Franco Banfi Photography

Few weeks ago I’ve been in Guadalupe, an island located 280km west of the coast of Baja California. It is nice biological paradise, declared a Special Biosphere Reserve, which emerges from the depths of ocean, from about 4.000mt of water column.
Guadalupe is known worldwide as a first choice destination for anglers’ enthusiasts. It gained a good reputation because of the large quantity of yellow-fin and blue-fin tunas and other pelagic cruising nearby.
It is also the world’s best place to see and dive safely with great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias. The waters surrounding the Mexican island offer exceptional visibility, often exceeding 30 meters, and this makes the difference when we are in the water, trying to have the most from our cameras. Obviously this kind of experience does not happen for chance or good luck , but it is organized until the smallest detail, focusing particularly on the safety of divers and operators, and also the safety and health of the animals.

I trusted of the experience and professionalism of the crew of the Solmar V. For this uncommon underwater experience, I chose the operator who has earned the best reputation: no-one diver neither one shark has ever suffered any damage during their expeditions. Since 2001 they have organized these trips, which have always been successful, ensuring at their guests the best and safest underwater observation of white sharks.
I departed from San Diego –where I met other 12 people and we formed our group- and quickly we crossed the Mexican border and were driven to the port of Ensenada, where Solmar V and its friendly crew were waiting for us. Once the customs formalities were cleared, we set out to the island, where we arrived the next morning.

I repeatedly dived for several hours each days and I have seen great white shark every time. One, two, three sharks at a time, sometimes even 5-6, swam close to the two cages placed at the stern of the boat and to the submerged cage situated at depth of 10 meters, offering a unique show and giving us spectacular photo opportunities.