My Holiday

October 2016 I've traveled to San Diego, USA and and after a stay over I was picked up by crew members of the Nautilus Belle Amie. We drove for two hours to Ensanada, Mexico to embark the mv Nautilus Belle Amie. After a drive for appx 22 hours at sea we arrived at Guadalupe Island where we did the cage diving and met the Great White Sharks.

Location

Guadalupe island or Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located 241 kilometres (150 mi) off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula and some 400 kilometres (250 mi) southwest of the city of Ensenada in the state of Baja California, in the Pacific Ocean.

Geography

Name Guadalupe has a rugged landscape. It consists of two ancient overlapping shield volcanoes, of which the northern and higher volcano is the younger. The island measures 35 kilometres (22 mi) north-south and up to 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) east-west, with a total area of 243.988 km2 (94.204 sq mi). It features a chain of high volcanic mountain ridges which rises to a height of 1,298 metres (4,259 ft) at its northern end (Mount Augusta). Its smaller counterpart on the southern end is the 975 metres (3,199 ft) El Picacho. The southern part of the island is barren, but there are fertile valleys and trees in the northern part. The coast generally consists of rocky bluffs with detached rocks fronting some of them. Two high and prominent islets are within three kilometres (1.9 mi) of the southwestern end of the island, separated from one another by a gap called Tuna Alley:

Language

Spanish

Climate

The island has two major climate zones: a semi-hot climate with mean annual temperature between 18 and 22 °C (64 and 72 °F) and a temperate climate with temperatures over 22 °C (72 °F) in the hottest month of the year. Most precipitation occurs over the winter months with strong influence of northwestern winds and cyclones.

Diving conditions

The Guadalupe season is from August to October, when the ocean is calmest, and colder sea temperatures (19°C to 22°C) are to be expected at this time of year. There is more chance of rain in October. Great whites, tuna, Guadalupe fur seals and sea lions are seen throughout by divers throughtout the the whole of August, September and October.

Time difference

-09hrs GMT