Sea of Cortez Ocean Safari

Sea of Cortez Ocean Safari

2023 Season: April 22 – Early July

The Sea of Cortez is once again vibrant with marine animals and especially teams with life from January through July. Whales of all descriptions, huge pods of dolphins, giant whale sharks, friendly sea lions, mantas, mobulas and cow nose rays and so much more. Small numbers of mobula rays (mobula munkiana) can be seen year round but they start gathering in large schools in early spring. By April, huge squadrons upwards of 100,000 rays gather in giant protective schools overnight and then break up into smaller groups at sunrise. These rays are amazing to observe, especially with their gravity defying giant leaps out of the water. This is  a lifetime experience to swim or snorkel along them.

Are we sure that you will see mobula rays on our ocean safaris? HECK YES!

Is There a Good Chance That We Will Be Able to Get in the Water With Killer Whales (Orcinus Orca)? 

Maybe. Where there are mobulas, there are often orcas. We have our own spotter airplane with a pilot and a naturalist onboard up in the air 5 to 6 days a week in-season surveying, spotting and observing mobulas, whales and all the other Sea of Cortez critters. The crew is in constant radio contact with our boats. As the oldest eco-experience company in Baja with almost 50 years of experience, we have long and deep friendships with local observers and we enthusiastically share information back and forth on animal sightings. Orcas are part of the eastern tropical pacific population and we believe that at least 3 different family groups visit the area in-season. Our experience is that the orcas swim in from open ocean past Cabo San Lucas and travel up the coast cruising as far as Bahia de La Paz and often further up into the Mechudo Corridor before turning around and returning to open ocean.

We will know where the orcas are if they are in the area. Our week-long liveaboard boats have a 50% success rate getting divers in the water interacting with orcas. On our day boat trips out of La Paz, we will run fast and far for orca encounters IF they are in the local area (50 km radius).

Interaction Is Always on the Animals’ Terms 

We do not chase or allow harassment of any animals. It’s their choice to choose to interact with us. We have had excellent success with interactions.

Learn to Freedive

Want to join the party? Add-on a half day introduction to freediving for $65 per person. 

Visit us the day before your trip and we’ll teach you the basic techniques of breath-holding (it really is very, very, relaxing). We’ll have you comfortably descend to 30 ft within the hour, so that you can enter the middle of the pack and be rewarded with some truly spectacular mobula encounters.