In 2007 a Great White Shark breached a commercial shark diving cage, tearing it to pieces in an effort to free itself from the structure. The video was shot by tourist divers and uploaded to YouTube. This extraordinary accident is a very well known among shark diving operators at Guadalupe Island, Mexico, and has now hit the mainstream media as an interest piece. Over the last 4 years Ive spent over 200 days working with the Great Whites at Guadalupe and know well the circumstances under which this can occur. News agencies are implying that the shark made a mistake, blindly ramming itself into the cage, destroying it in an effort to free itself. To say that the shark made a mistake is incorrect. The person handling the bait was at fault here. Time for a lesson in shark diving 101. The hang baits are used as a stimulus to attract the sharks close to the cage. Great Whites are extremely visual predators and the sharks at Guadalupe have become quite accustomed to the baits and the potential for a feeding opportunity (more about this later). The use of baits allow divers to take close-up photos through the viewing port (aperture) of the cage. The role of the deckhand or bait handler is critical here as they literally hold the sharks (and divers) safety in their hands. Baits should never be allowed to drift in front of the cage as a Great White in full charge does not have much time to maneuver should it find itself headed into an obstacle. What can we learn? The lesson here is this accident was avoidable. Correct positioning of the hang-bait is a critical part of being a responsible operator. If the baits are never allowed to sit in front of the cage, especially laying diagonally across a possible and likely path of travel, the chance of a cage breech is greatly reduced. Sure, mistakes can happen but this video is testament to how quickly things can go wrong. This incident was put under investigation by the environmental organization in charge of Guadalupe. That said I am not trying to slam or discredit the operator (hence no naming names). They are a very experienced and reputable company with a long history at Guadalupe. However, as this video gets more publicity I think it important to acknowledge the mistake and it would be unfortunate to use this as a marketing tool. In the end as operators we are compelled to use the best practices available to keep the animals and our divers safe. It is worth mentioning that this is an endangered species and the site is a Bio-sphere reserve (like a National Park). Shark Eco-tourism does have its place and has been integral in fostering a research plan and attaining funding for local conservation efforts. This however is a perfect example of what can happen when someone drops their guard or perhaps isn't aware of the proper conduct when working with these animals. For the record the shark got aware relatively unscathed which was fortunate for all involved.

689 Design and Management present Luke Tipple

Wildside Encounters host Luke Tipple leads an expedition to Isla Guadalupe onboard the Nautilus explorer for Sharkdiver.com. Some great shark footage as well as tricky conditions on the island.

Isla Guadalupe is one of the last few untouched places in the world where a traveler can truly feel like they are in an extreme environment. Out here we have no real contact with the outside world except for satellite phones and long range radio. There are no flights, choppers or fast boats to get out there but making the 24 hour sea voyage is well worth it when yo consider that it is the single greatest place to dive with Great White Sharks in the world. Dive conditions are usually 100ft of visibility, deep blue water and beautiful sunny skies. The typically pleasant conditions can be deceptive however and I have seen seemingly perfect weather turn into gale force winds and water spouts within hours!! That day in October was one of the perfect days where the water is calm, the sharks are plentiful and the conditions just ‘feel’ right. I was working on the back deck of the Islander (in my somewhat biased opinion the best boat to dive Guadalupe from) when I watched a 14 ft shark jump 6 feet out of the water followed by what looked like a sauna bath of blood on the surface. Great White sharks are known to jump out of the water in a display called a ‘breach’ which can be used for territorial displays or for feeding… this breach was definitely the later. Luckily Maurico Hoyas, a local researcher that I’ve had the pleasure of working with for three years, had his boat nearby so I yelled for him to come over and we sent one of our lucky divers out to film the action. Credit has to go to Kevin Dean for the footage he brought back, he’s not a pro cameraman but the shots were great. What we witnessed over the next 15 minutes was the Great White shark tear apart a 400 pound Northern Elephant seal. This was the first time that a feeding event such as this had been fimed at Isla Guadalupe which is extremely significant. Prior to this day prominent researchers were still arguing wether the sharks are predating on the huge elephant seals, well guys, they certainly are and Mauricio was right! There was a certain amount of controversy surrounding the filming of this event. During the feeding there were three boats around the shark; ours, a fishermans (local) and another tour operators. The aforementioned operator was there in an inflatable dingy and was asked to leave the area as the shark was acting quite aggressively towards the boats, however they did have a nice camera trained on the shark so I hope one day that footage also come out. In any case the reports of the tenders ‘running over a feeding’ shark were absolutely incorrect, nothing of the kind happened and the scientific value of such footage is undeniable. So anyway we rushed home (taking 24 hours of course) with the footage and I immediately drove to Long Beach to film the into with the 689 design film crew so we could share this footage with everyone. Obviously you enjoyed it and I hope you were not only entertained but educated by this Wildside episode.