Hi All -
My wife and I are giving serious thought to trying some cage diving with Great Whites off the Farralon Islands this Fall. I have been researching websites on this, but thought I would get the scoop from anyone here that might know about it. It looks like an intense adventure, and is something I have always wanted to try. Among other questions, is there a best time to go? They look to limit the season to a fairly short number of weeks in the Fall, and my wife and I were thinking in mid-October simply because it was right in the heart of the season, but would be flexible if it was better earlier, or later. Also, a 'hookah' air delivery system is what is used instead of your own tanks and as a diver, I have no knowledge of this either. Any comments are welcome.
Thanks
Chris
I find that a great part of the fun in diving, is the part that is unpredictable. I know when I hit the ocean I want to see sharks. I also know, that that doesn't happen all the time. If it is your be-all-to-end-all to see Great Whites, this is your ticket. When it comes to some of these trips, I often think of the hunting shows on tv where the host of the show will go to a closed hunting ranch where feeding machines run all the time, or when they ride in the back of jeeps in Africa, see a Gazelle, stop the car,-shoot,-pictures and back at the lodge for lunch. A true hunter, who waits all day- even all week, appreciates a sought after encounter far more than someone who is handed it. Some of the best aspects of diving are the things you don't expect! Find a divemaster who will point out SO many things, that it won't matter if you saw sharks or not. As far as Hookah goes, your certified right? Who wants to go back to training wheels? Leave the hookah for the Dead Head divers. :o
Sounds like fun. I would do this kind of cage diving in a heartbeat.
You could dive your whole life without encountering a great white. I don't care about the thrill of the hunt. I wouldn't want to find myself in open water with one of those animals.
I don't see any problems with the hookah. It makes more sense than strapping on a tank and bouncing around in a small cage at shallow depths.
Mark from Smith Diving
I went to the Farralon Islands to cage dive with the Great Whites 6 years ago. You WILL NEED at least a 7mm suit, hood, gloves and boots. It is a 5-6 hr boat ride to the islands from San Francisco. The only thing we saw was jellyfish. I have heard there sightings have gone down further. If you do decide to go be ready to just spend a day on the boat. You don't get a refund if you don't see anything (it is the ocean after all). I traveled through Great White Adventures. Hope this helps in your decision.
Thanks for the responses. I am very interested in this type of trip, but after some more research, we decided to try a longer trip out of the Guadalupe Islands instead. The person I talked to basically affirmed what you said below Mark - cold water, limited visibility, and chances for seeing them are usually only swim-bys, instead of 100' viz and having them circle the boat for hours on end as it seems is common in Guadalupe area. Not sure when we plan to go, but this is definitely on our 'bucket list'. Concur with not wishing to see one of these anywhere but in a cage. Love the surprises of diving, but this is not one of them.