Meet Great White and Pacific Blue Sharks when you dive beneath the waters in our special shark-viewing cage off the Farallon Islands (Farallones) in … The Farallon Islands look rugged and tough but is rather fragile, Schramm says. Dive with great white sharks the size of school buses. • Galapagos Islands (4.5 meters to 6.1 meters). Please understand this company offers no refunds for any reason. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. but even so felt it was well worth the opportunity to see a Great White up close. read more, Think really hard about this one before you sign and give them your money. Happy diving! They lie 27 miles (43 km) outside the Golden Gate and 20 miles (32 km) south of Point Reyes. However, Great White Shark Adventures is still very active on facebook telling people to call or email them to BOOK dives. :). i asked a local about the sharks and he was a regular at the farallon islands on fishing trips and informed me that it is 1/100 chance to see great white sharks.PLEASE AVOID AT ALL COSTS. I believe there are some out in the Farallon Isands for Great Whites but don't know much about them. So they throw out 2 fake seal decoys while you are diving. This trip was a total rip off, and I think the captain knows it and everyone on the boat that day felt it. The Neptune Islands is a rare and special location for shark diving. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. Due to the financial cost of this dive, the company requires you to have trip insurance (thankfully); however, you have to recieve a letter from the dive company explaining why the dive was cancelled for insurance purposes, etc. i asked a local about the sharks and he was a regular at the farallon islands on fishing trips and informed me that it is 1/100 chance to see great white sharks.PLEASE AVOID AT ALL COSTS. NO sharks, no guarantees, and no refunds of course. Cage Shark diving with Lucy the 21ft 2,400 Lbs Adult Great White and the Gopro. Think really hard about this one before you sign and give them your money. Well, after over 30 calls to them the day after we received the cancellation email to try and receive the form needed and over 5 emails- I was NEVER able to get a hold of anybody from Great White Shark Adventures. My son and I did the trip to the Farallon Islands with Great White Adventures in October..supposedly the best time for seeing great whites. Shark-diving experiences off the coasts of northern California and Mexico. The trip was cancelled due to weather conditions, which is understandable, but they will literally ignore you when you try to get a refund. It’s an incredible adventure in an incredible place. NBC California Live correspondent, Ross Thomas, takes viewers on an exciting expedition to the Farallon Islands in search of Great White Sharks. Dive with great white sharks at San Francisco’s Farallon Islands, at Isla Guadalupe and near Cape Town and Gansbaai in South Africa. Several other reviewers have mentioned a trend in this company's high number of cancellations which means this company is making a lot of money off tours that don't happen. To be fair, we were warned ahead of time that there was a risk of cancellation and we were told to purchase trip insurance, which we purchased. With that said...for the money spent you must understand you are rolling the dice. Each fall, between 15 and 50 sharks arrive at the islands. Think really hard about this one before you sign and give them your money. This company. Go to a destination where they are legally permitted to bait the sharks if your ultimate goal is a must see otherwise prepare for a nice boat ride with a "chance" to see a shark swim by. They don't do ANYTHING to try and attract sharks because they are not ALLOWED to. Save a little extra money and a few more vacation days and goto Guadalupe instead. But you are paying $900 to see some jellyfish, maybe a whale and some sea lions, but no sharks. FARALLON ISLANDS, CALIFORNIA, USA. I’m sure it’s a blast if you actually go. we did not see a shark on our first dive but did on our second cage dive. The last location to view the Pacific population of great white sharks is the Farallon Islands off the San Francisco coast in the United States. Our shark boats are staffed with certified dive instructors who oversee the safety of those in the shark … The sharks mainly visit the island in the fall. I guess the right person checked the facebook page because I FINALLY recieved a phone call. more. We planned our entire trip out and couldn't wait. See more ideas about farallon islands, island, national wildlife refuge. - See 80 traveler reviews, 28 candid photos, and great deals for Emeryville, CA, at Tripadvisor. Do NOT give them your money. Diving with white sharks is a common item on bucket lists, and trips normally fill up. It’s Sharktober! If you dispute the charge, they will fight you. I finally decide to reach out to them on facebook since they were actively posting pictures of the dives from Guadalupe. We typically leave the dock before sunrise to insure we’re on location during peak sighting times. Treat them better...So with all of this being said, BUYER BEWARE of purchasing your dive trip to the Farrollon Islands. we came all the way from the UK to do the great white dive on the 16th of November 2019. they sent us an email saying the weather was too risky and had to cancel. Kock said data from the Farallon Islands in the U.S. showed that great white sharks have been known to "stay away for months at a time, even if killer whales only briefly visited" for attacks. GWA is a scam. In 1998 commercial shark diving took hold and developed into a thriving business. I'm not sure....but with as much as it costs to book a dive and then to have it cancelled, there should be better communication with their customers to assist them in getting documents that are needed.If I don't return customers phone calls or emails with my job, I don't think my boss would be very happy. Great white shark diving expeditions to the Farallon Islands from San Francisco or to Isla de Guadalupe, Mexico from San Diego. We paid several hundred dollars each to view sharks top-side (not cage dive). The Farallon Islands are home to one of several seal island colonies. The lack of teeth marks can tell you that. (4.5 meters to 6.1 meters). Well, Sunday, October 22, I recieved an email at 2:00pm that due to high swells, the dive was going to be cancelled. These islands are home once a year to a wide range of migrating animal species not to mention a favorite feeding ground for some of the largest great whites in the world. The Farallon Islands, or Farallones, are a group of islands and rocks found in the Gulf of the Farallones, off the coast of San Francisco, California, USA. We planned our entire trip out and couldn't wait. Just because you buy trip insurance does not mean you will get your money back. Michael Pierson / San Francisco Whale Tours Show More Show Less 20 of 21 A great white shark swims in the waters off the Farallon Islands in this … With all the excitement and anticipation for this dive, of course I was absolutely devasated. I think they’re aware most people travel to come there and will not be around to fight any of this a few days later. Home; DELE Exams; Grammar; Tips; Vocabulary Beautiful weather. Follow this site or on Facebook for booking details. Well, shockingly enough- that email was never received. A no refund policy, particularly given their reason for cancellation, is not standard in the tour industry. more. In February 2017, I booked a dive for my husband and I to dive on October 23 with Great White Shark Adventures in the Farrollon Islands. I have now returned to the UK and they wont answer any emails, they dont answer your calls. It has been a dream of mine since I was a kid to go cage diving with the Great White Sharks. Join Shark Conservationist and Naturalist David McGuire and other wildlife specialists celebrating sharks and all ocean life on a life-changing expedition into the Gulf of the Farallones for whales, wildlife and our finny friends. Everyone was geared up and ready to go. Our one-day white shark adventures depart from Fisherman’s Wharf in the heart of San Francisco. Plus, they have been using this same decoy day after day, season after season, and the sharks are accustomed to it so they don't approach it anymore. GWA will not refund you your money. Next year I will be going to the Isle of Guadalupe where waters are baited and your chances of seeing these magnificent creators are almost 100%. He's ripping people off. The crew is nice and professional. Aren't customers the reason Great White Shark Adventures is a successful company? Be prepared to spend a long day at sea making memories. We will resume our Farallon Island expeditions in September. It’s been weeks without a response, and at. A Great White Shark Cage Dive can be quite expensive and there are only a few places in the world where you can do them. The crew was professional and friendly! Read through the reviews on Tripadvisor and see what you think. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Im sure back in the day when Great White Shark Adventures was running trips out to the island they were allowed to do all sorts of things but now there are very strict regulations around the island and yet the captain keeps taking people out there and ripping them off. This company. This company. To me, that's not good business and absolutely awful customer service. Shark Diving: Great White Shark Cage Diving, Farallon Islands, off San Francisco, California with Dive Discovery. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Learn little-known facts about one of the ocean’s most feared predators from our knowledgeable shark team. Ask Natalie A about Great White Adventures, Trip Cancelled - Alameda/San Fran Location, Ask Sydneys585 about Great White Adventures, We had a great time and seen a huge shark feed, Hotels near McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, Hotels near (SJC) Mineta San Jose Intl Airport, Hotels near (OAK) Metropolitan Oakland Intl Airport, Hotels near International College Of Cosmetology, Hotels near Argosy University San Francisco, Hotels near American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hotels near Peralta Community College District, Surfing, Windsurfing & Kitesurfing in Emeryville, Historical & Heritage Tours in Emeryville, McLaughlin Eastshore State Park: Tickets & Tours‎. The water is cold so make sure your suit fits right my dive buddy froze when he rented a suit with out trying it on first. The woman I spoke to explained to me her apologies and that as soon as we hung up she would immediately send me over the documents I needed to submit a claim to the insurance for a refund. The trip we booked was cancelled because of weather (fair enough). If you are considering this tour company please beware.My husband and I made arrangements to travel from Washington to California exclusively for this tour. However the night before we were supposed to go they called at 9!PM and cancelled because the boat broke down. Well if so this is the adventure you! Trip insurance does not cover much of anything so. The day before we were to fly out the company called and cancelled the trip siting "mechanical issues with the cage crane". It’s the only place in Australia that you can cage dive with great white sharks. Although the policy was supposed to pay out 150% of the trip for a trip interruption, they refused. began the nightmare. Not an answer of the phone when I call, not a return email with anything, NOTHING. We booked a trip for this fall, with 7 divers, including out-of-towners. The only tour I could find reviewed is Great White Adventures.Their reviews on Tripadvisor are generally negative, whether because the Farallones are a protected sanctuary (so you can't chum the waters, hence your chance of seeing a shark is limited) or for other reasons. The Trip insurance is largely non-responsive, requires multiple documents, and ultimately does everything possible to avoid paying out claims. Great white sharks are one of the many species found at the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, 30 miles west of San Francisco. The Farallones are a mysterious place that time seems to have forgotten. The Gulf of the Farrallones National Marine Sanctuary is home to some of the world's largest great white sharks. They do NOT bait the sharks so your encounter is by chance only. What if I didn't have email on my phone? I wish I'd never heard of them. Get into the water with great white sharks the size of cars. It’s unclear how many sharks visit the Farallon Islands each season, but estimates range from 30 to 100 individuals and they include some of the largest specimens ever recorded. Shark diving at the Farallons has, until recently, been conducted from floating cages, and sharks are attracted to the cage using seal-like decoys. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. On top of that- after spending so much money on a dive, the only thing you get is a single email stating it is cancelled and then you never hear from them again. Photos of the ultimate adventure for sport divers! When finding out about the dive in the Farrollon Islands, it was a MUST do! You are forced to go through their trip insurance provider. Spanish Kit. With all the excitement and anticipation for this dive, of course I was absolutely devasated. The Farallon Islands are only 26 miles west of San Francisco but feel remote. It's hazy what number of sharks visit the Farallon Islands each season, yet gauges extend from 30 to 100 people and they incorporate probably the biggest examples at any point recorded. Scuba Diving the Farallon Islands. As the other comments mention - FALSE ADVERTISING - all the pictures on their website are from the Guadalupe Island trip where they are allowed to chum and bait and do whatever it takes to get the sharks to come to the cage. Evidently they are not allowed to bait the waters due to the area being protected. Once in a lifetime experience: Great White Shark Diving at Seal Island in Mossel Bay. AVOID!!!!! In hindsight I wish I would have went there instead. Can the people BOOKING dives get a hold of them? The dive operator decided to cancel the trip because of a little wind. when i was there, i drove to their location, they dont even have an office, just a small boat on the docks. My dream was FINALLY coming true! If you are thinking of going to Farallon islands to see sharks, DONT GO. Hola! Hotels near McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, Hotels near (SJC) Mineta San Jose Intl Airport, Hotels near (OAK) Metropolitan Oakland Intl Airport, Surfing, Windsurfing & Kitesurfing in Emeryville, Historical & Heritage Tours in Emeryville, McLaughlin Eastshore State Park: Tickets & Tours‎. Avoid this company at all costs as it is 110 percent fraudelent. Apparently it is VERY common for these dives to get cancelled and it is a bit concerning to me how impossible it is to get a hold of this company. This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. ... just a small boat on the docks. Watch from the deck as white sharks prey on the local seal population. So they throw out 2 fake seal decoys while you are diving. My dream was FINALLY coming true! Needless to say though, it happens. Learn how to speak Spanish . Shark-diving experiences off the coasts of northern California and Mexico. read more, It has been a dream of mine since I was a kid to go cage diving with the Great White Sharks. If you have $800 to through away and a day to kill SF, go for it. It looks great on paper, but the result will be pain and heartache. I'm not in the habit of reviewing tours I did not get the chance to go on but I think this company is very sketchy given our cancellation experience. We had a great time and got to see a huge shark. Oct 17, 2015 - Explore C I's board "Farallon Islands" on Pinterest. Travel 30 miles offshore to San Francisco's Farallon Islands for an incredible day (or two) of shark diving. They are visible from the mainland on clear days. Since 1991, we have arranged trips to exotic locations utilizing the best dive and land adventure specialists. NOW LEAVING FROM MARINA BAY YACHT HARBOR - RICHMOND MARINA IN SAN FRANCISCO'S EAST BAY. The trip was cancelled due to weather conditions, which is understandable, but... But you would probably have a better chance if you just bought $800 worth of lottery tickets.He really needs to stop running trips out to the Farallons and stick with the Guadalupe trip. Because believe me by the time I paid for air fare and a hotel room It would have been the same price! I was stupid enough not to review tripadvisor for this company. And so. SF isn't know for shark diving in the same way as Guadalupe Island, The Bahamas, Cocoa Island, The Galapagos, False Bay, etc. Not only that but Australia put cage diving on the map as it became one of the first places to offer it as a popular tourist attraction in the early 2000s. The Farallon Islands on the other hand are a national sanctuary. Make sure your trip insurance covers ANY reason for cancellation or use California Shark Diving, as they offer refunds. save it for Gansbaii in South Africa or Mexico. To this day, over a week later- with more phone calls and emails trying to get a response- I have recieved NOTHING. we got an email send 10 days before the dive saying we had to sign waivers in order to get a refund if the dive was cancelled. In February 2017, I booked a dive for my husband and I to dive on October 23 with Great White Shark Adventures in the Farrollon Islands. So basically, like everyone else says, you are sitting out in the ocean waiting for something to swim by. Caribbean Reef Shark They grow up to 10 feet long and are known for their unusual and unexplained habit of “sleeping” motionless at the sea floor or in an ocean cave. Well, Sunday, October 22, I recieved an email at 2:00pm that due to high swells, the dive was going to be cancelled. The Farallon Islands within the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary are home to some of the world’s largest great white sharks. But if your dream is to see a Great White Shark as mine is, chances are you will not. He should have stopped when they put regulations on the island but he keeps racking in people money for nothing.Basically you pay around $800 to wake up at 5am for a 3 hour boat ride out to the island, where they give you a bit of history, some cheep food, then drop anchor and you go in the cage and wait for something to swim by. was lifted by noon. We were not reimbursed through trip insurance because mechanical issues were not a covered reason for trip cancellation. These islands (Southeast Farallon and Maintop Island) off the coast of San Francisco are the winter water playground of adult great white sharks measuring 15 to 20 feet long. Yes the trip to the islands is beautiful. i completed all the waivers and now they dont respond. I’m out $1600. According to the Diving Almanac, Elliott has had more than 400 encounters with great white sharks at the Farallon Islands.Schramm doesn’t know of other free divers in the area without cages. During spring and summer months (the off-season for shark activity), divers once enjoyed exploring around all the islands. we were there that day and it was a bit of mist that. Just do your homework prior to booking with them. They respond very quickly with any queries leading up to the trip, but when I tried to reach them after cancellation, they do not answer messages or emails at all. The visibility is 15ft at its BEST. Now the waters around North Farallon, the Isle of St. James, and parts of the Southeast group are closed to … "The Farallon Islands" WSV shot and edited this video for the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center in 2006. A boat trip offers passengers a view of seabirds, seals and whales. Book with caution. the crew was entertaining and fun to hang out with. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) The shark that bit a diver near the Farallon Islands west of San Francisco on Tuesday morning was a 17-foot-long great white shark, San Francisco police said. These islands (Southeast Farallon and Maintop Island) off the coast of San Francisco are the winter water playground of adult great white sharks measuring 15 to 20 feet long. Great White Adventures: Farrollon Island Shark Dive- BUYER BEWARE!!! this point I fully expect this was just a scam that I fell for. They throw out a piece of carpet shaped like a seal which they call a "decoy" but don't really drag or flop it around to attract them. As part of the Fish and Wildlife system, the Farallon Islands are an important reserve protecting a huge seabird colony. Open Button. On the way to the islands, you’ll enjoy breakfast and a Certified Farallones Naturalist will tell you more about the Farallones and share things you need to know to get the most out o… Needless to say though, it happens. I’m sure it’s a blast if... Join us on a one-of-a-kind journey to San Francisco’s Farallon Islands, home of one of the largest adult white shark populations on the planet. save it for Gansbaii in South Africa or Mexico. The Farallon Islands, or Farallones (from the Spanish farallón meaning "pillar" or "sea cliff"), are a group of islands and sea stacks in the Gulf of the Farallones, off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States.The islands are also sometimes referred to by mariners as the Devil's Teeth Islands, in reference to the many treacherous underwater shoals in their vicinity. Took months to get my money back, and still ended up being out a bunch of money for airfare, equipment, etc. My husband and I will make sure that we book another trip to dive with the Great Whites, as it is a life long dream of mine, but I can promise you that it will NOT be with Great White Adventures. When finding out about the dive in the Farrollon Islands, it was a MUST do!