What’s Included
✅ 5 days on the water A space for you on the boat with our captain and crew
✅ Accommodation 6 nights
✅ Meals Breakfast and Dinners at the hotel restaurant, and packed lunches on the boat. Please let us know if you have any restrictions
✅ Airport Pick-up On your day of arrival, we will pick you up at the airport and drive you to your accommodation
✅ Airport drop-off On your day of departure, we will drive you from your accommodation to the airport
✖ Flights
✖ Snorkeling Gear
✖ Extracurricular Activities
✖ Drinks
LOCATION
Baja, Mexico
DATES
Oct (5 swim days / 6 nights)
ACTIVITY
5 days of swimming with Merlins & Sea Lions
GUESTS
MAX. 6 people + Captain & Crew
PRICE
$1000 Deposit / $3500 Total
About Trip
From a small fishing village in Baja, Mexico we take a boat out into the ocean in search of striped marlin and sea lions. Marlin and sea lions dive into the depths and push groups of small fish (bait ball) like sardines or mackerel up to the surface. We snorkel and free dive around the bait ball they create, watching as the sea lions and striped marlin work together to feed. Watching the fish move together like a river while sea lions and marlin emerge is one of the most mesmerizing sights in the world. A bait ball may last twenty seconds, and it may last hours. Typically we will see and swim with many bait balls within the same day. Some have only a few marlin or sea lions, others have 20+ marlins and sea lions. The marlin are incredibly precise, sometimes breaching from the water to catch a fish. They used their stripes to communicate with other marlin and coordinate hunts. Above the bait balls there are often birds flying overhead fighting over fish. On the way back to the dock we often stop to see hundreds of pelicans and other seabirds resting on a sandbank. The open ocean is incredibly rich with life.
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Each day our local captain will meet us at the dock. There will be plenty of space for your gear whether it’s wet or dry. There will be an area of shade on the boat to take shelter from the sun.
The sun here is strong so please be aware and plan accordingly.
The captain will handle boat operations and guide us to areas where we will be swimming. He will also ensure that marine life, crew, and passengers are safe in the water.
You will be required to follow the captain’s instructions on the boat at all times.
If you have any preexisting conditions that may hinder your ability to be on a moving boat please inform us at sign-up.
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We will be staying at a local hotel. The accommodations will be basic, but we guarantee they will be clean, safe, and comfortable.
Please note: We will have dual occupancy rooms. When sharing we assign rooms with group members of the same gender.
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Breakfast will be served at the hotel, and dinners will be enjoyed at the hotel or out at a local restaurant. A packed lunch and snacks will be provided to enjoy on the boat.
We can accommodate most dietary restrictions: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, etc.
If you have any food allergies, intolerances, or preferences, please list them on the sign up form.
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Wildlife we typically see:
Striped Marlin, Sea Lions, Sea Turtles, Pelicans, Cormorants, Ospreys, Great Frigatebirds
Wildlife we sometimes see:
Orcas, Humpback whales, Mobula rays, Bryde’s whale, Sailfish, Mahi Mahi, Coastal coyotes, Blue whales, Common dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Pacific White Sided dolphins.
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Weather
The climate is arid subtropical in most of Baja Mexico, mild on the west coast, overlooking the Pacific ocean, where a cold current flows, and very hot in summer on the east coast, overlooking the Gulf of California (or Sea of Cortez).
Water Temperature
The water temperature and air temperature can be a little colder in Baja. We recommend between a 3mm - 5mm wetsuit.
Currency
The official currency in Mexico is the peso. Major credit cards are accepted by most businesses, but small vendors may prefer cash There will be access to ATMs and banks near the hotel.
Visas
Visas are not required for citizens from the US, UK, or countries in the EU.
Please check your visa requirements ahead of time.
Vaccines and Health
Please make sure you are up to date on your routine vaccinations.
You can check the CDC’s (US) website for further information here.
Booking your flights
Book your flights to La Paz, Mexico (LAP).
The final destination is about a 4-hour drive from La Paz. Transportation to the small coastal village is scheduled for noon on the arrival date of your chosen trip.
If you cannot fly in to La Paz before noon on the arrival day, please arrive the day before and spend the night in La Paz. We will then pick you up from your hotel for the drive north.
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Your guide for this trip will be announced closer to the trip.
All of our guides are professional underwater photographers or freedivers, with a passion for nature and the ocean. With multiple years of guiding experience. You can read more about our team here
Itinerary
Arrival Day
Get to know Baja Mexico and your team
Travel from La Paz, Mexico to a small coastal village. There will be a brief orientation to the hotel and what you will need to prepare for the following days. After you have gotten settled in we will have dinner together.
We provide transportation from La Paz.
Note: This will be the first date of your selected trip
Ocean Swim Days
5 days on the water
Breakfast will be at our hotel. We’ll spend about 7 hours at sea, and have lunch on the boat. We have an experienced local captain and crew to assist in navigating and finding the bait balls. We’ll enjoy dinners at our accommodation or the local restaurant. You will have free time in the late afternoon each day.
Note: If weather limits our time on the boat we will prepare activities to do back on the island.
Departure Day
Leaving Mexico
Final breakfast before the drive back to La Paz. Arrive in La Paz in the afternoon and proceed to your final destination.
Note: This will be the last date of your selected trip