Guadalupe Island
Great White Sharks
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
In 20 years of diving and up to 25,000 dives each season at Guadalupe, there have only been a handful of times that we haven’t experienced really good sharking. This white shark population is getting healthier and healthier and continues to grow with more than 370 individual sharks now identified in the bay that we dive in.
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
Blogs
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Can Sharks be friendly?
Great white sharks are among the world’s most dangerous predators. But can sharks be friendly? Understanding great white shark behavior and misconceptions New research reveals, that they do have a softer side, as they have been observed making friendships and patrolling in groups near Guadalupe Island. They form “social clubs” where they swim together for hours. […]
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Guadalupe Island, You Are Magical
In the afternoon the great whites began to breach and burst toward the bait. SHAAAAAAARK!!! Time for ACTION. We had the whole range of great white behavior and here in Guadalupe Island, you can observe a lot. Not gonna spoil you, come and see for yourself.
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Mexico Liveaboards, the best destinations
With Mexico Liveaboards you can experience encounters with some of the most charismatic animals on the planet. Learn more about the best places to go diving.
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This Is a Beautiful and Very Enriching Experience
As soon as we got up and surfaced slowly ascending with the cage, I come out of the cage, disconnect my second stage and help my divers get out of the cage. All of them couldn’t believe their eyes and were diving into a hypnotizing dream for the last 45min. There were many laughs and emotions on the dive deck.
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Andy Casagrande – Cinema Science Expeditions
As Shark Week officially kicks off, we caught up with wildlife filmmaker, conservationist, and great white shark whisperer Andy Casagrande. A two-time Emmy Award winning cinematographer, he’s helped produce, shoot and host several Shark Weeks, so safe to say he knows his stuff. Oh, Andy will also be hosting special Nautilus voyages to Guadalupe. […]
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Unique Facts About Great White Sharks
We’ve spent almost 20 years observing the great white sharks of Guadalupe. Over time, we’ve seen the population flourish – we’re now up to 367 identified great white sharks, with a whopping 82% sighted more than one year and 36% sighted for more than five years. That’s a lot of sharks. And with so many […]