Wow, last night and this morning was quite the ride! Thirty knots of wind and 15 foot seas greeted us for the last 60 miles of our journey to San Diego from Ensenada. Talk about Mr. Toads wild ride!

Needless to say, we are happy to be in the calm of SD Harbor and in a few minutes will be tied to our pier.

Thank you all for following our adventures at Guadalupe Island. As you can tell we had an amazing adventure, seeing Guadalupe like we’ve never seen it before. As Mexico developes the Biosphere management plan for the island we hope to be able to introduce you to the terrestrial portion of Guadalupe along with the aquatic.

As you have read, the scuba diving is amazing at this island. Join us this upcoming July for a 9 day scuba adventure to Isla Guadalupe…it’s aquatic beauty is so far removed from what we see in California that it is stunning to behold…and only 215 miles from San Diego! Join us!

Captain Spencer

Considering the weather forecast we had a great night of travel enroute to Ensenada and are now just 10 miles southwest of the town. We will stay a few hours tied to the cruise ship terminal pier and then head out for San Diego around midnight.

See you in San Diego tomorrow!

Captain Spencer

Today is our last day here at beautiful Guadalupe Island.  We awoke to the sound of the soft pitter patter of rain drops splashing on the deck above.  Rainbows were shining on the rock face as huge waterfalls ran down the cracks and crevices of this mountanous island.  The sound of a Guadalupe water fall was amazing, and was truly a thing of beauty.

As our divers suited up for the last time, I thought back to when we first arrived,  not knowing what to expect.  The Elephant Seals that were here in the begining have left for deep water,while the sharks we have been  looking for day in and day out still elude us.

This morning Laysan albatross took to the skies as the rain began to fall, while in the background the entire island has turned a dark shade of green during our stay.  What an amazing adventure we have had over the last 20 days!

As we pulled the anchor for the last time, we wave good-bye to the island that treated us so well and has become a friend.  We hope in the upcoming years to be able to introduce you all to this incredible oasis.

Adios Guadalupe…see you next summer!

Captain Spencer

Rain rain rain go away, El Nino please take this rain away to come back some other day! I’m growing moss under my chin its been so darn wet here over the past few days.

It rained for the whole morning but right after lunch it cleared up, so we hopped in the skiff and went to look for some elephant seals on the rocks and and in the surf zone.  We had to drive the skiff a little ways to the north,  but managed to get some good underwater footage of male and female elephant seals interacting.   The two cameraman got up close and personal with the seals, so close that one female actually mouthed the lens.  This was the last shot the team from Japan Underwater Films needed for their documentary, so it is sounding like this trip, although long, has been a rousing success!

Tomorrow is our last day here at Guadalupe.  The last 20 days have been great, but everyone is ready to feel dry land again under our flippers!

Adios,

Captain Spencer

Today we decided to take a break from the sharks and finish up with interviews.  The questions were broad, ranging from more in depth scientific questions for our resident experts, to descriptions and stories of our experiences as Horizon crew interacting with Sharks and Seals.   Everyone got a chance to talk to the camera.

It was a beautiful sunny day here at Guadalupe.  The wind and waves have stayed away for now but you never know what will come.

After we spent the morning filming we moved the boat over to Yellow Point to get some diving in.  Everyone went for at least one dive on the beautiful wall.  Schools of jack mackerel, large free swimming morey eels, huge lobster and a plethora of red tailed, very charismatic red tailed triggerfish were spotted on the reef.  The underwater life is so diverse here it’s breath taking.  We ended up doing a few dives on this site it was so beautiful.  From top to bottom it was full of life!

Two more days at Guadalupe, it seems like yesterday we were loading up to head south. Time flies!

Adios,

Captain Spencer

This morning we spoke with the one of our  local fisherman friends, Luis, who is from the West Village, to see if we could come and film their town.  They were more then happy to come and pick up the top side crew in their pangas and shuttle them up north against the swell & to the village.

When they guys arrived the local  kids were taking dance lessons and the fisherman were cleaning fish.  Everyone got a chance to tell their story on camera about different experiences they have had here at Guadalupe Island. Such an amazing place virtually in the middle of nowhere!

And aboard the goodship Horizon we had a long day of sitting and waiting for the White Sharks, but still no luck.  Despite the lackluster sharking, we did have a rare Curvies Beaked Whale sighting!  Although it is not rare to sight these whales around Guadalupe, it is not common to see them breach!  Two individuals were spotted just off our bow putting on a show.  It was spectacular!!

With just a few days left in our journey,  the weather man said it was going to be a rainy day with winds blowing 20 knots. He was partially correct. Tomorrow we will keep looking for sharks and try to get some good diving in along the southeast ridge of the island.

Adios,

Captain Spencer

Today we were up early again to try and capture more footage of baby elephant seals entering the water.  As the sun peeked over the horizon it was apparent that the swell had gotten larger throughout the night.  Hmm…land on a beach in 5 foot breakers with thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? Maybe not.

We pulled our anchor up and headed north for a bit of sharking and upon arriving on site made the decision that Plan A and Plan B sucked. The wind was very Chicagoland like on the shark site so with this knowledge we aborted plan B and devised a plan C…chess, checkers or bingo anyone? Nooooo….of course not, lets’ go diving!

We decided to head back down to the south to get some protection from the big rock called Guadalupe and our our way to our protected anchorage jumped in for a quick dive at Butterfly Cove.  It was full of butterfly fish as the name suggests with schools of bait swirling around.  Off the edge of the wall huge schools of yellowtail breezed by in search of a meal.  Not bad for a crappy day in paradise!

Adios,

Captain Spencer

Today we got the day started before the sun came up…0 dark thirty.  Our plan was to land on the beach and film Juan Pablo as he set foot in the sand for the first time.  Everything was ready to go,  except the sun.  We waited until the clouds moved out of the way which  never happened so we decided to go for a few scuba dives instead.

Dispite the overcast it was a beautiful morning so we  headed over to Pilot Rock and jumped in for a swim with waters about as calm as you could ever hope for.  During the dive we were schooled by large Blue fin Tuna, and a few curious Yellowtail.     Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better,  a large Big Eye Tuna, maybe 60 pounds swam by.  What a great dive, almost unbelievable!

As we came back to anchor near Twin Canyons we noticed a large white shape on the beach.  We went in for a closer look and saw it was a deceased Cuvier Beaked Whale.  Mauricio, our Guadalupe Island expert, went ashore and was able to gather vital information from the animal, such as size and weight.  Although tragic for the young Whale,  the opportunity to make the best of the situation was not lost, as it was an educational experience for everyone on the boat, and will help further the progress of Mauricio’s research.

Adios,

Captain Spencer

Today is day 14.  We are still on the look out for the unordinarily elusive great white shark.  Just one would be nice, is that too much to ask for I say?

The weather is beautiful this morning here at Guadalupe island.  We set up at Twin Canyons in water that resembles that old rock band “Deep Purple” and 62  balmy degrees.

The wind has come down to 5 knots and the sun is blazing.  Just another atypical Guadalupe winter day.  All morning we look for sharks.  Taking turns in the cage waiting, wishing for a shark.  But nothing swims by.

To raise our spirits this afternoon we moseyed on over to the north point and got a dive in on The Spire.  An under water chimney that is full of sea fans and Guadalupe Cardinal fish and more scythe mark butterfly fish than you can shake a stick at!

We didn’t see any sharks today but the diving in the afternoon was amazing.  Tomorrow we will keep trying and maybe we will get the shot of the shark we need.

As the moon is full and on the rise everyone is on their way to sleep.

Good night,

Captain Spencer

Today we are back on the look out for the suddenly elusive tiburon blanco.  We are anchored in Bahia Norte off La Playa El Faro.  We can see a huge swell out side the point just beyond Pilot Rock.  The wind is blowing a steady 20 knots…anybody bring a kite?

We load the shark cage into the water and commence the waiting game and after being confronted with 25 knot steady winds gusting to 35 we decided that enough was enough. Time to pull the cage out and take a hot chocolate break. Okay, I know, that doesn’t sound very macho…but ya know…we are all kinder and gentler around these parts!

I’d write more, but really there isn’t much to add. The weather kicked our butts today. Ciao…

Captain Spencer