Guadalupe Island is located some 250 kilometers off the west coast of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. Here, Great White Sharks congregate in large numbers during the fall months of August through October, to mate and prey on the local population of Pinniped seals living on the island. The sharks patrol off in the deeper waters and wait for the seals to make their way from the beaches out to sea.
The diving encounters with the Great White Sharks at Guadalupe Island are considered the best in the world; mainly because of the high numbers in the shark population residing there, along with the regularity and ease of seeing them close up in the wild. The waters around the Island usually have excellent visibility, and diving with the sharks in 30+ meter visibility is common.
Only cage diving is allowed at the island, and each liveaboard has it's own system of operating the cages. Some rotate guests in and out on timetables, while others have the cages open for anyone to use for as long as they would like during the daytime hours. Most of the cages are accessed via the diving decks and air is supplied to the divers via a hookah-system with a compressor on-board. This also allows non-divers to be able to get into the cages and experience these amazing creatures. Some boats also have smaller submersible cages which allow certified divers to a depth of 10 meters along with a guide inside the cage. The submersible cages provide a completely different perspective to the great white shark diving experience.
All liveaboard trips to Guadalupe Island depart and return to Ensenada city in Mexico, just south of the California border on the Pacific coast. The best season to dive there if in the late summer from August through October, before the boats move back to their Socorro island trips. During this time of year it only rains trace amounts at Guadalupe Island, and average air temperatures are very warm. The sea conditions tend to be relatively calm, but there can be swell which comes in from the open Pacific Ocean. Water temps range from 18 C to 21 C.
