A large great white opens its huge jaws to take the baited line tossed out by the Solmar V's shark wranglers.

Josh Cortopassi

In a single bite, a great white devours the tuna-head bait just a few feet from the caged divers.

Josh Cortopassi

The great white shark has a distinctive, large, conical snout.

Josh Cortopassi

With blood in the water and the wranglers offering tempting tuna-head treats, the first great whites arrive on the scene from out of the deep blue.

Josh Cortopassi

When viewed up close in their natural element, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that great whites are the ultimate example of a perfect predator.

Josh Cortopassi

Although great whites are typically solitary animals, they frequently gather together in large numbers to feast on the large population of seals that inhabit Guadalupe Island.

Josh Cortopassi

In a perfectly timed ambush, a great white charges vertically up from the depths to nab its prey — only this time, it's not a seal, but a line baited with fish.

Josh Cortopassi

Displaying its perfect hydrodynamic shape, a white shark glides back into the water like a torpedo after breaching the surface in pursuit of the bait.

Josh Cortopassi

The intimidating display of a great white shark in full-on attack mode.

Josh Cortopassi

A great white shark keeps a watchful gaze on the divers in the cage. Are you ready to make eye contact with the ocean's leading predator?

Josh Cortopassi

Although it's not quite the same grade — or parts — of fish used in your local sushi joint, great whites are some of the world's biggest fans of spicy tuna.

Josh Cortopassi

A "shark wrangler" aboard the Solmar V tosses out a specially prepared tuna-head lasso that, when combined with a slick of chum, attracts the local white sharks like a dinner bell.

Josh Cortopassi

Like the fictional Skull Island from King Kong, Isla Guadalupe's rocky shores rise ominously from a isolated patch of ocean, shrouded in a gloomy mist. Unlike Skull Island, however, the creatures that exist at Guadalupe are real.

Josh Cortopassi

The live-aboard Solmar V docked in Ensenada, Mexico, ready to make the journey west to the white shark haven of Guadalupe Island.

Josh Cortopassi