Gulf of California and Pacific ocean Wildlife adventure
Baja California is without a doubt one of the places with the most diverse marine life on this planet. exciting expedition with striped marlins, sea lions, and whales during the second-biggest sardine run in the world along with snorkeling with whale sharks, mobula rays, and amazing scuba diving in Cabo Pulmo.
Location
Duration
Price
Baja California
10 days
3550 USD
Available dates
NOVEMBER 28 - DECEMBER 7 2024
About this Trip
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Guests: 6 people
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Duration: 10 days
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Boat: day trips on small private boats
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Number of full days in the water: 6 full days (3 days of SCUBA diving on various dive sites, 2 days of sardine run, 1 day of sea-lions and whale sharks) + 1/2 day kayaking + 1/2 day boat trip Mag Bay
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Food: breakfast, lunch, and snacks included
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Conditions: outside temperature: 30°C, water temperature: 24°C
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Skill requirement: OWD, Open water diver certification
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Pick up location: SJD (San Jose del Cabo) airport / LAP (La Paz) airport
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Accommodation: Hotels La Paz and Magdalena Bay, private house Cabo Pulmo. Rooms for two. Private room on request.
Price includes:
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Airport transfers
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9 nights of accommodation with breakfast
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Lunch and snacks during the activity days
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7 dives on various dive sites (1 dive Sea Lion colony, 4 dives Cabo Pulmo, 2 dives La Paz)
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2 days (6 hours each day) on a private boat for the Mexican sardine run in Mag Bay
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1 day (6 hours) on a private boat for ocean safari in La Paz with a dive at the sea lion colony
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All national park fees
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All transfers during the expedition
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Professional guides for the entire expedition who will share with information about the animals, their behaviour and their importance for the ecosystem
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Album of professional underwater photos
Expedition Highlights
- 4 dives with huge tornadoes of jackfish, schooling reef fish, and bull sharks in Cabo Pulmo
- 2 dives in La Paz
- 2 days on a private boat for the second-biggest sardine run in the world: Swimming with striped marlins and - sea lions feeding on huge sardine bait balls
- 1 day on a private boat with sea lions and whale sharks
- Encounters with mahi-mahi, wahoo, tunas, and sailfish
- Swimming with wild dolphins
- Snorkeling with schools of Mobula rays
- Swimming in a big sea lion colony with their playful cubs
- Chance to encounter blue whales, humpback whales, Bryde’s whales and Fin whales
- Watching various species of birds: albatross, shearwaters, boobie birds, frigate birds, pelicans, and several different species of gulls
ITINERARY:
Day 1
La Paz - Meeting, briefing and accommodation
We will pick you up at the airport and take you to your hotel in La Paz. In the afternoon, you will get a brief introduction to the adventures that await you in the next days. The expedition will start the next morning.
Accommodation: hotel, La Paz
Day 2
La Paz - Sea lion colony and ocean safari
We will spend the day on the boat with breath-taking sceneries of the coast of Baja California, we will make a dive in a large colony of sea lions, and play with their curious cubs. The female sea lions are usually exploratively looking at us, letting us scratch and pet them, and their babies are swimming in to play and showing off what they can do underwater. We will enjoy lunch on a white sandy beach in a beautiful blue lagoon. Wild dolphins, rays and other animals gather here in big numbers and we will take every chance to jump in the water and swim with them. We will also observe different species of whales.
Accommodation: hotel, La Paz
Day 3
Cabo Pulmo - 2 dives
This day, we will drive to the Cabo Pulmo National Park. Cabo Pulmo is a small town on the east coast of Baja California and is one of the most beautiful examples of the successful transformation of a rustic fishing village into a sustainable tourism destination. Cabo Pulmo is one of the Hope spots of Mission Blue - a place where animals can reproduce and reside without danger. Since 1995, when it began to be protected, the number of living organisms has increased by a staggering 420%. Cabo Pulmo is now home to over 6,000 marine species and November promises some of the best visibility on the dive sites. We will enjoy 2 dives here observing massive schools of jackfish, bull sharks, big snappers and groupers, rays, sea lions and many more.
Accommodation: private Casa near Cabo Pulmo
Day 4
Cabo Pulmo - 2 dives
We will enjoy another 2 dives in the unforgettable Cabo Pulmo National Park and in the afternoon, we will head back to La Paz
Accommodation: hotel, La Paz
Day 5
La Paz - 2 dives
Today we'll enjoy two dives around La Paz, in the waters of the Gulf of California, which Jacques Cousteau called the world's aquarium. At this time of year, we can look forward to excellent visibility, and depending on the conditions, we will choose the best location for our dives. We will have the opportunity to dive with sea lions and their pups, that get excited by the bubbles from our regulators. We'll also have a chance to meet hammerhead sharks and manta rays, or explore a Chinese shipwreck where sea turtles like to nap.
Accommodation: hotel, La Paz
Day 6
Magdalena Bay
In the morning we will head to Magdalena Bay. On the way, we will observe the beautiful colors of the Mexican desert full of huge cacti. We will stop at one of the most beautiful beaches in Mexico, Balandra Bay. The shallow turquoise crystal clear water is surrounded by dusty pink mountains and offers spectacular views of the Baja California coast. We will explore the bay in kayaks and then continue on our journey to Magdalena Bay, where we will have access to the open Pacific Ocean. In the evening, you'll get a briefing about the "sardine run" - a spectacular natural event where huge schools of migrating sardines attract striped marlins, sea lions, whales, and other large animals to the area. The Mexican sardine run is the second- largest sardine run in the world.
Accommodation: hotel, Magdalena Bay
Day 7
Magdalena Bay - Sardine run
We will spend this day on a private boat observing seabird activity and locating schools of sardines. The sardines school together to protect themselves. They form a living, moving ball of fish. The marlins then push them up to the surface and attack them from below. When we find the scene of this action, we jump into the water. Marlins can grow up to 420 cm long and weigh up to 200 kg. The feast is joined by sea lions, dolphins and sometimes even whales. Watching this natural phenomenon is an incredible experience.
Accommodation: hotel, Magdalena Bay
Den 8
Magdalena Bay - Sardine run
Another day spent with the animals that the sardines attract to this bay. We can't promise anything in the wild, but we may encounter the following species: a large number of California sea lions, mahi-mahi, sea lions, sailfish, marlin, wahoo, sharks, dolphins, fin whales and other whales, and many species of birds. This natural event is a fascinating spectacle and a testament to the delicate balance of nature.
Accommodation: hotel, Magdalena Bay
Day 9
Magdalena Bay and La Paz
After the experiences of the past days, we will enjoy our last moments on the beach in the beautiful Magdalena Bay. We'll take a boat ride to the beach where thousands of sand dollars - skeleton urchins - wash up every day, walk the sand dunes and enjoy scenic views of the pristine Baja California coastline. In the afternoon, we will return to La Paz.
Accommodation: hotel, La Paz
Day 10
End of the expedition, transfer to the airport or your accommodation.
GALLERY
What to look forward to?
Baja California is a place that promises some of the most interesting interactions with big marine life. Mobula rays, whale sharks, dolphins, sea lions, whales, orcas and striped marlins in the waters of the open Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California, on an adventure guided by professional animal behavior specialists.
We will start our expedition in La Paz, a beautiful city located on the coast of the Gulf of California. The location of La Paz will become our base, and from here, we will enjoy three days on private boats, each day in a different location promising unique animal encounters. We will swim in a big sea lion colony, look for whale sharks, snorkel with huge pods of aggregating mobula rays in clear water, and watch humpback whales. All our encounters are based on respect for the animals and our guides will teach you about their behavior and body language. We always make sure the animals are comfortable with our presence before jumping into the water.
We will also visit the Cabo Pulmo National Park for one day. This place is an iconic example of Mission Blue Hope spot - a protected marine area with thriving marine life, full of schooling fish, where you will feel like the clock stopped 50 years ago. Cabo Pulmo is proof that protected marine areas make sense and you will see how the ocean can be if it is treated sustainably.
For the second part of our expedition, we will drive to Magdalena Bay, where the second-largest sardine run in the world takes place. The Mexican sardine run refers to an annual phenomenon that occurs off the coast of Baja California where large schools of sardines migrate and follow the plankton bloom in search of food and warmer temperatures. During the sardine run, millions of sardines can be seen swimming in dense schools, forming so-called bait balls. The event is a major attraction for marine predators, including huge marlins, dolphins, sea lions, and seabirds, which all converge to feed on the abundant prey. Whales also come here this time of the year and if we're lucky, we'll encounter a humpback whale, Fin whale or a Bryde's whale.
Our mission is to protect the underwater world, educate people of all generations and explore the treasures the ocean hides in its depths. Our conservation activities are our top priority and we fund them through expeditions like this, and if you join us, you will help us move our vision one step further.