| | | Guadalupe Island has long had a reputation for huge white sharks. For years, fishermen have claimed to have had white sharks steal their yellowfin tuna just as the tuna is reeled in to the boat. On past diving trips we have talked with the local Mexican fishermen, who work the island year round; one told us that in the winter, when elephant seals crowd the bolder beaches at the north end of the island, you can walk across water on the backs of the sharks. The only people who meet Guadalupe Island's white sharks -- in open water -- are those who choose to dive Guadalupe Island for pleasure or out of necessity. Mexican hookah divers work the island for lobsters and abalone, and have reported to us that they commonly see white sharks. White sharks have visited divers on some of our past spearfishing and scuba diving trips at the island, making what appear to be inquisitive passes. Tragically, two freediving spearfishermen have been attacked during the 80's while hunting for tuna at Guadalupe Island, one fatally. | Great white sharks are found throughout California and northern Baja, although they are not common. In fact, they are a protected species in California. Scientific estimates suggest there are a few hundred adult white sharks roaming the state's coastal waters. Areas in central California where white shark feeding activities frequently occur include the Farallon Islands, Ano Nuevo Reserve (site of a large elephant seal population), the Northern Channel Islands and the Marin headlands. Evidence exists suggesting that gravid (pregnant) female white sharks travel to southern California to give birth -- it may be that these waters offer young white sharks better odds of survival. As the sharks grow their metabolism changes, biasing their dietary requirements toward calorie-rich fatty prey, causing them to travel to areas where they can feed upon marine mammals. Guadalupe Island is one such place! |
