Multiple countries
Inspiration
Get in the water with the so-called ‘man-eaters’ – great whites, tiger, bull and hammerhead sharks – to appreciate these magnificent but sadly maligned creatures .
Travel bucket list idea:
Dive with great white sharks at Guadalupe Island
San Diego, California, United States of America (USA)
Bucket List Experience
Last updated: 16 March, 2024
Guadalupe Island, off Baja California, Mexico, teems with these infamous predators – dive operators have identified more than 75 different individuals – who come to feed on fur seals. If you’re crazy enough to share want to dive with a great white shark, this is the best place in the world to do it – sightings are virtually guaranteed, the water is a pleasant 18°C-20°C, and the excellent visibility up to 40m allows unrivalled views of those impressive teeth.
Logistics
Price from: £3,500
Minimum age: 18
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Duration: 5+ days
Getting there & doing it
Divers are usually collected from the Ramada Hotel at San Diego Airport and transferred to Ensenada, a port on the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.
A basic itinerary is 5-days/6 nights, which includes spending three full days at the site (and a 20-hour journey each way to get there). Divers do three 60-minute dives per day in groups of four to six. You can also do longer itineraries of 8-10 days which include other stops to swim with dolphins and manta rays.
You don’t need a dive qualification to do this; you’ll get a safety briefing onboard instead. Dates are limited, so book well ahead.
When to do it
Trips operate from July to end of September. Seas are too rough at other times.
Round-ups
Round-ups that include this experience
Multiple countries
Inspiration
Since Steven Spielberg’s smash hit film Jaws in 1975, the Great White Shark, carcharodon carcharias, has both fascinated and/or terrified us. Here are our recommendations for the best places to get up close to man’s most feared predator.
Multiple countries
Inspiration
Passionate scuba diver, journalist, author and diving expert Tim Ecott recommends the world’s best scuba dives, from spellbinding wrecks to dazzling reefs, whale sharks to wobbegongs.