It was the year 2007 when Mike Lever, the owner of Nautilus Explorer made the first shark cage to be tested. I was the one tasked to be the first one to try it out.
They said it was designed by a naval architect. Perfect!
I took a look at it and said, “Wait…” Then I went and picked up my BCD and regulator. I didn’t trust the damn thing.
They sent me down to 15 meters and later on I was floating on the surface like a fishing lure for white sharks… 15 meters off the stern of Nautilus Explorer. I was not happy.
Overnight Tim Courtier, my good friend, and I redesigned it and made the first submersible shark cage on the Nautilus.
A lot has happened since then. The cages are now safe and have a lot of space inside.
When I was first asked to come and work with the great whites, I said, “OK, but I’m a diver and this cage thing…” Well, I have changed my mind. I have learned a lot from going up and down in the cages eight times a day, watching these animals for years. Yet I still don’t know enough.
What about diving outside the cage?
Some people say cage diving is not the real thing, that diving without it is the real deal. There are those who do the latter, and I know a few of them; I have considered it myself when I am occasionally asked.
I have spoken to people who know more than I do. Rodney Fox, who got bitten by a great white said to me, “I think it’s a bad way to do business.” Ralf Kiefner, author of some excellent books on whales and sharks, said, “Yes, maybe, but not in the blue and at a depth of 70 meters.”
It’s not the shark you see, but the one you don’t see, I always say.
I just got back from a month-long work on the smaller vessel of the Nautilus fleet, which has also expanded a lot since my first contract with the company. (I do work independently, but I have been with the company for 14 years.) We spotted 47 different animals in 3 days on our last trip.
If you want to see great white sharks in 40-meter visibility, Guadalupe is the place.
