Guadalupe FAQs
Predeparture Information for our Guadalupe Great White Shark TripsDOWNLOAD INFORMATION (PDF)
When and where do I board the Nautilus?
Meeting in San Diego?
Please ensure that you are at the following meeting place no later than 7:00 p.m. on the day of departure. We recommend this property for pre and post trip hotel stays. Make sure you ask for the Nautilus Explorer rate. If you are staying overnight, the hotel offers an airport shuttle service on days checking in and checking out from the hotel and a continental breakfast. Please call the hotel upon your arrival to request a pickup. If not staying at the hotel, you can take a taxi or request a pickup by the Ramada shuttle. The Ramada charge will be USD10 per trip. Parking is normally $7 per day but no charge when you are checked in. Please ensure to register your car at the front desk or it may get towed.Ramada Inn San Diego Airport
Owner/Managers Bob and Jyoti Bhakta1403 Rosecrans St.
San Diego, CA 92106
619-225-9461
www.ramadasandiegoairport.com
Please ask the front desk for the Nautilus Explorer meeting room in which you can drop your luggage off and use the facilities (if required). We recommend having an early dinner from one of the many excellent restaurants on the waterfront immediately across from the hotel. Our chartered highway coach should arrive at the hotel no later than 6 p.m. and there will be a divemaster onboard to help and assist you. We will start loading luggage at 7:30 pm and depart shortly thereafter for the approximate 2 hour transfer to Ensenada, Mexico to board the Nautilus Explorer. We'll have margaritas waiting for everyone upon arrival at the ship and will be sailing later in the evening. Sailing time to Guadalupe is approximately 22 hours and while it’s usually a pretty smooth trip, it’s always a good idea to put a scopolamine patch on before boarding the ship.
Drysuit or wetsuit, mask, booties (if wearing a wetsuit). Any rental requests should be made via a direct request to our shore office (info@nautilusexplorer.com) with your name, trip date, height, weight, chest, waist, inseam and shoe size. Just to be safe, please contact us directly for rentals rather than making your request online on our website. You can expect water temps in the high 60's or low 70's (20-22 degrees C) and some guests prefer to bring gloves and a hood or even a drysuit. Captain Mike often comments that he is comfortable and happy in a 5 mm wetsuit...
Surface weather should be "very nice" and summer clothing ie. shorts and t-shirts and sandals will be fine for most of your trip. We always recommend bringing a sweater and Windbreaker/rain jacket "just in case".
You should also bring personal toiletries, your camera gear, lots of memory sticks and a good book. We take great pride in providing excellent and friendly service and will do our best to pamper you. You don't need to worry about bringing alcohol as our bar is extremely well stocked with over 50 vintages on our wine list, 40 different microbrews, 11 single malts, etc. What's not Included:
Gift shop and bar tab, port fee (USD65 payable in cash onboard please) and crew gratuities (generally 10% of the trip fee if you feel that the crew worked really hard to go way above and beyond).
A handheld satellite phone is available onboard with airtime charges of USD3.00 per minute. If a family member, friend or business associate needs to urgently reach you, they can either send an e-mail to: info@nautilusexplorer.com with the following subject heading: e-mail for John Doe, guest onboard the Nautilus Explorer with plain text formatting of the e-mail. Html e-mails will be transferred to plain text and thus, some information and pictures may be lost. OR call our office, toll free 1-888-434-8322 and a message will be passed to the ship via Inmarsat C satellite telex. Emails forwarded to a guest onboard the ship are USD2.00 per incoming email and this will be charged to the recipient’s onboard account.
At San Diego International Airport there are the following terminals:
Commuter Terminal (Alaska Commuter, American Eagle, Continental Express, Delta Connection, Northwest Airlink, United Express)
Terminal 1 (Air Canada, Alaska, Frontier, Midwest, Southwest, United)
Terminal 2 (Aeromexico, Aloha, America West, American, Continental, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Northwest, Sun Country, US Airways, WestJet)
It is a tremendous privilege to dive with the great white sharks of Guadalupe Island and the giant mantas, sharks, humpback whales and dolphins of Socorro Island. We do our best to repay this privilege by working with and funding scientific endeavor in both Biosphere Reserves and assisting with patrols and enforcement. One of our current projects is establishing a baseline census of the animals in order to determine how stable the populations are. Nobody currently knows the rate at which the populations are declining and this is essential and badly needed information. Our biggest project is funding aerial patrols of Socorro Island. Each patrol costs $2000 and with the generous support of our clients, we have been able to raise enough funding for 25 or more patrols each year. These patrols are vital to both scientific endeavour and enforcement. There will be a 50/50 draw onboard the ship with fabulous prizes and net proceeds going to the aerial patrol program.
Please ask the front desk for the Nautilus Explorer meeting room in which you can drop your luggage off and use the facilities (if required). We recommend having an early dinner from one of the many excellent restaurants on the waterfront immediately across from the hotel. Our chartered highway coach should arrive at the hotel no later than 6 p.m. and there will be a divemaster onboard to help and assist you. We will start loading luggage at 7:30 pm and depart shortly thereafter for the approximate 2 hour transfer to Ensenada, Mexico to board the Nautilus Explorer. We'll have margaritas waiting for everyone upon arrival at the ship and will be sailing later in the evening. Sailing time to Guadalupe is approximately 22 hours and while it’s usually a pretty smooth trip, it’s always a good idea to put a scopolamine patch on before boarding the ship.
Are you flying into Tijuana International Airport?
We recommend taking the express bus directly from the airport to Ensenada. Once you have collected all your luggage, go outside arrivals and look for the red express bus to Ensenada. This bus runs approximately every hour and travel time is 1 hour 20 minutes. The Corona Hotel is the property we recommend in Ensenada and is located at the top of the dock that the Nautilus Explorer will be berthed at.Meeting in Ensenada?
Boarding will be available from 9:30pm – 10:00pm. What to Bring?Drysuit or wetsuit, mask, booties (if wearing a wetsuit). Any rental requests should be made via a direct request to our shore office (info@nautilusexplorer.com) with your name, trip date, height, weight, chest, waist, inseam and shoe size. Just to be safe, please contact us directly for rentals rather than making your request online on our website. You can expect water temps in the high 60's or low 70's (20-22 degrees C) and some guests prefer to bring gloves and a hood or even a drysuit. Captain Mike often comments that he is comfortable and happy in a 5 mm wetsuit...
Surface weather should be "very nice" and summer clothing ie. shorts and t-shirts and sandals will be fine for most of your trip. We always recommend bringing a sweater and Windbreaker/rain jacket "just in case".
You should also bring personal toiletries, your camera gear, lots of memory sticks and a good book. We take great pride in providing excellent and friendly service and will do our best to pamper you. You don't need to worry about bringing alcohol as our bar is extremely well stocked with over 50 vintages on our wine list, 40 different microbrews, 11 single malts, etc. What's not Included:
Gift shop and bar tab, port fee (USD65 payable in cash onboard please) and crew gratuities (generally 10% of the trip fee if you feel that the crew worked really hard to go way above and beyond).
Communication / Emergency contact info:
A handheld satellite phone is available onboard with airtime charges of USD3.00 per minute. If a family member, friend or business associate needs to urgently reach you, they can either send an e-mail to: info@nautilusexplorer.com with the following subject heading: e-mail for John Doe, guest onboard the Nautilus Explorer with plain text formatting of the e-mail. Html e-mails will be transferred to plain text and thus, some information and pictures may be lost. OR call our office, toll free 1-888-434-8322 and a message will be passed to the ship via Inmarsat C satellite telex. Emails forwarded to a guest onboard the ship are USD2.00 per incoming email and this will be charged to the recipient’s onboard account.
Can I dive with the sharks and how much diving will I get in??
You will be able to watch the sharks from the upper deck of our submersible cages as long as you are accompanied by a divemaster and subject to common sense. Nothing beats the feeling of standing out in the open in 40 feet of clear blue water with 125 foot visibility and have a 16 foot long white shark notice you and then swim straight at you to check you out!! You will be able to get virtually unlimited diving in subject to common sense. Our 2 surface cages are open from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. on Dive Day 1 and 2. And from 6:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Dive Day 3. Submersible cages make ½ hour dives and run from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. every day. The first morning of every trip tends to be busy with all of our guests keen and enthusiastic to get in the water and see the great white sharks. Dive times may be limited on the first morning only. Our experience has been that you can dive as much as you want after that.How do I get back to San Diego?
The ship should berth in Ensenada, Mexico at approximately 1:30 p.m. on the last day of your trip. You will then be transferred by coach back to either Lindbergh Field (the airport) or the Ramada Hotel in San Diego arriving by approximately 6:00 p.m. When going through the U.S. border – please be advised that U.S. Homeland Security requires all travelers on the highway coach to disembark the coach. All bags (carry on and luggage) must be walked through customs and immigration for clearance. The distance is a few hundred feet and we will have wheelbarrows and a crewmember on the coach to assist you. If you require further assistance, baggage handlers are generally available for hire at the border.At San Diego International Airport there are the following terminals:
Commuter Terminal (Alaska Commuter, American Eagle, Continental Express, Delta Connection, Northwest Airlink, United Express)
Terminal 1 (Air Canada, Alaska, Frontier, Midwest, Southwest, United)
Terminal 2 (Aeromexico, Aloha, America West, American, Continental, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Northwest, Sun Country, US Airways, WestJet)
More about the Guadalupe and Socorro Conservation Funds:
It is a tremendous privilege to dive with the great white sharks of Guadalupe Island and the giant mantas, sharks, humpback whales and dolphins of Socorro Island. We do our best to repay this privilege by working with and funding scientific endeavor in both Biosphere Reserves and assisting with patrols and enforcement. One of our current projects is establishing a baseline census of the animals in order to determine how stable the populations are. Nobody currently knows the rate at which the populations are declining and this is essential and badly needed information. Our biggest project is funding aerial patrols of Socorro Island. Each patrol costs $2000 and with the generous support of our clients, we have been able to raise enough funding for 25 or more patrols each year. These patrols are vital to both scientific endeavour and enforcement. There will be a 50/50 draw onboard the ship with fabulous prizes and net proceeds going to the aerial patrol program.
