We just returned from our first trip of the new year… Bull sharks off Playa Del Carmen, MX. Actually, this is a trip we were secretly planning, and I could not mention it in my last blog because we wanted to surprise our boy David, who lives and works there as one of the main shark feeders for Phantom Divers. This was a family trip, and all of us went. By all of us, I mean his siblings and Mari and me. He was surprised. He loved it but wished he had known we were coming to order some parts he needed for his camera; they are hard to get in Mexico. So I guess this was officially our last surprise trip to visit him. We have to let him know in advance now.

Chino and the old Phantom Dive shop before it was torn down and remodeled.

Phantom Divers are the guys who started the shark diving craziness in Playa. Every winter, bull sharks migrate through the waters off Playa, following prey. The length of their stay is different each year. Some seasons it is two months, other seasons it can be five months. I had heard stories about bull sharks visiting these waters many years ago when I was still publishing Shark Diver Magazine. I remember contacting Chino, the owner of Phantoms, to discuss writing a story about it. They were thrilled and had me come down.

Since that first trip, we bonded well, and the Phantom crew has become family to us.

From 2009. Shooting video with the Sony EX1 in an Equinox housing. Image by Paul Spielvogel

That first trip was back in 2009 before they built the new dive shop. The first photos I saw taken by my buddy Gerardo del Villar looked terrific, and I had to see it for myself. It was very raw back then; there were no rules for the dive, just big bull sharks, lots of bait, and one crazy shark feeder (Chino). It was not a safe dive back then, that is for sure, but it was a lot of fun. The dive is exceptionally organized now, with plenty of safety divers to keep everyone safe. Despite these much-needed rules, the dive itself is still a hell of a lot of fun.

My boy David is now one of the head feeders. What is fantastic is that Phantom Divers is where he got his c-card back in 2011 - MANY moons ago. I was looking through the video clips today from that time, and it makes me smile. Seeing him go from that 15-year-old skinny kid to the badass pirate shark diver that he has become makes us very proud. He worked extremely hard to earn his position, and watching him in the water now, as a master of his craft, is truly a privilege.

David and one of the big female bulls, Cavezona

One of the other high points on this trip was bringing my boy CJ out with us. CJ never really had an interest in going diving. However, since he took over the merchandise portion of SDM, he decided that he needed to get scuba certified to find out what this is all about and immerse himself into our world. Well, I truly enjoyed having him out there, watching him fumble about learning how to dive… wide eyed and doing extremely well. He was always a fast learner. All I could think of as I watched him drop down on his very first dive was… welcome to our normal boy!

We did have one solid hiccup on this trip; Mari got the skin bends from the shark dive and had to spend time in the hyperbaric chamber. Thankfully our buddy Chino has a chamber, and we were able to get her in, which helped so much. She was in a lot of pain and had trouble walking, but it was all but gone after an hour in the chamber. She was able to dive the next day with zero issues.

She was stuck in the chamber for over an hour and a half. We would monitor her through a camera, and communicate with her through a CB radio mic. Of course she got tired of me asking her to remove all her clothing through the mic. I figured, if we had to sit there and wait for her, she might as well entertain us. FYI; She did not think it was very funny. lol

Overall it was a great first trip of the new year, with some much-needed travel, great times catching up with friends and family, and excellent diving. I managed to snap some images I am proud of. Including a couple shots I am collecting for an end of year wildlife album, I will be putting together. Thanks again to Phantom Divers for hosting us, Ayy Chabela’s for feeding us, our buddies for great laughs and good times and thank you all for reading.

FYI, I will be coming out with new blogs each week, sharing the adventures and wildlife we encounter this year. Some will be in writing, others in video. I love creating both, so it depends on what we capture during the trip and what I am really in the mood for.

Until next week my friends, hope to see you out in the world… somewhere… anywhere.
Cheers

A few more shots from the trip… Bull shark images by my bro Ramon Magana