Located 150 miles off the west coast of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula lies the volcanic island of Isla Guadalupe. It is a little known island, best known for its proximity to one of the most dense great white shark populations in the Western hemisphere.
In the second week of December 2017, five ocean-loving organizations came together to observe and document these majestic creatures.
Fins Attached, BMG, Global Sub Dive and Project Baseline have all worked together in the past, intertwining the subsidiaries of BMG as well – Earlier this year, M/Y Sharkwater spent some time in Fort Lauderdale, Florida undergoing service and getting a few upgrades provided by BMG including: two L&W compressors for SCUBA tank fill, a, NitroxMaker™ system, Third Lung™ built-in hoses and a complete dive station installation.
This expedition was an exciting opportunity for these organizations to come together to support Discovery Channel in their mission to bring viewers amazing stories and experiences from the underwater world for the 30th year of the network’s highly anticipated, summer television event – Shark Week.
The mission to document the great whites was a great success. Dedicated Project Baseline volunteer, Douglas Brandon, stated “We’ve documented some amazing habitat and some amazing behavior.” Through these observations, researchers discovered characteristics of the great white sharks that contradict the conventional portrayal and public perception of the species. BMG and Global Sub Dive owner, Robert Carmichael, says “In observing their behavior from the comfort of the submarine, we’re allowed to spend a lot of time quietly watching and I learned that the great white shark is very patient and curious. They sometimes spend more than half an hour circling bait or anything of interest to determine whether to attack it or not.”
Sharks are typically portrayed as aggressive and erratic toward humans. This does not seem to be the case in their natural habitat – “We had divers in the shark cages mere feet away from the great white sharks each day. The sharks never seemed to take an interest in the divers,” added Carmichael.
This isn’t the first time these fine brands have come together and it certainly won’t be the last.
Keep an eye out for this superb Fins Attached, Project Baseline, Global Sub Dive, Brownie’s Marine Group and Discovery Channel collaboration on Shark Week 2018.