How to Dive With Giant Squid

Dominant predators, giant squids can intimidate even sharks. They travel in shoals, packs from dozens to hundreds, and they leave depths of 500 feet to find food at the ocean's surface. Diving with a squid into the depths can be thrilling, but you shouldn't attempt it without expert guides.

Things You'll Need

• Scuba diving certification
• 200 dive hours

Instructions

1. Book your trip to the 5-star luxury resort at Loreto Bay, Mexico, which lies at the Sea of Cortez. Shark Diver, an internationally known adventure company, and preeminent giant squid diving experts, Scott Cassell and Dale Pearson, lead the expedition. Expeditions run March through November, Sundays through Thursdays. Call [phone] or email [e-mail] to book.

2. Make sure you're currently certified and have at least 200 dives to participate. Dive groups include 4 divers per leader and involve 2 travel days and 3 days in the ocean.

3. Check in at the resort and undergo expedition training after breakfast. Your "Squid School" course contains predive and dive instructions, hazards, safety, giant squid behavior, protection and equipment orientation, which includes receiving your blue-water-tether and safe air bail-out bottle.

4. Allow expedition instructors to rig you with a specially designed blue-water tether system before you dive. Your maximum dive depth is 40 feet.

5. Watch as expedition leaders locate and lure giant squid to your boat. A team diver then escorts you to the blue-water safety stop. Here, you watch giant squid stalk prey, feed and even interact with you. Once your time expires, your team diver helps you exit the safety stop and ascend to your boat.

Tips & Warnings

• Expedition heads Scott Cassell and Dale Pearson made several documentaries of their giant squid encounters, including Animal Planet's "Up Close and Dangerous," Discovery Channel's "Killer Squid" and "Dancing with Demons."

Resources

• Visit Shark Diver for more information.