Diving with Great Whites – Cageless

For some, the ultimate thrill – but for others, the stuff of nightmares: Divers in Mexico’s Baja California are swimming freely and even interacting with one of the sea’s apex predators.

Guadalupe Island is a seasonal feeding ground, where Great White sharks (Carcharodon Carcharias)  gather to feed on seals and sea lions. Situated some 260km offshore, the island has become a popular destination for shark-seekers. But Amos Nachoum, of Big Animal Adventures, who also operates a number of other “unique adventures”, has taken a giant stride beyond, and allows/encourages its customers to shed the barriers and swim freely with these magnificent animals.

It’s well-known that great whites are ambush predators – they avoid detection and deal a crippling, if not lethal, blow from below, above or behind. This hunting strategy probably developed from avoidance of cetaceans’ echolocation, as marine mammals comprise a large part of the sharks’ diet (which also includes sea turtles, rays, and birds, among other things).

Does the fun factor outweigh the risk? Speaking from experience, Pete Thomas writes:

“Thanks, but no thanks.” I’ve been to Guadalupe twice and have leaned from wide gaps in the cage bars to obtain proper angles for photos and observation. Though the water is stunningly clear and I could see sharks approaching from far off, I was astonished at how some of the sharks would mysteriously vanish and then reappear directly behind me.

The general consensus of other operators in the area (all of whom assume varying amounts of risk in executing these tours) is that Nachoum is going to unacceptably dangerous lengths to survive in a highly competitive market. Patric Douglas, owner-operator of longstanding local cage-diving outfit Shark Diver, calls cageless great white dives “insanity”.

But Nachoum believes that divers can safely swim with great whites, at their level in the water column and under the proper conditions. He personally decides whether conditions are favourable, weighing factors such as number such as aggression level and number of sharks present. Nachoum boasts a high level of experience with these types of encounter, having led National Geographic teams documenting great whites, killer whales and more.

The controversy touches upon some larger issues.

In a best-case scenario, incredible photographs get published, awareness of sharks’ global plight is raised, and new reverence is born for an animal largely regarded as a cold, unthinking predator – an “eating machine”, if I remember my Jaws.

In a worst-case scenario, well… something goes wrong. A diver is injured or killed, the attack is widely publicized (as these stories usually are), and not just sharks but the entire scuba industry are maligned in the public eye. Such an incident would almost certainly result in a federal ban on diving in the area. With divers currently acting as the only real lookouts for illegal fishing activity, the door would then be wide open for poachers who could easily wipe out the shark population of Guadalupe Island.

Amos Nachoum thinks:

“…we just chum the water lightly to get their attention, and then enter their world and admire who they are and what they do. We take this bold action one step at a time, all the while aware that this is a thoroughly wild animal — but also knowing that their bad rap is largely unsubstantiated and undeserved. And so, we use our spectacular wildlife photography to show the rest of the world that everything they think they know about the great white shark is wrong. That’s a pretty cool thing for us humans to do.”

While Patric Douglas says:

“What’s going on here is not sustainable over the long haul and is a disrespect to the Biosphere rules and regulations, Mexico, and ultimately the sharks.”

The dive community is the authority here… so what do you think?