There is no difference between a "great white shark" and a white shark. They are both common names used for the same species with the scientific name of Carcharodon carcharias.
"Great white sharks" is the most commonly used name for them in general searches for content about the species, so you'll often see me use that particular name online. However, in conversation and at speaking events, I generally refer to them by the common name "white shark". Rest assured I still think they're great, regardless of which name I use.
Another common name used for the species is white pointer, although this term is primarily associated with usage in Australia.
Yes, while every great white shark has similar features, there are visible characteristics that are unique individuals and reliable methods to tell each individual shark apart.
My preferred method to identified unique individuals is by relying on their countershading pattern. This is the pattern created where the upper grey skin meets the lower white skin. This pattern is unique to each individual white shark, and it can serve as the shark equivalent of a fingerprint.
The countershading pattern method is very useful at Isla de Guadalupe, where the great visibility creates plenty of opportunity for underwater photos. However, in some locations where underwater visibility is an issue, some researchers rely on the primary dorsal fin to help identify white sharks. The ridges on the back of the dorsal fin can also serve like a fingerprint for identification.
At the point of writing this, all of my photos on this website were shot at Isla de Guadalupe. When diving was still permitted at the island, government regulations required divers to use diving cages. So all of my shots from Guadalupe involved the use of a cage.
All diving, including cage diving, was indefinitely banned at Guadalupe in 2022, so all of the photos you see here were taken in 2021 or earlier.
I do dive with sharks without a cage at other locations, but I've yet to be fortunate enough to see a white shark anywhere other than Guadalupe.
In general, I'm more at peace in the water with sharks around, than I am in a lot other situations in life. For me, the scariest part about diving is having to drive to the airport for a trip.
There are situations when there are a lot of sharks around that definitely get my pulse elevated, simply because it's more difficult to keep your eye on multiple sharks. And I have occasionally been startled by a shark that I didn't see coming. However, for the most part, I don't find diving with sharks to be a scary experience.
I follow a no touch diving philosophy with all marine animals, so I do not ever intentionally try to touch sharks of any species, or any other underwater wildlife, unless it's for the well-being of someone in the water or the animal. About the only examples of this I can think of would be to redirect an animal to prevent harm to the animal or a diver, or trying to help an animal with an entanglement issue.
It's also worth noting that touching the sharks at Guadalupe has been prohibited by government regulations at the island, since before I first started diving there in 2006.
I currently use a standard mirrorless camera with an interchangeable lens system from one of the bigger name brands. This camera is then placed inside an underwater housing with a glass dome and interchangeable port system. All of my great white shark photos from Guadalupe were shot using available natural light. So, was not using any kind of flash or strobe system for the photos on this website.
I'm being intentionally vague about brand names here, because I'm not trying to advertise any one camera system over another. There are plenty of great cameras out there. Learning how to use your camera to maximize your results is more important to me than brand names. Feel free to contact me if you have specific camera or housing questions.
For what it's worth, some of my best white shark photos were taken with an entry-level DSLR in a polycarbonate housing that I bought used for $600, when I was first getting into underwater photography.
I've been fortunate enough to share the water with and document over 200 unique individual great white sharks at Isla de Guadalupe over the years, prior to the diving ban there in 2022.
Whenever I would return from Guadalupe, I would go through every single photo I took there and identify the sharks seen in my photos. In some cases, I recognize certain sharks on sight, but for other sharks, I would have to rely on comparing my photos to the Guadalupe White Shark Photo Identification field guide from Marine Conservation Science Institute. This way I'm able to tell how many different individuals I've been in the water with.
Scarboard, one of Guadalupe's female sharks, is probably the largest white shark I've ever seen. She is about 18' (5.5m) in length and is very wide-bodied, even compared to other white sharks of similar length.