- Type
- Shark
- Typical depth
- 20 m
- Level
- Beginner
- Visibility
- 25–45 m
- Water temp
- 18–22 °C
- Current
- Mild
- Access
- Closed
- Min cert
- No certification required
- Cage Diving
- Pelagic
- Liveaboard Only
- Offshore
- Biosphere Reserve
- Currently Closed To Tourism (Since Jan 2023)
When to dive
Guadalupe Island, ~241 km off Baja California, was the world's premier white-shark cage-diving destination from the early 2000s through 2022. After a 2019 partial suspension by SEMARNAT (Mexico's environment ministry) to evaluate tourism impacts, the Mexican government implemented a permanent prohibition on 10 January 2023 — covering all tourism inside the biosphere reserve, including liveaboard cage diving and film production. As of 2026 the closure remains in effect — verify current status before booking. The historic season ran late summer through autumn (peak Aug–Nov), when adult and sub-adult great whites aggregated around the northeast anchorage off the seal and sea-lion rookeries. Shore access is prohibited; the site was always liveaboard-only from Ensenada.
29.0333° N, 118.2667° W
Notes
Cage diving with great whites (closed to tourism since 2023 — verify access).
Marine life
- Sharks
- great white shark (Aug–Nov, when access permitted), occasional mako
- Pelagics
- yellowfin tuna, yellowtail jack
- Whales & dolphins
- northern elephant seal (rookery, topside), Guadalupe fur seal (endemic, recovering), California sea lion
- Reef fish
- garibaldi, sheephead
- Invertebrates
- giant kelp
Sources
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