Expedition Great White

Join National Geographic for a remarkable expedition as scientists and sports fishermen join forces to study the great white shark as never before.

The team of world class anglers, scientists, and crew anchors off the coast of Guadalupe Island, Mexico, where an abundance of seals entice hordes of great whites. After tagging a 15-foot male shark only hours before, tensions run high as the team anxiously awaits a bite from a mature female and argue over how to optimize their chances of getting a bite. When they at last get the female they are waiting for --she's a bully.

The team has been out at sea for five days -- their bait is dwindling and they have only three tags left. Their first bite is one fiery little shark. Dr. Domeier makes a discovery which brings him a step closer to proving his theory that great whites come to Guadalupe Island to mate. When the crew sets off to find the next prize, they spot a dead elephant seal in the water -- a sure enticement for a great white. This time, when they drop a line, they are rewarded with the largest great white male on deck to date.

Off the coast of Guadalupe Island, Mexico with only hours left before the ship must head back, the crew has just one tag left and is still hoping to place it on the perfect female shark. To better their chances, the team fishes from both the mother ship and their much smaller chase boat, the Triton, stationed on the other side of the island. As luck would have it, it's the smaller ship that gets the bite, and this female shark is a fighter. More crew members must jump into a support boat and head to the Triton, which is two miles away, to take over the clash.

After catching, tagging and releasing 11 great whites, the crew speeds off to an ocean area pegged as the Shared Offshore Foraging Area (SOFA), a mysterious patch of ocean where great whites congregate and seem to disappear for six months. Setting out for a four-week trip, the team plans to travel around SOFA to find out why the great whites journey here and go more than a half-mile deep, where the temperatures are freezing. What could possibly lure this cold-blooded fish to such frigid depths?

The expedition continues deep into the SOFA, the shared offshore foraging area, and the stakes in determining how great whites survive here are high. So far, they've lost more than a third of their bait and they haven't come close to catching a great white... yet. In their quest to land a big one, they discover two species of squid, which "the Doc" theorizes must be a good part of the sharks' diets. But excitement is cut short with impending danger: one of the engines on the mother ship is overheating, plus a storm is brewing to the north, and the first tropical depression of the season begins heading their way from the south. Discover whether the rough seas force them to abandon their mission.

Captain Brett jumps into action when a great white shark gets wrapped in the line and flips over, putting it into a catatonic state. Risking life and limb, he hangs off the bow of the support vessel to unwrap the shark before it suffocates. And the search for shark sperm continues as Dr. Domeier continues his quest to determine exactly where these sharks mate. It takes determination and stamina from the team to find out and pave the way in white shark biology.

The crew is on the verge of a scientific discovery that could finally solve the mystery of where great white sharks breed. But to get the proof he needs, Dr. Domeier must collect sperm samples from wild great whites. The crew sets off to Guadalupe Island, Mexico, in search of some great white candidates. And when they locate a large male, they immediately jump into action. In 20 minutes, they land him in the cradle, secure a satellite tag, and take samples in an attempt to prove Dr. Domeier's theory.