24°12′37.6″ N · LA PAZ · B.C.S.
La Paz, the aquarium of the world
Jacques Cousteau's name for the Sea of Cortez. A narrow gulf that concentrates what other oceans spread across thousands of miles — cold upwellings, deserted islands, and a density of marine life that still surprises people who've sailed it for years. Every Eagle Ray expedition departs from here.
- Departure
- Marina de La Paz
- Working waters
- La Paz · Espíritu Santo · Cerralvo
- Protection
- UNESCO World Heritage site
- Wildlife
- Something in season, year-round
Wildlife
Six encounters, one bay
Sightings are never guaranteed — these are wild animals in open water. What we can offer is the season, the place, and the odds.
Oct — Apr · Bahía de La Paz
Whale sharks
Juveniles feeding right in the bay. You snorkel alongside them, no scuba gear needed.
May — Jul · Offshore channels
Mobula rays
Schools of hundreds leaping clear of the water. You hear them before you see them.
Year-round · Los Islotes colony
Sea lions — Los Islotes
A permanent colony. The juveniles dive with you, not the other way around.
Year-round · Channel crossings
Dolphins
They show up at the bow while under sail. We don't look for them — they find us.
May — Sep · Reef pinnacles
Manta rays
Over reef pinnacles and sandy bottoms, usually during the morning dive.
Jan — Mar · Open gulf
Humpback whales
Seasonal migration, observed from the boat at the distance regulation requires.
Espíritu Santo is a protected national park and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California." We anchor only at authorized buoys, and sightings follow the distances and timing set by regulation.
Where we go
Three places, all reachable in a day
Espíritu Santo
A protected island national park ten miles out. Home to the Los Islotes sea lion colony and mangrove channels we kayak at low tide.
Balandra
One of the most photographed bays on the gulf. Shallow turquoise water and easy reef snorkeling, usually empty by early evening.
La Ventana
An hour from La Paz, on the other side of the peninsula. The same north wind that keeps the bay flat turns into one of Baja's most reliable kite spots.