Guadalupe Island (Mexico)

[Tank]

Well seen as how the weather has been CRAP here in Ireland, I was glad I had booked a trip of a lifetime earlier in the year.
Finally August arrived and it was time for some serious underwater photography with Great White Sharks in Guadalupe Island !!! and boy were we not disappointed
We had up to 18 different sharks with for the very short 3 days actually photographing in the water (cages). The first one arrived 10 minutes after we anchored up.
I took over 2000 images lol, but most were ruined by the bars from the cage getting in the frame. Then to get the framing and light right was even harder.
So I got a few that I quite like.......

[TimIngmire]

Cool! Very Cool!

Well Derek, long time no see, but it's been worth the wait - fab photos! That really must have been quite an experience?

How did it compare to shooting tigers? Any more that you can tell us about the trip?

Tim

[Cussy]

Derek,
Excellent phots, must have been a great trip. Particularly like the forth shot with the surface reflection.

I went to South Africa a couple of years ago and contacted a few people about do I go west coast for Whites or east coast for Raggies, Tigers and Hammerheads. The reply was "if you want Whites, go to Guadalupe!" I went east coast as a result, so I'll have to do Guadalupe one day

Thanks for sharing,
Rob

PS I just checked your website and the phots there are even better!!!!

[Tank]

It was a great experience. I arrived home Saturday morning and I have been on these pictures sorting and posting everywhere on the internet.
The difference between shooting tigers trip and great whites mainly is great whites trip your in a cage wearing wetsuit and booties. Tiger shark trip is full on scuba gear. Tiger sharks seem a bit easier to be with and photograph. White sharks don't give you much posing time I think it was a lot harder to get good images of the white sharks because your in a cage 10 feet in length and ohh 3 or 4 feet width, And, 4 divers in it at once! Felt like being in a tin of sardines (if i knew what that felt like).
I had my 400d camera set-up with arms for my strobes. As the sharks went by i had the shutter release on continuous. If it wasn't the bars of the cage getting in the way you could be sure it was something else. I resorted to kneeling while the others stood up. It was easier to take portrait shots this way but not so good for landscape ones.
I hope to write a small article about the trip soon(ish)
I would probably recommend (if you haven't done any) the tiger shark trip first. You will get more out of it photographically speaking.
The great white trip is really the only shark you will "hopefully" see. And its not guaranteed.
One guy was on this trip before who was on the boat...He says they seen sharks the last time but the vis was terrible and they never came close to the cages, also the boat trip was blowing around all the time and its a 22 hour boat trip from san diego !! I think we got it lucky We had everything in our favour!

Check out sharkdiver.com !!
Patric is there and he is one nice guy..Tell him Derek Heasley sent ya


Ok cheers
Derek