Get to know the Great White Sharks of Guadalupe Island

 
Over the last couple of weeks I wrote about a few of the Great White Sharks we encounter at Guadalupe Island. Before I introduce you to more of those, I want to tell you a bit about the sharks we are less familiar with. While we have a lot of sharks we see every year, or every other year for the females, there are many that don't follow that pattern. Some sharks we have only seen during one season, while others visit Guadalupe at irregular intervals.

"Geoff Nuttall" was a regular from 2003 until 2011, then he wasn't seen for 2 years, before returning to his annual returns in 2014.

"Geoff Nuttall"

Quezalcoatl, #58 in our database was first seen in 2005 and then didn't appear until 2013, an absence of 8 years. Where did he go during those 8 years? While we have really good tracking data from the sharks that were outfitted with satellite tags, showing the migration pattern of the sharks we see regularly, we have no data on where the shark we see infrequently are going. There is so much we don't know.

#56 Quetztalcoatl

Dr. Bob, a very curious and active 13" sub-adult shark only visited in 2014, the now world famous "Deep Blue" was seen in 1999 and then again in 2012. "Lou", "Oscar" and "Hefe" all had absences of 6 or more years, before showing up again. Some of these absences may simply be due to them not showing up at the cages during those years. We simply don't know.

Below is a video of "Dr. Bob". Check out his bite marks on the right and look at his eyes as he swims over the camera. He's looking straight down at the divers.

My favorite shark, "Shredder" has not been seen since 2011, after 11 continuous years at Guadalupe. I hope that his absence is just like those of the other sharks that were taking a break from visiting Guadalupe, but I have to say that I'm worried about him. He's never been the most careful individual in the first place, as evidenced by his many scars and mutilations.

Anyway, I can't wait to go back to Guadalupe and see who's back. I'm equally excited to meet some new sharks. In the last 2 years we added over 50 new individuals to our database! Are they going to be back? Come join us for a real "sharkweek" and find out!

Call us at 619.887.4275, email crew@sharkdiver.com or visit www.sharkdiver.com for more info.

Let's go Shark Diving!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.