Nautilus UnderSea, Guadalupe, Great White Shark
Guadeloupe Island is located over 150 miles from Mexico’s Pacific coast and is home to the impressive Great White Shark. Cage dives allow for close encounters with these magnificent apex predators and offer the opportunity to get some great photos.
350 great white sharks identified so far in the bay that we dive in at Guadalupe Island! There is 40m plus visibility! The trip includes opportunity for virtually unlimited diving between our submersible and surface cages.
Nautilus Undersea
The UnderSea first entered service in 1968 as the personal submarine tender to Dr. Perry of Perry Oceanographic. This sturdy and brave ship became one of the most famous dive boats in the world as the Undersea Hunter voyaging out to Cocos Island and in IMAX adventures around the South Pacific. We graced the ship with a massive shipyard refit including: stretching the hull out to 105 feet, a new superstructure and extended sun deck, a bulbous bow and stability system.
- Near unlimited time with them in the water
- Good visibility
- Some of the largest great whites found on the planet
- Hot tub
- Huge dive deck
- Unlimited time with great whites
- Large sundeck
- 9 ensuite staterooms and suites
- Internet access and satellite phone
- Nitrox
- Fully-stocked bar
Intinerary
6-day Sample itinerary
Day 1
Welcome! Bienvenidos!! We encourage you to spend an extra day or two before your trip enjoying the lovely resort town of Ensenada. We especially recommend a Guadalupe Valley wine tour arranged through the Hotel Coral. 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. Check-in is open from noon onwards at the waterfront Marina Bar and Grill. Please be sure to check in by 7 pm. Boarding is available at 9:30 pm. The 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.Day 2
Today we will be travelling and relaxing at sea. We will hold an orientation and safety drill. It is for your safety and we will make it lots of fun. Shark 101 will be in the afternoon, then you can try out a shark cage on the back deck! Cocktail hour is at 7pm, although our guests often enjoy some cocktails well before that! Guadalupe Island should appear over the horizon in the early evening, and we will have a calm night in the protected anchorage to get a restful sleep before the next morning’s excitement of diving with our sharky friends.Day 3-5
Our theory on how shark trips should operate is very simple. Have loads of large comfortable cages in the water. Open the cages for diving 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. They provide virtually unlimited diving in our surface cages, and provide at least three dives a day for certified divers in our submersible cages. We want to make sure you can dive as much as you want, for as long as you want. And don’t worry about missing a meal if you are in the water – our chefs and hostesses will cook up breakfast to order or save a plate of food for you. Other activity opportunities include our group Shark ID sessions, cocktail hour, and provided good weather, our “theatre under the stars”. (Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is always a favourite, followed closely by The Perfect Storm!) And of course, you can jump in the hot tub, even between your dives!Day 6
Sadly, your time onboard will come to a close when you arrive back at the Hotel Coral in Ensenada around 2:00 pm. Before you disembark, they 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. The crossing time by Tecate might be a bit longer than the San Ysidro crossing but offers the tremendous benefit of being able to cross in the van with no need to disembark and drag suitcases and bags across by hand the way we did in the old days.Cost includes
Onboard meals and non-alcoholic beverages, virtually unlimited time in the surface cages, plus three submersible dives per day for certified divers, and of course amenities you would expect at a boutique hotel.Cost excludes
Single occupancy (available for a 25% surcharge), rental gear, purchases from our bar and gift shop, a $65.00 USD (cash only) per person port fee, and if you think the service is deserving, crew gratuities - typically between $250.00 -$300.00 USD per person.How do I get there?
For guests arriving in San Diego, our partners at the Hotel Coral in Ensenada can pick you up with
personalised van service from the Starbucks next tothe airport or from Ocean Enterprises Diving Centre.
If you prefer to spend some time in San Diego, we can arrange accomodation at the Four Points Sheraton with van pick up to Ensenada when you are ready. For guests arriving in Tijuana, the hotel vans can pick you up right outside the Arrivals Hall. PLEASE NOTE that during the Covid crisis, there will only be 6 – 7 passengers max in our full size vans.
PICKUP LOCATIONS
1. Starbucks Liberty Station: 2556 Laning Rd #105, San Diego, California, 92106, United States
2. Four Points Hotel: 8110 Aero Drive,San Diego, California, 92123, United States
3. Ocean Enterprises: 7710 Balboa Ave #101, San Diego, California, 92111, United States
4. Pick up directly from Tijuana International Airport (TIJ)
*Pick up times in San Diego at 12,2,4 and 7pm
VIP service in Volkswagen Jetta is available for a small surcharge. Our hospitality suite is at the beautiful waterfront Hotel Coral in Ensenada with the ships berthing right in front of the hotel. The Coral has some great restaurants and bars while some of the most interesting restaurants and areas in Ensenada are an easy uber ride away. Please call the hotel directly to arrange your pickup at 011-52-(646)175-0000 (Mexico) or 1-800-862-9020 (US) or send your request to veronica.ochoa@hotelcoral.com. Round trip fare is US$100. We will issue an onboard credit in the same amount that can be used for rentals, gift shop or bar to ensure that your sum cost for the transfer is zero.
Please quote code greatshark20 to get the very best rate on hotel rooms and packages.
Am I going to see great white sharks?
Yes, you will see great white sharks on this trip! The number of sharks in the bay that we dive in varies from year to year. We have identified over 366 different sharks. In September, 2018 we saw over 50 sharks in three days. In all of our years of shark diving, we have only ever had two people who did not see sharks, which was way back in our second year of operation.
Do I need to be a certified diver to get in the water?
You do not need to be certified to jump into the water with the great white sharks on one of our trips. Surface cages are open to divers and non-divers alike. Please note that you do need to be a certified diver to enjoy the submersible cages.
When is the best time to go?
The boat only operates in peak season, July to November. July and August is when the males gather and are jostling for position. It has been said that they are like a bunch of rowdy teenage boys! The smaller females typically start showing up near the end of August, and they mingle with the males. October and November is when the dominant and reproductively successful females arrive. We call these the “Big Mommas”!
How many days of diving will I get?
Our ambition is to give you the best possible experience and maximize your time in the water. We arrive at Guadalupe the night before the sharking starts, so that you get a nice restful sleep, at a calm anchorage. Cages open at 6:30 am the following morning, and are open until dusk on days one and two. On day three, the cages close at 5:00 pm, as that evening we get underway for Ensenada.
How many dives will we get per day?
You will have virtually unlimited time in the surface cages, keeping in mind it might be a bit busy on the first morning. Certified divers
will have the opportunity of 3 dives per day in the submersible cages, sometimes more.
How many cages are there & how many people fit inside?
Each boat has different numbers of cages; the Belle Amie has 5, the Explorer has 4, and the UnderSea has 3. Each cage accomodates 2-4 guests.
Do you have Wi-Fi onboard?
Providing internet access in open ocean is no easy task. We are continuously updating our KVH V-Sat systems, as more advanced
technology becomes available. Wi-Fi is available for a flat fee of $100.00 USD per device, per trip. Please note it will be slower than what you are used to onshore. It is not possible to download high-resolution images, stream, or connect to social media. It is perfect for WhatsApp and emails.