Guadalupe Island
Great White Sharks

“After 22 years of diving we have never been on such an outstanding trip. Many thanks to the Nautilus crew for magic encounters,” News – 29 November 2019

The best Great White Shark cage diving on the planet

Great white shark encounters at Guadalupe Island are nothing short of spectacular. It’s simply the best destination in the world for calm clear water and consistently high probability of multiple shark encounters per day.

The sheer number of sharks in the bay that we cage dive in is amazing. On many dives, we see two to three great whites, although in July and August we have seen up to 47 sharks on one trip! Guadalupe Island is home to at least 366 individually identified sharks and still counting.

Great White Shark Cage Diving Calendar

July and August feature rowdy gangs of male sharks. Female great whites start showing up in August. “Big Mommas” October and November. Read more about Great White Shark facts.

Guadalupe Island Water temperatures

Surface weather at Guadalupe Island is similar to southern California and can be quite hot during the day and cooler overnight.

Your Guadalupe Island adventure looks like this

Day 1 – Welcome! Bienvenidos!
We encourage you to spend an extra day or two before going shark cage diving, enjoying the lovely resort town of Ensenada. We especially recommend a Guadalupe Valley wine tour arranged through the Hotel Coral. Or if you prefer, take advantage of the hotel’s kayaks, bikes, indoor and outdoor pools, gym or spoil yourself with a massage and spa treatment.
Day 1 – Read More
Check-in is open from 3 pm onwards at the waterfront Marina Bar and Grill. Please be sure to check in by 7 pm. Boarding is available at 9:30 pm. Our Captain and divemasters will guide you down to the boat where the rest of our crew will be waiting to greet you with big smiles and trays of champagne. Though we have the only large, steel, stabilized dive boats in this part of the pacific and you can expect the best ride possible, it’s always a good idea to bring anti-seasickness meds.
Day 2 – Destination: Guadalupe island
Today we will be travelling and relaxing at sea. An orientation will be held in the morning, Shark 101 will be in the afternoon. Guadalupe Island should appear over the horizon in the early evening, ensuring our guests have a calm night in the protected anchorage to relax before shark cage diving action starts.
Day 3 – Let the sharking begin
Our theory on how Guadalupe Sharks trips should operate is very simple. Have loads of large comfortable cages in the water. Open the cages at 6:30am. Leave the cages open until dusk. Have lots of divemasters in the water and on the dive deck to ensure an excellent diving experience for our guests.
Day 4 – Rinse & Repeat shark cage diving
You can almost always jump into a surface cage and stay in as long as you want. Certified divers can make at least three dives a day in our deep-diving submersible cages, and there is often the chance to get an extra dive or two in these cages as well.
Day 5 – The last shark cage diving day always comes too quickly!
Today is our last day of sharking! We want to give you every possible second in the water at Guadalupe, so we stay on-site until 5pm before swinging the cages onboard and heading back north to Ensenada.
Day 6 – Return to Ensenada
Sadly, your time onboard will come to a close when we arrive back at the Hotel Coral in Ensenada around 2:00 pm. Before you disembark, we will ensure you get a copy of the trip highlights DVD that our crew has put together. We hope that you might spend another day or two in Ensenada. Hotel vans will be waiting to transport everyone else back to either the Tijuana Airport, or the San Diego Airport or 4 Points Sheraton hotel via the Tecate border crossing.

You may wonder…

What are your COVID-19 protocols?

Our job is to keep our guests and crew safe. Now more so than ever during the COVID-19 crisis. Please find our latest covid protocols here.

Will I see sharks?

Yes! We have identified 366 + individual sharks in the bay we dive in. We typically see great whites on 3 out of 4 submersible dives.

Is shark cage diving at Guadalupe Island safe?

Yes! For your safety, all shark cage diving is done using a hookah system – otherwise known as surface supplied air – and our custom designed cages. These cages are designed to provide maximum protection for you and for our sharks. It is vitally important that the sharks are never affected or injured during their interaction with us.

How many dives do I get?

3 dives a day in the submersible cages (certified divers only). Virtually unlimited diving in the surface cages.

What is the visibility and water temperature?

Visibility is almost always 100-120 feet, sometimes 150 feet. Water temperature ranges from 22°C / 72°F in July and August to 20°C / 68°F in November.

What is included in the trip?

Accommodation, all meals (continental breakfast, breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert), non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, daily room service, towels, in-water divemastering, end of trip DVD and onboard facilities such as the hot tub and lounge.

Are great white sharks endangered

Yes, the white shark was listed as an endangered species in Canada in 2006, and is estimated to have declined in population close to 80% in North America over the past 14 years. Guadalupe Island was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by the Mexican government in 2005, and since has since an increase in white shark population. We can attribute this to protection efforts from conservationists and the ecotourism industry increasing education and changing attitudes towards this important predator. One living shark is much more valuable over time that one dead shark. Read More