Route Description - Orcas - Sea of Cortez 8 days / 7 nights
The Sea of Cortez is a magical and wonderful place teeming with marine creatures of all sizes. Our guests encounter and interact year-round with friendly California sea lions and mega pods of bottlenose dolphins. If we are lucky, we might also encounter spinner and Risso’s dolphins. Mobula rays are present year-round and aggregate in enormous schools from March through July. Colossal fin whales (second in size only to blue whales), sperm whales, rays, and whale sharks are present year-round and migrate seasonally up and down the Sea of Cortez. Pilot whales, pseudo orcas, and minke whales are also known to migrate in the area, although they are less commonly seen.
Humpback whales, including mothers and calves, arrive in December and January, while giant blue whales and their babies are present from the end of January through April. Thanks to our extensive local knowledge and aerial patrols, we provide the best opportunities for encounters, which are always conducted with the utmost respect and only on the animals’ own terms. It’s entirely their choice to swim over and check us out.
Divers with abundant experience agree that the vast schools of fish witnessed by our divers, snorkelers, and swimmers create the most densely packed fish tornadoes seen anywhere in the world. Hammerhead and tiger sharks have made a comeback after 20 years of tightly restricted commercial fishing.
Typical Itinerary
Fly into SJD. Cabo. Expedition yacht might leave from Cabo or La Paz. Sailing catamaran leaves from La Paz.
Day 1
Our Nautilus owned SeeCreatures is located near the harbour in downtown Cabo San Lucas and is your home away from home. We encourage you to fly in early and allow us to arrange for some local diving. Your trip includes a complimentary photo lesson at 1:00pm. Our photo pros will coach you on how to get that perfect underwater image, help set up, service or repair your camera gear, and assist with camera rentals. You are welcome to drop your bags off and check-in whenever it’s most convenient. We ask that you please check-in at SeeCreatures Cabo by 4:30pm latest for your complimentary coach transfer to La Paz, where our hosties will be waiting on the back deck for you with trays of margaritas and champagne.
This trip is predominantly focused on snorkelling and freediving, however if you would like to dive we have rental gear available at SeeCreatures before boarding, or you can bring your own gear.
Days 2 – 7
We have our own spotter airplane with 2-person crew, flying up to 2 missions a day / 6 days a week. Our new Citabria is the perfect plane for this mission, flying as low as an ultralight for enhanced observation, with speed to scout north to Loreto national park and south to Cabo, providing the best coverage. Our pilot and naturalist/observer specialize in finding marine animals and are the very best in the business. They have one goal in mind: to maximize your encounters with the animals.
You might have heard that the best place to find the mobulas is in the triangle between Espiritu Santo, Carpenter Rock on the west side of Cerralvo, and Las Ventanas on Baja and, well, this might have been true in the days before our spotter aircraft. Our Citabria aircraft working in tandem with our expedition yacht and high speed RHIB changes the calculus on this completely. We are finding animals like never before and will take you to where a mama blue whale and calf might be waiting for you, or humpback whales, whale sharks, cow nose rays, and hundreds of dolphins. Be patient, as it might take ten splashes for the mobulas to allow snorkelers and freedivers into the middle of the pack, but you’ll be rewarded with truly spectacular encounters.
Your day might start with a dive or snorkel with typical RHIB missions heading out at 11am after the local Corumuel wind lies down making it easier to critter spot. Our RHIB, or high-speed skiff, carries 12 guests, so everyone is welcome onboard at the same time.
After a delicious lunch on deck, we’ll head back out on the water in the afternoon. We will keep our support boat running as late as anyone wants up until dusk. You will get plenty of time in the water.
Your ship will always be close by. Take a break whenever you want and relax on the sundeck with a good book or soaking in the hot tub. We also have kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.
In the evening, you’ll have the chance to see the mobula rays in a different light. Literally. There will be the opportunity to go snorkeling at night in a calm, protected bay, where we will suspend lights off the bottom of the boat to attract swarms of mobulas. The mobulas come in to feed on the plankton exposed by the lights, providing a spectacular show against the inky ocean. If you’re a certified diver with your own gear, we can also arrange for you to go night diving.
The highlight of any trip is if we spot the black fins of orcas slicing through the water. All interactions are conducted in compliance with the laws and regulations of Mexico. For our diving friends, bring your dive gear, and we will be sure to get you some splashes on local dive sites.
Day 8
Morning breakfast. Disembark at 8:30 am in La Paz and complimentary transfer back to either SeeCreatures Cabo San Lucas or SJD Airport.