sounds AMAZING

08/07/2009, 10:56 AM	#24
DamnPepShrimp Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Delaware Posts: 5,152	I can't wait, even though it will probably be a couple years before I can go do it. Money and vacation time will be the issue, and finding someone else as crazy as me to actually spend money (let alone 3K) to go face to face with something that could eat you, haha. Anyone want to see if we can get a GP!?