Summer Adventures & Whale Sharks

SEASONS

Mid-July – October

8 Days, 7 Nights

TYPES OF ADVENTURES

Liveaboard

PRICING (Pp. dbl occ.)

From US$3,950

Destination Overview

Adventure Overview

Flat calm seas cobalt blue in colour and nobody else around makes summer one of our favourite seasons in the Sea of Cortez. With the bonus that this is when 80 – 220 whale sharks arrive in a deserted bay up north best accessed by small ship and expedition yacht. Summer adventures are about amazing animals, experiencing the genuine warmth of the people of Baja and venturing far off the beaten path.

Our onboard divemasters, guides and naturalists are there to introduce you to new experiences. Not a diver yet? This is your chance to try diving (or kayaking or paddle boarding or snorkelling) for the first time.

Video of our Summer Adventure & Whale Sharks in the Sea of Cortez! →

colony of the super cool blue-footed boobie birds

Off the beathen path

There is no other way than a small ship to visit tiny Isla San Pedro Martir, just one of the highlights of this trip. This tiny island in the middle of the Sea of Cortez is surrounded by deep upwellings of nutrient rich waters producing a bounty of life. This is home to the worlds’ largest nesting colony of the super cool blue-footed boobie birds as Mexico’s largest colonies of brown pelicans and brown boobies. We will do our best to get you ashore for a walk-about. The snorkelling and scuba diving is excellent with loads of sea lions, turtles, black coral and big schools of fish. A pod of sperm whales are usually resident nearby. Our spotter airplane will be on patrol to point us towards the sperm and fin-back whales and hopefully orcas and other big critters.

Over at Bahia de Los Angeles, the beaches are beautiful, the hiking, snorkelling and diving is great but the biggest feature is the largest aggregation of whale sharks on the west coast of the Americas with between 80 and 220 animals between May and October. There are virtually no other boats around and yes, you will be able to jump in the water and snorkel with these gentle and inquisitive giants.

Examining a cave with 400 - 500,000 bats!

This is real adventure!

While we have been operating similar trips for over 40 years, we are constantly checking out new possibilities and opportunities. We might go to shore and jump into air conditioned vans to travel inland to visit the remains of a jesuit mission and then a nearby ranch and short hike up a canyon to see ancient cave paintings. Or go ashore delivering gas and supplies to a multi-generational shark fishing family that has lived on a small island since the 1940’s (one of our captains grew up on the Isla) where visitors receive a warm and genuine Baja welcome and local speciality, empanadas de almijeta (clams). The deserted white sand beaches, brilliant blue waters of summer, flat calm seas and gorgeous scenery of the islands in the Loreto National Park will make you never want to leave. Is it hot in the summer?? Yes for sure. But we embrace that in the usual Baja way with covered sitting areas on the boat complete with fans, excellent air conditioning, lots of water activities in the heat of the afternoon and heading off first thing in the morning and then again late in the afternoon on adventures when it’s cooler outside.

You can expect fine dining, excellence in guest experience, the very highest levels of safety, lots of presentations and information from our naturalists and gorgeous evenings under the brilliant star lit Mexican sky.

Sample Itinerary

Fly into SJD. Cabo. Recommend 1 day early if possible.

Day 1

Meet at SeeCreatures San Jose del Cabo by 2 pm for coach transfer to La Paz.
Board 147-ft Nautilus Belle Amie. Cocktail hour, dinner and sail away
into the sunset.

Day 2 – 7-7

Explore the Sea of Cortez. Your ship is very quiet underway and stabilized for a smooth ride and we will do much of our travelling at night so that you wake up to a new destination every morning. This is the perfect time of the year for cruising as the north winds are long gone and seas are almost always very smooth. Our plan is to beat the heat of the desert by offering activities first thing every morning (or your option to stay on the ship for a lie-in and maybe go for a paddle) and then back to the air conditioned ship for lunch. Some relaxation and beach and water activities in the afternoon. The beaches that we visit are way off the beaten track and sure to be stunningly beautiful. Afternoon scuba diving also available.

Day 8 8

Morning disembarking at La Paz after breakfast. Transfer back to SJD or
optional post-trip extension in La Paz.

Operated For Safety

Operated For Safety

Safety is a very serious business. Mother Ocean can be capricious and unforgiving. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and you should expect and demand no less. In our view, every dive boat should be operated within a certified ISM safety management system, outfitted with sprinklers, emergency smoke hoods for everybody and the same safety, fire, life saving equipment and radios as the largest cruise ships. Captains, mates and engineers should have professional commercial mariner qualifications and all crew should have STCW professional mariner certification. Safety is not something to publish in a brochure. It’s part of our DNA. A cornerstone of our culture. Something that we have been living by for every day of the last 30 years.

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