Islander Charters

As the most featured boat on Shark Week, Islander Charters has been delivering world-class Great White Shark cage dives since 2004 — with a 100% success record and a guarantee you'll see sharks or you come back for free.

Islander Charters is a family-owned American operation based in San Diego, California, running 5-day all-inclusive shark cage diving voyages to Guadalupe Island, Mexico — widely regarded as the premier destination for Great White Sharks. All trips depart from and return to San Diego aboard the M/V Islander, an 88-foot long-range charter boat that is certified, regulated, and annually inspected by the United States Coast Guard. Passenger loads are capped at 16 divers per trip — roughly half the vessel's maximum capacity of 33 — ensuring a personal experience with an exceptional crew-to-diver ratio. The operation has been running since 2004 and has safely led nearly 20,000 people into Mexican waters over seventeen seasons. Crew members include USCG licensed captains, PADI certified divemasters, and marine biology degree holders, all of whom participate in the USCG random drug testing program. Islander Charters is the only business shark diving at Guadalupe Island to receive a special recognition award from CONANP for achieving 100% best practices across all qualifying categories, and holds a 100% undisputed safety record with zero cage incidents. Beyond the diving, Islander Charters is deeply committed to Great White Shark research and conservation. A portion of every ticket price funds ecotourism and research efforts at Guadalupe Island, and the company has hosted shark researchers aboard the vessel every year since 2004, including supporting the CICMAR/UC Davis RAP array system and providing CONANP observers on every trip. Guests may participate in shark identification from the cages, contributing real data to ongoing scientific efforts.