Unique Experiences

Item Description

Lunch or Dinner with Paul Anes — an expert on White Sharks, Blue Sharks, Bull Sharks & Whale Sharks — in San Diego, California.

Paul “Doc” Anes, owner of San Diego Shark Diving, has been in the sharking business a very long time. If you have seen divers on television in chainmail suits hand feeding sharks, you have probably seen either Paul or one of his crew.

Initially, Doc worked with blue sharks off San Diego until the numbers of sharks plummeted. “Years ago we saw 25 to 50 blue sharks a day,” says Paul. “And the fellow who owned San Diego Shark Diving before me back in the 80s, saw an average of 100 to 150 sharks each day. Compare that to what you’d see today; a mere four or five sharks during an entire day.”

Today, Doc takes divers to Isla Guadalupe and beyond to find Great White Sharks. Doc’s trips are top-notch and particularly well-suited to serious photographers, videographers and long-time divers. He has hosted a long list of the most active underwater image makers at Guadalupe for many years. Shark Research Institute president emeritus Stan Waterman and the late Peter Benchley always called on Paul whenever they wanted to film the white sharks of Guadalupe. Howard Hall and Bob Talbot have both been on a couple of Doc’s Guadalupe trips.

In recent years, Doc has expanded operations, taking divers to interact with sharks in the Galapagos Islands and the Maldives, to observe bull sharks in Fiji, and small select groups of divers to interact with whale sharks at Isla Holbox, Mexico.

As Doc tells it, he is always on the lookout for new shark diving destinations. They have to have the right combination of shark action and logistics of getting to the destination and the quality of the facilities once you get there.

One of the most important aspects of his shark diving tour company is teaching divers about the importance that sharks play in keeping the oceans in balance and why, as divers, we all need to care for and conserve these magnificent animals. Cousteau said it back in the 70s: people only love what they understand. Doc says, "I'm hoping to open a window to understanding sharks and showing divers what shark behaviors to look for."

 www.sdsharkdiving.com

Item Special Note

Being auctioned is dinner or lunch with one the world’s foremost shark experts or celebrities. It is a unique opportunity to “talk shark” face-to-face, one-on-one, with a real authority on sharks. 

How it works:

1. Bid on a celebrity, shark scientist or conservationist that lives or works in your area, unless you are willing to drive or fly to meet them in their area.

2. The winning bidder pays for the lunch or dinner and may bring as many guests as he or she wishes.

3. We will introduce the winning bidder to the celebrity, scientist or conservationist. The two of you then set a mutually agreeable  date, time and place to meet within one year of the close of the auction.

All winning bids are charitable contributions deductible from US Federal 2013 income taxes.  Funds raised by the auction will be used to support shark research and conservation programs.