Dive Review of Shark Diving International/Solmar V in
Mexico (Western)/Mexico

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Shark Diving International/Solmar V, Sep, 2007, by Heidi Sheltry, VA, United States ( Reviewer 4 reports). Report 4124.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The Solmar V runs a great operation and this trip was no exception. Shark Diving International's CEO Laurence Groth and his crew did a fabulous job of making sure that everyone was happy and well taken care of. They ran a very safe operation. The trip begins with an overnight stay in San Diego. The next morning we took a comfortable chartered bus for a 4 hour ride across the boarder to Ensenada Mexico where the Solmar V is docked. The ride out to Guadalupe took about 22 hours because the sea was very rough. There were huge swells and several people were sea sick. The wind and swells did not let up once we anchored at the Island. It was so rough and windy that the crew could not get the cages in the water. With diving not a possibility we hung around in the salon and watched jaws 1, 2 & 3. The next day the wind and swells died down enough to put the surface cages in but not the submersible cage. The sharks came the minute they put the cages in water and were there on every dive. Because the water was rough we had only one day to use the submersible cage that went down to 25 feet. Spending time in this cage was the ultimate rush. The front and back of the cage each have about a 4 foot opening so the view was unobstructed. Taking pictures while in the surface cages was a challenge. There were so many small fish that it was hard to capture a shark without a fish in its face. The crew did their best to get them out of the way by putting chum in the water away from the approaching sharks. The little fish would go after the chum leaving a clear view of the sharks. In the submersible cage the small fish were not a problem so the encounters were incredible. The ride back to Ensenada was worse than the ride out. Even with the high seas and windy weather this was a trip that was well worth it. Two thumbs up!!!
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Fiji, Indonesia, Panama, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Honduras, Florida, Saba, St Kitts, North Carolina, British Columbia, California, hawaii
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, cloudy	Seas	choppy, no currents
Water Temp	68-72°F / 20-22°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	50-70 Ft/ 15-21 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	30 minutes in the top-side cages 4 times a day.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Large camera table in the center of the dive deck. Seperate rinse tank for cameras.

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Dive Review of Shark Diving International/Solmar V in Mexico (Western)/Mexico

Shark Diving International/Solmar V, Sep, 2007,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Shark Diving International/Solmar V in
Mexico (Western)/Mexico