Isla Guadalupe White Shark Diving with Islander Charters: Late report/trip review

[Mantadiver]

Great trip report! What type of camera setup were you using? I hope to make that trip this coming year as well as my regular expedition to Tiger Beach - Bahamas

Hi Tndiver,
I used a nikon D200 with an Ikelite housing. Some people had strobes attached but the water is very clear with enough light coming through that a flash wasn't required. Maybe if it were cloudy, strobes would be nice. MD

 

[Mantadiver]

Great report, Thanks! How long were you on site? How many divers were there on board. May I inquire as to the total cost of trip, not counting airfare.

We were at Guadalupe for three days. It was two days of traveling and three days at Guadalupe Island. We had a total of 15 divers aboard; not all of the divers dove each day so we had all the water time we wanted. To be honest, the five dives per day was all we needed but I stayed in a couple extra rotations while the shark action was good.

The total cost was $2600 per person. That included everything...meals, beer, wine, rental gear and a few other things like Biosphere access fees etc. The food was outstanding. I felt like it was a good price and was worth every penny. I think it was cheaper than most other boats because the captain was also the owner of the boat and we booked direct with him. Here is a link to the guys we went with.
Great White Shark Cage Diving at Guadalupe Island on the Islander

I think I am going to go back next year with a small group of friends from Northern California. They couldn't believe the pics I emailed them. Good luck if you end up going!

 

[ameri180304]

Someones gotta put a bullet in that seal, that would suck... lol. Is this the wiley scuba locker dive?

 

[crease123]

I apologize for reviving an old thread, but I'm seriously thinking of doing a Guadalupe shark diving trip in 2013. Any recommendations on which boat/company to go with? The boats that I came up with are MV Islander, MV Horizon, Nautilus Explorer and Solmar V. From what I can tell, there aren't any reviews comparing the different boats and dive companies, and I'm having trouble deciding which one to go with.

Nautilus Explorer appears to be the most luxurious, with single state room and a hot tub. But it's also the most expensive at $3,700. Shark Diver (MV Horizon) has a very good website and good communication, but their boat seems to be on the smaller side. More importantly, they do not have a submersible cage, only surface cages. Even though I have a very good vibe with Shark Diver, at $3,100 and no submersible, I'm not sure whether I will go with them. Islander is the cheapest at $2,700. The crew seems good, and they have a submersible cage. Right now, I'm leaning towards Islander the most.

Anyone has any comments to chime in please?

 

[divengolf]

I have done Solmar V and have been told by folks not associated with Solmar that this company has by far the most experience at Guadalupe. Their crew was exceptional. There are plenty of posts about Solmar and Explorer. Not much on the other two that I've seen.

Most of our good photos were from the surface cages where we used ambient light. The sharks didn't get close enough to the submerged cage to illuminate with strobes and the ambient light at that depth (30-40') wasn't great when we were. I would not consider the submerged cage a necessity.

 

[crease123]

Thank you for your very good advice divengolf. The Solmar V seems like it would be a good option too. A new development is that the wife may be interested in coming along as well. If that's the case, the hot tub of the Nautilus Explorer may be the deciding factor lol

 

[crease123]

Just found out that Nautilus Explorer takes 25 divers per Guadalupe dive. Almost all other ships take 16. Just wondering, for those who have been on the NE for this trip, do you ever felt overly crowded and that you don't have enough cage time?

 

[Shasta_man]

It would be interesting to know if that hot tub works. I've been on a few different boats with hot tubs (not in this location) and there is always some reason they aren't in use...

 

[divengolf]

Just found out that Nautilus Explorer takes 25 divers per Guadalupe dive. Almost all other ships take 16. Just wondering, for those who have been on the NE for this trip, do you ever felt overly crowded and that you don't have enough cage time?

25 seems like a lot. If they only have two cages, which I believe they do, then either you'll be rather crowded in the cage or your time will be limited. I found that four divers per cage was just a little crowded. You found your spot and stayed there. But after the first day, folks sit out their turn so that frees up some room.

 

[crease123]

From my conversation with them, it seems like they have 4 cages total: 1 at surface, 1 at 15 feet, and 2 submersible cages at 40 feet. So essentially, we are talking 25 divers spread among 4 cages, vs. 16 divers spread among 3 cages for Solmar V, or 16 divers spread among 2 cages for other smaller boats.