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  • (dramatic music) (splash)

  • - Believe it or not, this was potentially

  • the most dangerous step of my entire life.

  • Oh, and did I mention this was an experimental craft?

  • Jump in, and miss grabbing the cage, you sink, fast.

  • (splash) (dramatic music)

  • (dramatic music)

  • (light music) (sound of waves)

  • Welcome back to Guadalupe, Mexico,

  • the site of our very first great white shark encounters.

  • Aboard the Socorro Vortex, we traveled over 175 miles

  • to this prehistoric island in hopes of getting up close

  • with the world's largest predatory shark.

  • Here we go.

  • And as millions of you witnessed,

  • that's exactly what we did.

  • But what if I were to tell you

  • that we really didn't come all of this way

  • for an ordinary shark cage adventure?

  • What if I were to tell you the real reason we came this far

  • was to embark on the single most daring mission

  • we've ever attempted?

  • Today, I will take you even closer to the most famous

  • set of jaws on earth in a one of a kind

  • shark cage submarine.

  • By now, I'm sure everyone watching this video

  • has at least seen images of a great white shark before.

  • But have you ever seen a S.P.O.C.?

  • Probably not because this self-propelled ocean cage

  • is highly experimental and can only be piloted

  • by one of two people in the entire world.

  • Now the sharks will let us get close in this?

  • - Oh yeah.

  • - Or ar they gonna get close to us?

  • - Both. - Both?

  • - Yeah.

  • - Meet Erick Higuera, our pilot for today's mission

  • and a world renowned marine biologist

  • and ocean photographer.

  • - So no matter what we're not gonna sink?

  • - Well that's on the

  • that would be the second step. - That's not,

  • that's not, that's not what I wanted to hear.

  • (chuckling)

  • I want you to say, "Yeah, we're not gonna sink."

  • - You are in charge of monitoring your own

  • air supply system.

  • I won't be able to monitor that.

  • If you run out of air, it's gonna be your fault.

  • - You're probably asking yourself or maybe even

  • yelling at your screen, "Why are you putting yourself

  • in this situation?"

  • Well, what we know of these mysterious creatures

  • has been limited to years of topside observation,

  • cage diving, and the infrequent free dive experiences

  • that only a few have lived to speak of.

  • So this vehicle truly represents an evolution

  • in our understanding of the world's most famous shark

  • which is also perhaps the world's most famous animal.

  • All right, so we had our debriefing with Erick

  • on the self-propelled ocean cage a.k.a. S.P.O.C.

  • and I have to say I am so excited to get out there

  • in the water in this research vehicle.

  • This is going to be probably one of the most unique

  • experiences you could have with great white sharks

  • in a safe way without free diving.

  • Certainly someday I'd love to have the opportunity

  • to free dive with great white sharks

  • but this about as close as you're gonna get

  • here in Guadalupe and now all we need to do

  • is go get suited up, get our cameras ready

  • and get out there for some action.

  • As if this activity in of itself wasn't dangerous enough,

  • the technical nature of this dive

  • was also quite daunting.

  • I would need to wear a full face regulator

  • in order to maybe have communication with the pilot.

  • However, underwater comms are notoriously unreliable.

  • I would also be wearing a pony bottle vc

  • in the case of an emergency bailout

  • in which I would need to rip off my full face reg to use it.

  • Not ideal.

  • Additionally, I would be wearing nearly 30 pounds of weight

  • without fins and I would sink like a rock

  • one foot outside the confines of the cage.

  • Oh, and did I mention this was an experimental craft?

  • The connections and critical mechanisms were all exposed

  • and at risk of damage from the divers.

  • If I were to kick one accidentally,

  • it could prove catastrophic.

  • Erick is in the S.P.O.C.

  • I'm about to get in the S.P.O.C.

  • And then we're about to go, get up close,

  • there's some giant sharks. - Okay, it's your time

  • to get in.

  • - Okay, here we go guys. See ya.

  • This was potentially the most dangerous step of the day,

  • and potentially of my entire life.

  • (dramatic music)

  • Jump in and miss grabbing the cage, you sink.

  • Fast.

  • This was a one-shot deal.

  • A no-miss scenario.

  • This wasn't just water, it might has well have been

  • looking off a 50 story skyscraper.

  • This was it.

  • (dramatic music builds) (splash)

  • Whew!

  • As soon as I got hold of the bar,

  • I pulled myself into the cage.

  • And what had seemed roomy on the deck,

  • had suddenly shrunk and there was barely

  • any room to move.

  • (dramatic music)

  • All right I'm all set, ready to go.

  • But what was worse, my headset was silent.

  • The communications had already failed.

  • Erick and I would rely solely on hand signals

  • for the entirety of the dive.

  • In a way, I was now completely on my own.

  • Once settled and breathing normally, I set the cameras

  • and gave Erick the signal to launch.

  • In an instant we were off.

  • The rush of water pressing against me

  • as we glided below the boat was much more intense

  • than I expected.

  • Great. Another obstacle.

  • After adapting to these new sensations,

  • the environment came into view

  • clear and brilliant blues to my sides and above

  • with a dark ominous floor below

  • which wasn't really a floor at all,

  • instead, literally thousands of feet of water.

  • The sharks were all around us

  • yet none of them were in sight.

  • So we began our descent in hopes of meeting

  • a great white shark face to face.

  • (dramatic music)

  • Erick zipped the S.P.O.C. up and down

  • checking different depths for shadows

  • and signs of movement.

  • The thermoclines or temperature layers were dramatic.

  • Each dive down would zap us with freezing cold water

  • and the light would retreat right along with it.

  • (bubbling sound)

  • It was very dark below 60 feet,

  • a perfect environment for these sharks

  • as they have adapted retinas that are actually split,

  • one part suited for surface light

  • and one part adapted for darkness.

  • And while we certainly require wet suits

  • to regulate our body temperatures

  • to keep from hypothermia,

  • the sharks are able to regulate their bodies

  • all on their own.

  • (bubbling sound) (dramatic music)

  • We had been looking for nearly 25 minutes

  • without a single sign of a shark.

  • But then, I saw a shadow to my right.

  • It was big.

  • I signaled to Erick to turn starboard

  • and as soon as he did, a great white swam into view.

  • I should've been alarmed the way it seemed

  • to appear from nowhere.

  • However, with my camera rolling,

  • I was thrilled to feel our speed increase

  • to keep up with the predator.

  • I couldn't risk missing the shot.

  • The shark easily outflanked us and for a moment,

  • seemed to be gone entirely.

  • Then, it quickly doubled back and was in front of us again.

  • However, we never really got that close.

  • A first sighting, yes, but the shot we were after,

  • not at all.

  • This adventure was far from over.

  • (dramatic music)

  • After relief of getting some footage had washed over me,

  • I was back on the lookout.

  • Great whites can grow up to one ton

  • and over 18 feet in length and swim at speeds

  • in excess of 30 miles an hour.

  • Even with the S.P.O.C. to protect us,

  • I couldn't help but feel completely outmatched.

  • But who could blame me?

  • It's not every day you find yourself in the kill zone,

  • a favorite hunting ground of the great white.

  • Again, we dashed around the grounds.

  • Only sardines and other fish came into view.

  • And after 45 minutes, I began to think that was it.

  • That was as close as we were going to get.

  • When then, Erick suddenly turned.

  • He must of seen something I hadn't.

  • I knew we were near the boat,

  • but I wasn't quite sure how close.

  • And then I saw the shark.

  • (dramatic music builds)

  • It was swimming straight for us.

  • All I could do was breathe and keep my camera

  • as steady as possible.

  • This was it, the encounter of a lifetime.

  • (dramatic music) (bubbling)

  • Time slowed in that moment.

  • And as the shark moved and swam back around

  • for an even closer look,

  • the fact that I was being observed and calculated

  • by this creature, was unmistakeable.

  • A real connection between myself and the shark

  • that I had been dreaming to meet had finally happened.

  • (bubbling) (music builds)

  • As it turned and swam away, a sense of relief came over me.

  • I was ready to be back on the boat

  • but I wanted to tell everyone the tale

  • of how obvious and beneficial vessels like the S.P.O.C.

  • would be for revealing the true nature

  • of this misunderstood species.

  • I certainly would be walking away today

  • with a brand new perspective that I never thought possible.

  • Whew!

  • We got really close to a shark.

  • That was awesome!

  • That was the shot we needed.

  • So much more intense than I thought it was going to be.

  • Just gimme a second, need to like,

  • absorb the fact that I'm back on the boat (chuckling)

  • Wow! What an experience!

  • Getting to be in the realm of the great white shark

  • in a shark cage submersible,

  • are you kidding me?!

  • That was the coolest thing I have ever done!

  • The water vis got pretty bad at the end.

  • But we did get to see some great white sharks up close.

  • In fact, that last one, I thought was gonna hit the camera.

  • Huge thank you to the Socorro Vortex

  • and all the crew that helped us out today.

  • A special thanks to Erick for captaining the S.P.O.C.

  • and keeping me safe so I can get those up close shots

  • for everybody at home.

  • I hope you guys love this episode as much as I did.

  • Make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell

  • so you don't miss a second of the action ahead

  • on Blue Wilderness.

  • I'm Mark Vins.

  • Be brave.

  • Stay wild.

  • We'll see you on the next dive. All right.

  • I'm gonna go warm up and dry off.

  • As the boat departed back to the mainland,

  • I couldn't help but be grateful for all that took place

  • these last few days in Guadalupe.

  • I knew I would be back.

  • When? I don't really know.

  • For another round in the S.P.O.C.?

  • Probably not.

  • I won't lie, that was pretty crazy.

  • Sorry mom.

  • If you thought this adventure was crazy

  • go back and watch us in a surface cage

  • to learn more about these world famous predators

  • and why they call Guadalupe home.

  • The place we are at right now is known as the kill zone,

  • and as you can imagine,

  • the great white shark's favorite buffet.

  • But our goal isn't to see seals getting eaten

  • while we're out here.

  • Our goal is get under the water in the realm

  • of the great white sharks so we can get the cameras

  • up close and personal

  • with one of the world's top marine predators.

  • (wings flapping and outdoor sounds)

(dramatic music) (splash)

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