Ask any photographer who has returned from the island of Guadalupe, Mexico, with a prize-winning image of a great white shark what the secret to the shot is and he’ll share one name: Luis Godinez. Godinez started as a crew member aboard Solmar V, but a love of sharks and a natural ability to predict their behavior landed him in the role of shark wrangler. Eleven years later, he’s responsible for setting up more open-jaw shots than anyone else in the business.

Q: How does your day start?

A: We ready the bait, then we start teabagging the water — that is, we pack fish guts into a biodegradable sack and lower it into the ocean to attract the sharks. Then, when that first animal shows up, I let him have the head so he sticks around. For some reason, sharks respond better to the head of the tuna. They seem to want it more than the actual meat.

Q: Do you ever play favorites?

A: One particular shark, Mau — named because he first showed up when researcher Mauricio Hoyos Padilla was on board — has a habit of coming out from under the cages. Fast. Sometimes so fast, he breaches the water. We normally only use bait as a tease to encourage sharks in a certain direction, but Mau’s so fast, he actually takes the bait. You could say he’s my nemesis.

I like creating action for guests. When the action is good and everyone is happy and energized, I’m happy and energized.

Q: What’s the hardest part of being a shark wrangler?

A: Wranglers in their first year lose a lot of bait. Watch them, and you realize how hard this job is. It’s physically demanding to lift a chunk of bait for so long. But watch someone who’s been doing it for years, and they make it look easy. But that doesn’t mean it is.

Q: You make it look easy.

A: Well, I like creating action for guests. When the action is good and everyone is happy and energized, I’m happy and energized. That’s a good day.

I like creating action for guests. When the action is good and everyone is happy and energized, I’m happy and energized.

To learn more about Solmar V's Guadalupe great white shark expeditions, go to solmarv.com.