Diving in Guadalupe Island - Bluewater Dive Travel

Guadalupe Island Diving

4.65
(5 REVIEWS)
guadalupe island diving
Diving Guadalupe Island
great white shark diving

 Scuba Diving in Guadalupe Island, Mexico

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Guadalupe is currently closed and we cannot guarantee when dive operations will re-open. Please contact us for up-to-date information and bookings.

Guadalupe ISLAND Diving Highlights

Boasting great visibility, Guadalupe Island protected marine area outperforms both Australia and South Africa for shark sightings, making it one of the best dive destinations in Mexico.  Guadalupe Island liveaboards are the only way to dive here, and there are a good number of mid-range to luxury liveaboards available in the area between the months of August to October. 

Read more about Guadalupe Island and her Shark Conservation Success Story here.


 

intro to Guadalupe Island

Guadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe, is a small volcanic island located 150 miles off the west coast of Baja Califonia in Mexico. Its remote Pacific location and large population of seals attract huge numbers of great white sharks to feed and breed each year. As such, Guadalupe Island is one of the best destinations in the world for cage diving with great white sharks. It is also one of the very few places in the world where you can see these majestic sharks up close. 

Check out our trip report from our recent trip to Guadalupe here.


Dive Overview

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It's all about scuba diving with the great white sharks in Isla Guadalupe! You can enjoy some of the world's best encounters with these amazing creatures from the safety of a cage. Diving and snorkeling are not permitted outside a shark cage, and operators will offer at least one submersible cage with some also supporting a surface cage. The latest cage to be used at Guadalupe is the SPOC (Self Propelled Ocean Cage) which allows divers to travel alongside the great whites at speeds of up to 5 knots. Read all about the SPOC and how to book a trip in it.

There are no dive sites at Guadalupe Island. Operators lower the cages into the water at different spots around the island based on the conditions of the day and the patterns of great white shark sightings at the time. With this system, most liveaboard operators can guarantee you an encounter with a Guadalupe Island great white shark.

Have you considered shark cage diving where it was originally invented in Southern Australia?

 

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 N.B. In October 2020, the Mexican Government amended national park user fees specifically for Guadalupe and Revillagigedo (Socorro) National Parks. The new user fee amount's specific purpose is "To reinforce the protection, management, restoration, conservation and sustainable usage of protected areas." The new fee is $1,500 pesos per diving day per guest, approximately $75 USD per day. 

Diving Information 

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Guadalupe ISLAND Marine Life

Great whites, great whites, and more great whites! In summation, this is why you dive Guadalupe Island. Local elephant seals, sea lions, and Guadalupe fur seals can be seen on land or occasionally in the water (these are what attract the sharks in the first place). It's not uncommon for divers to encounter six or eight great whites in the water on a single dive! Seeing a great white shark during your trip there is pretty much guaranteed.

Check out our dive Australia guide for more great white cage diving options. You may also want to check out our guide to diving the Great Barrier Reef.

 guadalupe island

Diving Conditions

Water temperature: Between 70 - 75 o

Visibility: 100-150 ft

Currents: Mild

 

 

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Travel Information 

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How to Get to & How to Dive Guadalupe

Guadalupe Island is very small and uninhabited, therefore the only option to dive there is via liveaboard. Guadalupe Island liveaboard trips depart from San Diego, California, USA and Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Trips to Guadalupe usually run for 5-days, with 3 days of diving.  

Want to learn more about liveaboard diving? Check out this article.

 

BEST TIME TO DIVE ISLA GUADALUPE

Guadalupe Island is accessible via liveaboard between August to October, when the ocean is calmest. August and September provide the best conditions, while you can expect more rain in October. In general, there are 3 "seasons" within the Guadalupe Island sharks season. August to mid-September hosts numerous younger male sharks looking to interact with any females arriving early to the area. They are often rambunctious and crowd the cages. Late September through October, the larger, more seasoned male sharks come to the area. They will be more calculating in their movements and can be up to 17 feet in length. October through late November boasts the biggest sharks. The aged females and males dominate the area, and the smaller males are scared off. While weather can be wet with rougher sea from October onwards, you also get bigger male and female sharks later in the season for the culmination of the breeding period! The infamous large females come into the area during this period.

Interested in more sharks? Check out our article on the Best Shark Diving in the World and our Top Places to dive with Hammerheads.

 guadalupe island diving

Topside & Non-Diving Activities

Reaching Guadalupe Island must be done via liveaboard. Due to this, you are subjected to whatever entertainment your host organization provides. Most supply endless amounts of films, information regarding great whites, etc so fear not - you'll always be doing or learning something... unless you don't want to of course - then just bring a nice book.

 

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Liveaboard availability

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Please contact us for the latest availability of the following boats: Socorro Aggressor and Horizon Charters.

 

Other Useful Information 

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Practical Information

  • Currency: Mexican Peso
  • Language: Spanish but most people today learn English as a second language
  • Main Airport Code: SAN
  • Time Zone: UTC-7
  • Electricity: 127 V 60 Hz

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GOT QUESTIONS? READY TO BOOK?

Call us today at +1-310-915-6677 or email us info@bluewaterdivetravel.com

And let us book your dream vacation!

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Reviews (5)

5
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4

Wow- That's all I can say. Truly awesome diving. Every single "dive" with great white sharks. Some with big beautiful animals brushing right up against the cages. Guadalupe Island offers an experience like no other. On occasion, they could be seen top side. Slight trade off for photographers as to when the crew dispersed the chum it clouded the water - but it was not a problem working around that and in some cases created an interesting effect. The "diving "was quite easy as there were no tanks and the crew was very helpful and made it convenient. The trip back and forth was long and rough - really rough so use the patch!

Word of caution - do not go on the first trip of the season! I made that mistake and we left a day late and was a total mess including hallway floods garbage brought the boat - they got it straight after about 36 hours but it was awful for a while.

Visited on 06/2015 - Submitted on 05/03/2020
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3

This was a trip I wanted to take but never thought I would. I love sharks and this is an expensive trip. The opportunity came up and I got to go. I was a little worried that the chance of seeing this massive sharks was going to be a little bit of hype. When we arrived on site it took a few hours of slapping the water but when they came they did not stop. I was amazed at the constant arrival of beautiful animals. This was for me one of my most memorable experiences.

Besides the outrageous animal experience the boat, crew and accommodations were also top notch. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this trip to the Guadalupe Islands to anyone that loves big fish and good people.

Regards,
Jason

Visited on 05/2017 - Submitted on 05/01/2020
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5

I have traveled all over the world and scuba dived. One of the items on my "Bucket List" was to see great white sharks up close. Bluewater Travel made that happen with my trip to Guadalupe Island.

The accommodations were fantastic and the staff was great. Everything from picking me up, traveling to the boat, sleeping accommodations, food, and of course diving was unbelievable.
I highly recommend bringing a GoPro or underwater camera because you will see sharks. The shark wranglers were great in bring the sharks close to the cage. The hot tub on board is a super idea to warm up from the cool water allowing you to get back in the cage. Every evening we would discuss and view what sharks were seen.

If you love scuba diving and you want to see some beautiful great white sharks and have an adventure of a lifetime call Bluewater Travel. Believe me, you won't regret it!!!

Visited on 10/2017 - Submitted on 04/30/2020
  • Top Reviewer
Los Angeles, CA
United States
5
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5

We visited the Guadalupe Island in November 2013 and we are about to head back, three years later, to repeat the awesome experience.

This is an easy trip in many ways – less gear to pack than for a full dive trip, and the transfers are made super easy every step of the way. It is never cheap, but there is a pretty much 100% chance of seeing multiple great whites – better than any other cage diving destination. The boat journey out and back is long, but there is a good chance of seeing whales, dolphins and other marine life along the way. We experienced pods of pilot whales and were also involved in extracting some ghost nets from the water. Just take a book, sleep, watch movies or enjoy the company of your fellow travelers and you find you are soon pulling into the bay where the adventures await.

The crews work hard to draw in the sharks and bring them as close as possible to the cages for a really thrilling experience. It was when a large shark side-swiped my cage that I began to feel the power of these impressive animals – the repeated close passes really make the experience memorable. We found plenty of opportunity to spend masses of time in the water and, on our trip at least, never entered the cage without seeing at least one shark.

Booking through Bluewater is a breeze – they are now our go to agent for private as well as group trips, always getting a far better price than we can find ourselves and drawing on their tremendous experience to offer the very best advice every step of the way. It’s always fun going with a Bluewater group and we can’t wait to get back to Guadalupe with them soon.

Visited on 11/2013 - Submitted on 08/02/2016
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3

One word - unbelievable! I joined 15 other passengers for a five day trip to Guadalupe Island to get close and personal with Great Whites. Mission Accomplished.
This was a trip on the Horizon. Great boat, great crew, great food, well planned.
The good: Excellent clear blue water made for great photo ops; The crew worked non stop to bring the sharks right up to the cages by working the lines with tuna heads. If folks were in the cages, crew was working the lines. This made all the difference in bringing the sharks in to point blank range; The trip included all gear needed, including near new wetsuits, DUI weight harnesses, and masks if needed. The crew kept all gear organized and helped with donning; Originating in San Diego meant minimum luggage handling; Food: fresh fish including sushi every day in addition to steak and other meals all well prepared; A great informative lecture about the sharks was given by a local biologist. The group included ~5 non divers, all of which were given personal assistance and made comfortable in the water; Given 16 passengers on a boat that holds much more, there was plenty of room.
The not-so good: It's a 28 hour cruise to the destination. But boarding and leaving the night before helps. I don't think the boats originating out of Ensenada will save much time; Cost - it is an expensive trip. But I think the overall value was there.

Visited on 09/2014 - Submitted on 10/24/2014

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