Guadalupe Island

Fur Seal Guadalupe Island Mexico Underwater Photography

Guadalupe Fur Seal Photos Underwater, Isla Guadalupe, Mexico

Guadalupe fur seals (Arctocephalus townsendi) can be found in small colonies along Guadalupe Island, resting in shallow water and hauled out on rocks. In fact, their coloration is such a fine match for the dark volcanic rocks that make up the coastline of Guadalupe Island that they are often hard to…

Phil CollaNovember 10, 2022

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Cloud Wakes and Von Karman Vortices at Guadalupe Island, Mexico

In addition to exceptional underwater scenery and wildlife, Guadalupe Island is host to spectacular weather, much of it the result of the island's singular, impressive geometry. Standing alone in the Pacific Ocean and reaching a height of 4257', Isla Guadalupe disrupts whatever weather is flowing past the island. There might…

Phil CollaSeptember 20, 2020

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Great White Shark Portrait

This great white shark photo (Carcharodon carcharias) was shot under dark skies, in early morning. These are tough conditions to shoot underwater with only available light. I prefer to shoot without strobes whenever possible but in the days of film this particular morning would have required I use artificial lights.…

Phil CollaApril 15, 2013

Guadalupe Island Sea Lion

California Sea Lion at Guadalupe Island, Mexico

I've been photographing California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) for about 20 years and still do not have the perfect image of one. They are a lot of fun to dive with, but are notoriously fickle about staying put and posing for the camera. In addition, the fur of a seal…

Phil CollaApril 12, 2011

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Guadalupe Island :: First Impressions

First Impressions: Guadalupe Island, Mexico September 1994. Our early expeditionary trips to Guadalupe Island on the Horizon were wild affairs. Each year Skip assembled a superb mix of skilled spearfishermen looking for giant tuna and intrepid SCUBA divers seeking to explore the scarcely seen underwater environment of remote Guadalupe Island.…

Phil CollaJuly 15, 2010

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Icons Mexico Sharks

Great White Shark Photos

This great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) was photographed at Guadalupe Island, Mexico. I think I have made about 15 trips to the island, a mix of open-water diving trips and shark cage photography trips. I am hoping to get down there again for scuba diving, freediving and just plain exploration…

Phil CollaApril 22, 2009

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Guadalupe 2008: Day’s End

Sunset comes at the end of a day of shark diving at Guadalupe Island. What lurks below? This is the dark water that gave the island one of its nicknames: "Monster Island". Dark water, clouds at days end, cliffs, sunset. Image ID: 21382 Location: Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Baja California,…

Phil CollaOctober 12, 2008

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Guadalupe 2008: Great White Shark Portrait, Horizontal

This is one of my favorites from this year's trip on the M/V Horizon to photograph great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) at Guadalupe Island. A great white shark swims underwater through the ocean at Guadalupe Island. Image ID: 21346 Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias Location: Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe),…

Phil CollaOctober 7, 2008

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Guadalupe 2008: Great White Shark Face

Here is the face of a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Check out the detail in the shark's eye, he is looking straight back into the camera. This was shot with a 24mm lens, full frame sensor, no crop. Pretty tight. A great white shark swims underwater through the ocean…

Phil CollaOctober 6, 2008

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Guadalupe 2008: Satellite Tags on a Great White Shark

Many of the great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) at Guadalupe Island are known to researchers and appear in the white shark ID database. Some of the sharks have even been "tagged" and now sport small pop-up satellite transmitter tags that collect data about the shark's environment and behavior, eventually transmitting…

Phil CollaOctober 5, 2008

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Vertical Photo of Great White Shark

When a Guadalupe Island great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) first approaches the boat, it is often deep. If there are divers in the cage they typically get a look at the shark as it swims slowly beneath the boat. It seems the shark is surveying things before making a decision…

Phil CollaOctober 4, 2008

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Guadalupe 2008: Approaching the Island

Last week I made another trip to Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe) on my favorite boat, M/V Horizon, captained by Greg Grivetto. The trip was conducted in collaboration with Patric Douglas and SharkDiver.com. Of all the boats and captains working at Guadalupe Island, the Horizon and Captain Greg have to have…

Phil CollaOctober 2, 2008

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Photo of a White Pointer Shark

This great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) had a particularly pointy look to him, really streamlined and sleek, with little beady black eyes. When you see a white shark in person its no wonder they are known as white pointers down under. A great white shark swims through the clear waters…

Phil CollaJanuary 7, 2008

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Great White Shark Eyes The Camera

This is my favorite shot from my Shark Diver trip last week on the liveaboard boat Horizon to see great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) at Guadalupe Island. One shark in particular took to circling the boat clockwise and would pass very close to the starboard side cage. As it did…

Phil CollaSeptember 26, 2007

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Photo of a Great White Shark Dorsal Fin

This is the dorsal fin of a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) at Guadalupe Island, sticking above the water as the shark cruises at the surface. Dorsal fin of a great white shark breaks the surface as the shark swims just below. Image ID: 19493 Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon…

Phil CollaSeptember 24, 2007

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Great White Shark Photo

I was pretty lucky to get this photo. This is a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) that I photographed at Guadalupe Island while I was on a Shark Diver trip last week on the liveaboard boat Horizon. This one, a medium size (e.g, 12-13') male, surprised us all. We were…

Phil CollaSeptember 23, 2007

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Shredder

This is "Shredder", aka "Scar", a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) often seen at Guadalupe Island. In 2003 Shredder bit the anchor line of the Ocean Odyssey clean through, severing the boat from its anchor. He is named for his shredded dorsal fin. Shredder is about 13-14 feet long. Note…

Phil CollaSeptember 22, 2007

Guadalupe Island Mexico Panoramas

Guadalupe Island Panoramic Photo

I shot this panoramic photo, a series of six individual photographs, one morning last week, shortly after sunrise, from the upper deck of the boat Horizon. Guadalupe Island was covered in that great golden sunrise light that only lasts for a few minutes. The ocean surrounding the island was covered…

Phil CollaSeptember 21, 2007

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Guadalupe White Shark Trip 2007

Just back from a quick trip to Guadalupe Island to photograph great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). I had heard that this season has been a particularly good one for white sharks at Guadalupe, and I managed to get a few days off to get down there for a look on…

Phil CollaSeptember 20, 2007

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Guadalupe Island Reminiscing

Skip Stubbs has been the main force behind many (most?) of the noteworthy diving trips to Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe) during the last two decades. The trips Skip has led began in '91 and '92 on the Bottom Scratcher, and continued annually since '94 on the Horizon, and preceded the…

Phil CollaJuly 24, 2007

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Guadalupe Cobblestones

I've spent hundreds of hours in the shallows at Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe). The diving is so special there that I will spend every minute I can in the water, breathing a little as possible and waiting until my tank is drained before surfacing to call for a skiff ride…

Phil CollaJune 22, 2007

Guadalupe Island Marine Life Mexico

Photo of Cortez Chub

Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe) straddles both tropical and temperate fish ranges and offers a unique mix of species to see. It is not uncommon to see Panamic fanged blennies and red-tailed triggerfish alongside blacksmith and garibaldi. Shown here is a small school of Cortez chub (Kyphosus elegans) that was stationed…

Phil CollaJune 20, 2007

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Vicki’s Secret — Amazing Underwater Cave New To Science

Of the few people who actually dive at Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe) (sorry, cage dives don't count!) only a fraction will dive on the rugged, exposed, weather side of the island. There, not far from the "west anchorage", lies a secret complex of arches and large underwater caves. The arches…

Phil CollaJune 19, 2007

Guadalupe Island Mexico

GuadalupeFund.Org

Eco Fund Launched To Protect the Great White Shark - GuadalupeFund.Org (California) June 9, 2007 Isla Guadalupe, Mexico has become the internationally recognized destination for divers seeking unprecedented encounters with Great White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). The 90 square mile island located in the Pacific is also home to many rare…

Phil CollaJune 10, 2007

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Guadalupe Island White Shark ID Project

I had an interesting conversation with Nicole Nasby Lucas of the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research yesterday. Ms. Lucas and PIER co-founder Michael Domeier PhD have been conducting a capture/recapture study on great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) at Guadalupe Island, Mexico, building a database of identification photos and video of…

Phil CollaAugust 9, 2006

Guadalupe Island Mexico Underwater Photography

Roca del Skip, Isla Guadalupe

Roca del Skip (Skip's Rock) is a dramatic spire at the southern end of Isla Guadalupe (Guadalupe Island) named in honor of the man who has videotaped and explored the submarine haunts of Guadalupe Island more than anyone else. Church Rock (left) and Roca del Skip (Skips Rock, right), near…

Phil CollaApril 13, 2006

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Freediving and Spearfishing Cover

My photograph of expert freediver, spearfisherman, long range boat captain and all-around-good-guy Chris Thompson was taken at Guadalupe Island in July 2001 shortly after he speared his ginormous yellowfin tuna (not his first mind you). It then appeared on the Summer 2002 cover of the International Freediving and Spearfishing News:…

Phil CollaApril 11, 2006

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Isla Guadalupe :: Restauracion Y Conservacion

Finally, an authoritative book has been published about Guadalupe Island, our favorite eastern Pacific island and one of Mexico's finest ecological wonders. Published in December 2005 by Instituto Nacional de Ecologia (INE-SEMARNAT) and compiled by editors Karina Santos del Prado and Eduardo Peters, Isla Guadalupe, Restauracion Y Conservacion describes the…

Phil CollaMarch 21, 2006

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Butterfly Cove at Sunrise, Guadalupe Island

The evening anchorage at the south end of Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe) is Melpomene Bay. Early in the morning we raise anchor and move to take a look at the water conditions at nearby Isla Adentro, Isla Afuera and Church Rock. On this morning, none of those spots offered us…

Phil CollaMarch 9, 2005

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Smiling Great White Shark

One great white shark photo on our website that is viewed more than almost all others is this one: A great white shark underwater. A large great white shark cruises the clear oceanic waters of Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe). Image ID: 10119 Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias Location: Guadalupe…

Phil CollaFebruary 22, 2005

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Nature Cover

This photo of schooling jack mackerel, shot at Guadalupe Island, Mexico in 2004, graced the cover of Nature, one of the premiere scientific journals in the world, on February 3, 2005 to accompany Effective leadership and decision-making in animal groups on the move (Couzin, Krause, Franks and Levin): Jack mackerel…

Phil CollaFebruary 12, 2005

Guadalupe Island Mexico

Guadalupe Island Spearfishing World Record

The fellows who freedive at Isla Guadalupe (Mexico) in search of giant fish are some of the most skilled and intrepid hunters in the world. They literally enter the food chain in a way that terrestrial hunters do not. This notion is especially true at Guadalupe Island, a haven to…

Phil CollaJanuary 31, 2005

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Underwater Life

Sex and the Single Shark

In the world of wildlife study, in which efforts are made to identify and track individual animals over time, researchers can fall prey to the temptation to name their subjects. There is considerable debate about the merits of this, as some scientists feel that assigning names to the animal subjects…

Phil CollaJanuary 30, 2005

Guadalupe Fur Seal Photos Underwater, Isla Guadalupe, Mexico

Cloud Wakes and Von Karman Vortices at Guadalupe Island, Mexico

Great White Shark Portrait

California Sea Lion at Guadalupe Island, Mexico

Guadalupe Island :: First Impressions

Great White Shark Photos

Guadalupe 2008: Day’s End

Guadalupe 2008: Great White Shark Portrait, Horizontal

Guadalupe 2008: Great White Shark Face

Guadalupe 2008: Satellite Tags on a Great White Shark

Vertical Photo of Great White Shark

Guadalupe 2008: Approaching the Island

Photo of a White Pointer Shark

Great White Shark Eyes The Camera

Photo of a Great White Shark Dorsal Fin

Great White Shark Photo

Shredder

Guadalupe Island Panoramic Photo

Guadalupe White Shark Trip 2007

Guadalupe Island Reminiscing

Guadalupe Cobblestones

Photo of Cortez Chub

Vicki’s Secret — Amazing Underwater Cave New To Science

GuadalupeFund.Org

Guadalupe Island White Shark ID Project

Roca del Skip, Isla Guadalupe

Freediving and Spearfishing Cover

Isla Guadalupe :: Restauracion Y Conservacion

Butterfly Cove at Sunrise, Guadalupe Island

Smiling Great White Shark

Nature Cover

Guadalupe Island Spearfishing World Record

Sex and the Single Shark

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