| Guadalupe Island's rocky reefs and walls are often covered with vast expanses of lowlying kelps and surfgrasses. | | | Guadalupe fur seals are typically found in small groups, rafting in shallow water near their shoreline colonies. | Northern elephant seals are usually found among the sand and cobblestone beaches near the north end of the island. Underwater encounters with elephant seals are rare, even for Guadalupe island which has a large population of these huge pinnipeds. | | Occasionally large schools of fish are found at Guadalupe. | Enormous specimens of the southern sea palm, or palm kelp, are found at Guadalupe Island, most commonly on the exposed western shore near Steamboat Rock and Elephant Rock. | Guadalupe Island is home to the current Pacific bluefin tuna and North American yellowtail spearfishing world records. The only underwater hunting permitted at the island is via breathhold diving using band powered spearguns. These spearfishermen are some of the most skilled and ethical in the world, targeting only fish large enough and of the correct species to warrant taking. | Guadalupe Island's reefs, walls, caverns and open waters afford those few who choose to dive the island with excellent, rarely seen diving opportunities. | | | Certain unidentified soft corals are found underneath rocky ledges on exposed pinnacles and walls. |
