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Did you Know?
Donations will help fund valuable white shark research efforts at Isla
Guadalupe.
Since 2000, privately funded efforts have supported the collection of
critical white shark data.
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Isla Guadalupe,
Help Mexico Protect this
Pristine Environment
Guadalupe Island lies 150 miles offshore of the Pacific coast of Mexico,
south of San Diego and west northwest of Punta Eugenia on the Baja
California peninsula. This large (98 square mile, 22 mile long) island
is geographically isolated, surrounded by deep waters with depths up to
12,000 feet (3,658 meters) between the island and the mainland. It is
home to a unique and biologically diverse population of animal and plant
life, which includes the world's largest seasonal aggregations of great
white sharks.
In summer, its waters are typically very clear with visibility in excess
of 100 feet (30 meters). Guadalupe is bathed by oceanic currents so its
marine life includes pelagic animals such as
pilot
whales,
Cuvier's beaked whales,
oceanic
whitetip sharks, bluefin and yellowfin tuna and strange gelatinous
zooplankton. The island's long coastline also supports many coastal and
colorful reef species including garibaldi, parrotfish, triggerfish,
butterflyfish, lobster, various invertebrate reef creatures, and
great
white sharks. Guadalupe is home to over 150 native species and at
least 30 endemic species. Its position between temperate and subtropical
ecozones results in an interesting mix of species in its waters.
Marine mammals are also abundant in Guadalupe's waters. In fact,
Guadalupe is a both a Mexican Bio-Sphere Reserve and a pinniped
sanctuary and was the last refuge for the
Northern elephant seal (Mirounga
angustirostris) and the
Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi).
Had small colonies of these animals not managed to hide from sealers at
Isla Guadalupe in the 1900s, they almost certainly would have become
extinct.
Geologically, the island is wonderful to behold. The northern end of the
island reaches an altitude of 4200 feet (1,280 meters), high enough to
trap clouds on most days, which creates dramatic vistas. Sudden winds
occasionally howl down the island's steep cliffs and across its boulder
beaches. The mountaintop Guadalupe island pine and the Guadalupe cypress
trees once condensed cloud moisture into fresh water springs that
supported a diverse community of plants along the top ridge of the
island. Unfortunately, when goats were introduced by sealers and
ranching enterprises failed, the island was wiped clean of most
vegetation, including most of the pines and cypress trees.
Many rocks and undersea pinnacles surround the island: cinder cones dot
the island, and lava caves and tubes can be seen in many places along
the shoreline - all testaments to the island’s volcanic origins. Several
smaller but spectacular islands, the "Afuera" (outer) and "Adentro" (inner) islands on Mexican sea charts rise just offshore of Guadalupe's
southern end and are usually the focus of our diving expeditions.
The natural beauty of Isla Guadalupe combined with its magnificent
animal and plant life makes this Mexican Biosphere Reserve both a
wonderful and important place worth protecting.
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Donate to ongoing
White Shark Research
Donations will help fund valuable white shark research efforts at Isla
Guadalupe.
Since 2000, privately funded efforts have supported the collection of
critical white shark data.
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