“Underwater, everybody helps everybody. I wish it were like that on land.”
Monik Saab
- Expedition Leader
- Scuba
- Snorkeling
- Kayaking
- Stand-up paddle
- Trekking
- Biking
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German
Limited dates · November 2026
Dive & Sail with Monik Saab
A day, a night at anchor, or the Thanksgiving weekend off Espíritu Santo. Monik leads the dives, with all the gear on board. The Eagle Ray crew sails the boat, cooks, and reads the sea. For certified divers. Never dived? Ask us about a first session with Monik.
Three ways to dive with Monik in November
All three sail from Marina Palmira, La Paz, on a Beneteau Sense 55 sailboat, with Monik, an Eagle Ray captain and an Eagle Ray chef. Each one is a private charter of the whole boat, for your group. Dives and dive gear are included. Pick one, or combine two back to back.
Not sure which one fits your group? Book a call with Monik or the Eagle Ray team and we answer your questions before you book.
Thursday, November 26 → Sunday, November 29 · 3 nights · 4 dives, plus a 5th if conditions and the group allow
Thanksgiving Dive Expedition
2 guest cabins (one master, one standard) · up to 4 guests
See the boat ↓See what is included ↓
Three nights around Espíritu Santo, with time to reach the north and the sea lion colony at Los Islotes. Thanksgiving dinner at anchor on Thursday night. No dive on the last morning: a slow breakfast, a swim, and back at the marina around midday on Sunday.
14,500 USD · whole boat, diving included
Book by November 5
Monday, November 23 · day trip · 1 dive
Dive Day
Up to 6 guests
See the boat ↓See what is included ↓
One dive at San Rafaelito, then lunch on board, snorkeling and the rest of the day on deck. Back at the marina in the afternoon.
5,500 USD · whole boat
Book by November 5
Tuesday, November 24 → Wednesday, November 25 · 1 night · 2 dives
One Night at Anchor
2 guest cabins (one master, one standard) · up to 4 guests
See the boat ↓See what is included ↓
Sail out to the south of Espíritu Santo, dive Fang Ming, and stay for the sunset and dinner at anchor. Dive Isla Ballena the next morning, then lunch on board and back to La Paz in the afternoon.
8,500 USD · whole boat
Book by November 5
Info on booking
- Book by November 5.
- Each departure is a private charter of the whole boat, for your group.
- Start with a call: Monik and the Eagle Ray team answer your questions before you book.
- Payment and cancellation terms are confirmed with you before you book.
Want more days, or a different date for your own group? Write to us.
WHO IS MONIK
Monik grew up on a beach in Brazil. She spent sixteen years in large corporations and teaching English, then made the sea her work.
Today she is a PADI dive instructor and a licensed expedition guide in Mexico, with six years diving Baja California Sur and a license to guide in the Revillagigedo Islands.
Before the first dive, she watches: who is relaxed, who checks their gear twice, who wants to go deeper. Then she plans each dive around them. Which site, how deep, when to get in, and when the best thing is to stay on deck.
Keep reading →
More about Monik:
- PADI dive instructor
- SECTUR-certified tour guide (NOM-09)
- Licensed to guide in the Revillagigedo Islands
- STCW and Seaman's Book
- Seasons on yachts with helideck operations
- Has organised multi-day dive trips for her own community
- Dive briefings in English, Spanish, Portuguese or German
Follow her dives and students on Instagram: @nikdive
"I grew up by the beach in Brazil. After 16 years in large corporations and teaching English, I made the sea my work. Today I'm a PADI dive instructor and a licensed expedition guide in Mexico. I've lived in Baja California Sur for six years, one of them in La Paz."
History
"I've guided groups of every size, from all over the world. On a sailboat, I prefer small ones. From the first briefing, I watch how each diver moves, who is relaxed and who is nervous, and I plan the dives around them."
Why I do this
"What keeps me at sea is the life underwater. Ocean people are like a family: everybody helps everybody. I left corporate life to have fun and to make people as happy as the sea makes me."
Your floating home
All three departures sail on the same boat.
All three departures
Beneteau Sense 55
Sailboat
The Beneteau Sense 55 is the most intimate of Eagle Ray’s boats, a 60-foot monohull built for groups looking for the classic feeling of sailing, and not just a boat that happens to have sails. Thanks to its three private suites, each couple has a door they can close, and the whole group can sit together around the same table in the cockpit for dinner. A hydraulic swim platform lowers directly into the water, so for a swim or to go snorkeling there is no need to climb down a ladder. In addition, it behaves differently from a catamaran: more heel and more response at the helm, ideal for groups that want to enjoy both the sailing and the destination.
- Type
- Sailboat
- Length
- 60 ft
- Guest cabins
- 2
- Guests
- up to 4
Overnight departures: 2 guest cabins (one master, one standard) · up to 4 guests. The third cabin is kept for Monik. Dive Day: up to 6 guests.
Or a similar boat with equal or greater characteristics.
- 60-foot monohull
- 3 private suites
- Cockpit table with space for 10 people
- Hydraulic swim platform
- High-performance sail package
What is included
Included
Boat
- The boat of your departure, or similar with equal or greater characteristics
- Private charter of the whole boat, for your group
Crew
- Monik Saab, Eagle Ray Expedition Leader
- Eagle Ray captain
- Eagle Ray chef
Diving
- Guided dives with Monik for certified divers: 1 on the Dive Day, 2 on One Night at Anchor, 4 on the Thanksgiving expedition
- Full dive gear: tanks, weights, BCD, regulator and wetsuit
- Dive planning around each diver's level and logbook
- Dive logistics according to the itinerary
Equipment
- Snorkeling equipment
- Fishing kit
- 2 paddleboards
- 1 kayak
- 1 dinghy
- Beach equipment (chairs, canopy, etc.)
Meals and drinks
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, cooked on board by your chef
- Snacks and fresh fruit between swims
- Menus planned around your group before you arrive: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies
- Fish from the day’s catch, when the line brings something in
- Water, coffee, tea and soft drinks, all day
Transfer
- La Paz Airport ↔ marina, on arrival and departure, on all three departures
- Transfers from anywhere in Baja California Sur to the marina can also be arranged with Eagle Ray, on demand
Also on board
- Diesel
- Sailing permits and entrance to national parks
- Starlink wifi on board
- Fishing license for every adult on board
Not included
- Flights to La Paz
- Alcoholic drinks, chosen from a menu before the trip
- A first dive session for non-certified guests (Discover Scuba): available as an additional experience, price on request
- The 5th dive on the Thanksgiving expedition: price on request
- Other guided activities, quoted separately
- Crew tips (10 to 15% recommended)
- Travel insurance
The route
The Dive Day and One Night at Anchor leave Marina Palmira at 07:45, when the sea is calmer for sailing and diving. On the Thanksgiving Dive Expedition, guests arrive around midday and the route starts the next morning.
- Dive Day
- Dive Day · November 23. La Paz → San Rafaelito. 1 dive, lunch on board, snorkeling and time on deck.
- Dive Day · November 23. San Rafaelito → La Paz. Back at the marina in the afternoon.
- One Night
- One Night at Anchor · November 24 to 25 · Day 1. La Paz → south of Espíritu Santo. Dive at Fang Ming, sunset and dinner at anchor. Night at anchor · south of Espíritu Santo
- One Night at Anchor · November 24 to 25 · Day 2. Isla Ballena → La Paz. Breakfast, dive at Isla Ballena, lunch on board, back in La Paz in the afternoon.
- Thanksgiving
- Thanksgiving Dive Expedition · November 26 to 29 · Day 1. La Paz → south of Espíritu Santo. Guests arrive around midday. Sail south for the first night at anchor, with Thanksgiving dinner on board. Night at anchor · south of Espíritu Santo
- Thanksgiving Dive Expedition · Day 2. Los Islotes and the north of Espíritu Santo. Dive at Los Islotes with the sea lion colony, a long lunch, then a dive at El Bajito.
- Thanksgiving Dive Expedition · Day 3. Espíritu Santo. Slow morning with kayak, beach and snorkeling. Dive at Roca Tintorera or Los Muellecitos, depending on conditions and the group's level. A 5th dive at Isla Ballena for groups who want more. Then sail south for the last night. Night at anchor
- Thanksgiving Dive Expedition · Day 4. Back to La Paz. Breakfast, a swim, no dive. Back at the marina around midday.
Indicative route. It depends on the sea, the wind, the permits and the captain's call. In November, northerly winds can come in, and if they do we change the order of the sites or stay at the same anchorage.
What is a day on board with Monik like?
Each day has a structure, not a schedule. Monik and the captain adjust it to the wind, the visibility and how the group is diving. No one has to do every dive.
Early morning
Sail
Coffee on deck while the captain takes the boat to the first site.
Morning
First dive
Monik briefs the group on deck, then you go in.
Midday
Table
Lunch cooked on board with local produce, and time to talk about what you saw down there.
Afternoon
Second dive or free
On the days with a second dive, Monik takes the group back in. On the others: kayak, paddleboard, a walk on an island beach. Or nothing at all.
Sunset
Deck
Logbooks, the light going down over the desert, the next day's plan.
Night
At anchor
Dinner on board. If there was a catch that day, it's on the table.
Diving with Monik
The last check, the step off the boat, the surface noise gone. Then it's your breath and whatever the sea decides to show you.
More about diving
You wake up at anchor with the site close by. No drive to the marina, no ride back to a hotel. Between dives you sail, swim, eat what the chef has cooked, and talk about what you saw until it's time to go back in.
Level
- For certified divers. Monik checks certifications and logbooks before the trip and plans each dive around the group.
- Some sites ask for Advanced Open Water.
- Coming with someone who doesn't dive yet? Tell us before the trip and Monik prepares a first session for them, with a supplement.
Gear
- All the dive gear is on board and included. Bring your own if you prefer.
- Dives run from our dive panga, with the Eagle Ray crew.
Dives
- Dive Day: 1 dive
- One Night at Anchor: 2 dives
- Thanksgiving expedition: 4 dives, plus a 5th if conditions and the group allow
Safety
- Always in buddy pairs, never alone in the water.
- Monik in the water with the group, the boat nearby.
Where
- In the sites the captain and Monik choose each day: San Rafaelito, Fang Ming, Isla Ballena, Los Islotes, El Bajito, Roca Tintorera, Los Muellecitos.
- We don't promise a specific site: the sea decides first.
Between dives
- Snorkeling, swimming, kayak, paddleboard, island walks, and fishing where it is allowed.
Monik doesn’t sail alone,
meet your Eagle Ray crew
At Eagle Ray, each expedition is led by people who live the sea. Traveling with Monik are a captain, who handles the boat, reads the sea and chooses each anchorage according to the wind, and a chef who cooks with local products.
“While everyone watches the horizon, I'm watching what the boat needs.”
“The calmness of the deep and the glassy water.”
“My boat is an extension of me.”
“At sea, the best dish is the one served when everyone is excited for it.”
“Magic lives in the timing, the texture and the detail nobody asked for.”
The team is assigned according to the boat and the dates; we confirm the Eagle Ray team when you make the final pre-booking. So you can start getting familiar, these are some of the captains and chefs we sail with.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be certified?
Yes, this trip is for certified divers. If you are coming with someone who has never dived, tell us before the trip: Monik can prepare a first session for them, available as an additional experience, price on request.
Can I come with someone who doesn't dive?
Yes. They can snorkel, kayak, paddle and enjoy the boat, or try a first dive session with Monik as an additional experience, price on request. The price of the charter is the same.
Do I share the boat with other guests?
No. Each departure is a private charter of the whole boat, for your group.
How many people will be on board?
Up to 4 guests on the overnight departures and up to 6 on the Dive Day, plus Monik, the captain and the chef.
How do I book?
Book a call with us on WhatsApp. Monik or the Eagle Ray team answer your questions first, and then you can book and pay online.
Can I join two departures back to back?
Yes, talk to us and we'll put them together.
Do I need to bring dive gear?
No, all the gear is on board and included. Bring your certification card and logbook. If you have your own mask, computer or wetsuit, you are welcome to bring them.
Can I fly after diving?
Yes, with margin. Monik plans the last dive so you have the hours you need before your flight. On the Thanksgiving expedition there is no dive on the last morning.
What happens if the weather turns?
The captain decides the route each day with the wind and the sea. If a site isn't diveable, we go to another one or stay in a sheltered anchorage. The priority is the group's safety and getting back to La Paz on time.
How much should I tip?
We recommend 10 to 15% of the trip price.
How much do I pay to book, and what if I need to cancel?
Book by November 5, after a call with Monik or the Eagle Ray team. We confirm the payment and cancellation terms with you before you book.
Do I need a fishing license?
The Sea of Cortez requires one for every adult on board. It's included.
Good to know before you come
Local currency
Mexican peso (MXN). Bills from $20 to $1,000 MXN; the $500 and $1,000 bills can sometimes be difficult to change in small shops. Hotels and most tourism businesses in La Paz accept cards, but in smaller places you will need cash. There are ATMs all over the city.
You won’t need it on board: meals and non-alcoholic drinks are included.
How to get there
La Paz Airport (LAP) is 20 minutes from the marina, with domestic flights and some routes to the United States.
The transfer from the airport to the marina is included.
Los Cabos Airport is 2 hours away by road and is sometimes more convenient, depending on where you are flying from; if that is your case, write to us and we’ll look into it.
Food
La Paz cuisine revolves around the sea: chocolate clams cooked over hot stones, ceviche with a touch of mayonnaise, marlin or octopus quesadillas, and machaca, dried beef or pork, the classic that does not come from the sea. Fish tacos are an icon of the peninsula (they were born farther north, in Ensenada), but here they are just as much at home.
On board, the chef cooks with what these same waters provide, unless you ask for something else.
What to bring
Tip: bring less than you think.
On board you only need a dry swimsuit to change into; the crew takes care of the rest.
For everything else, light clothing made from natural fabrics for the dry heat, something for the cooler evenings, and a hat, because the desert sun hits directly.
For diving: your certification card and logbook. The rest of the gear is on board.
Weather
Desert climate, dry almost all year round.
November: northerly winds may come in, bringing short choppy seas. That is why the captain decides the route each day.
Winter (December to February): mild, from 18 to 24 °C, the most pleasant season.
Spring (April and May): the heat starts rising.
Summer (June to August): hot and humid, from 28 to 31 °C.
Hurricane season: from May 15 to November 30, with the risk concentrated in August and September.
Connection
At sea, signal is limited, so expect to be disconnected for a good part of the day.
In La Paz, wifi works well. Starlink on board.
Let's talk about your expedition
Find us directly on WhatsApp or by email: +52 55 6809 0942 · hello@eaglerayexpeditions.com