Great white sharks have always intrigued Greg Probst; ever since he was a young child he has felt drawn to them. But until 2006, he considered seeing a great white shark in the living flesh as just another 'bucket list' item. He headed down to Guadalupe with a basic point-and-shoot camera expecting his sharky encounter to be a one-time thing.
The photographer writes, "I did not expect to ever return or see another great white, again. However, I got hooked after my first trip and have been at it ever since."
Over the last 10-years, Probst has amassed a lot of awesome up close and personal shark pics. Throughout the process he has learned a great deal about these misunderstood creatures wrongly depicted as malicious monsters. As Probst has witnessed again and again, sharks have a sweet side too.
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"While we were using protective cages to dive, the sharks didn't seem particularly interested in the divers in an aggressive way. They were not actively 'out to get' anybody and spent most of their time just swimming around calmly… They often will look eye to eye with you, which is certainly a unique feeling."
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"When they come in close enough and the light is good, you can see that they have a blue iris, which allows you to tell where they are looking."
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The shark pictured above may look like a real-life version of Jaws, but as Probst explains, "A great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) at the surface with jaws open. This open-jaw behavior is not typically how we see great white sharks at Guadalupe. Yellowfin tuna (a naturally occurring prey item at the island) is used by some boats to attract the sharks. This shark was attempting to grab a bite of tuna just before this shot was taken."
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"'Legend,' [pictured above] a male great white shark, curiously approaches the camera. His pectoral fins remind me of somebody coming in for a hug (Disclaimer: don't try to a hug a great white shark)."
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"Lucy, [pictured above] a female great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), isn't afraid to come in for a close-up. Sharks are often curious about camera equipment and sometimes will come in quite close to check it out."
source
The photographer writes, "I did not expect to ever return or see another great white, again. However, I got hooked after my first trip and have been at it ever since."
Over the last 10-years, Probst has amassed a lot of awesome up close and personal shark pics. Throughout the process he has learned a great deal about these misunderstood creatures wrongly depicted as malicious monsters. As Probst has witnessed again and again, sharks have a sweet side too.
1.
"While we were using protective cages to dive, the sharks didn't seem particularly interested in the divers in an aggressive way. They were not actively 'out to get' anybody and spent most of their time just swimming around calmly… They often will look eye to eye with you, which is certainly a unique feeling."
2.
"When they come in close enough and the light is good, you can see that they have a blue iris, which allows you to tell where they are looking."
3.
4.
5.
The shark pictured above may look like a real-life version of Jaws, but as Probst explains, "A great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) at the surface with jaws open. This open-jaw behavior is not typically how we see great white sharks at Guadalupe. Yellowfin tuna (a naturally occurring prey item at the island) is used by some boats to attract the sharks. This shark was attempting to grab a bite of tuna just before this shot was taken."
6.
7.
8.
"'Legend,' [pictured above] a male great white shark, curiously approaches the camera. His pectoral fins remind me of somebody coming in for a hug (Disclaimer: don't try to a hug a great white shark)."
9.
10.
"Lucy, [pictured above] a female great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), isn't afraid to come in for a close-up. Sharks are often curious about camera equipment and sometimes will come in quite close to check it out."
source