Isla Guadalupe, Guadalupe Island Turns 20 | Shark Cage Diving Milestone
For shark divers across the globe one little island off the coast of Baja, Mexico called Guadalupe Island has become a mecca for diving with great white sharks … and it all began almost 20 years ago with the MV Horizon and Horizon Charters.
Isla Guadalupe, Guadalupe Island 20 Years of Shark Cage Diving in 2020
According to Wikipedia, Guadalupe Island goes by two common names:
“Guadalupe Island or Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located 241 kilometres (150 mi) off the west coast of Mexico‘s Baja California Peninsula and some 400 kilometres (250 mi) southwest of the city of Ensenada in the state of Baja California, in the Pacific Ocean. The two other Mexican island groups in the Pacific Ocean that are not on the continental shelf are Revillagigedo Islands and Rocas Alijos.”
Guadalupe Island was a major destination for Russian and American fur hunters seeking the Guadalupe Island fur seal in the 18th and 19th centuries, until they were nearly extinct by 1844. The northern elephant seal was also hunted for the oil in its blubber, but managed to survive at Guadalupe Island and the seals remain today. Guadalupe Island has been a nature conservancy area since 1928, making it one of the oldest reserves in Mexico today.
Wildlife at Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island shares the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion with the Channel Islands of California in the United States. Many island or marine species like great white sharks that reside on or near Guadalupe Island also frequent the Channel Islands, and vice versa. Guadalupe Island has been the last refuge for the northern elephant seal and the Guadalupe fur seal in the 1890s. The island has been a pinniped sanctuary since 1975, creating a large pinniped population – therefore, Guadalupe Island is now one of the best spots in the world for sightings of the great white shark.
Discovery of White Shark Cage Diving at Guadalupe Island 2000
The very first shark cage diving expedition to Guadalupe Island on the MV Horizon out of San Diego was chartered in 2000 with the hopes of seeing a single great white shark. Until that time the only places on the planet you could dive with white sharks was South Africa and South Australia. The expedition is an amazing success, and the era of cage diving with great white sharks at Guadalupe Island is born. Within the first decade there are 10 vessels coming to the island and it becomes the top white shark destination in the world. In 2020 we will celebrate our 20th shark diving season here.
2020 at Guadalupe Island – Celebrate 20 Years of Shark Cage Diving With Us!
We specialize in taking non certified divers, or first time shark divers, into the exciting world of great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Cage dive with us and discover hands on shark research and shark conservation at Guadalupe Island. Our commitment to showcase the incredible world of white sharks with a combination of 20 years of cage diving experience, a cage system designed exclusively for non divers, top notch shark staff and cage diving crews with years of hands on shark experience. We have been cage diving and naming many of the white sharks you’ll be diving with this year. From the incredible 19+ foot Deep Blue, most likely the largest great white shark in the Pacific, to many of our regular white sharks like Scarboard, Lucy, and Mau. These amazing animals have become more than just whites sharks to us as we encounter them year after year – we met Scarboard 16 years ago – they have become our sharky friends. Let’s dive!
Book your Guadalupe Island white shark cage diving adventures for less this year!
