The Sea of Cortez wildlife calendar: what to see each month

The Sea of Cortez lies between the Baja California peninsula and mainland Mexico. Jacques Cousteau called it "the aquarium of the world". There is something to see in every month of the year, but the big encounters each have their own season.

This calendar is built from the seasons we run our trips in. Use it to match your travel dates to the animals you most want to meet. Wild animals keep their own schedule. We don't control marine life, so we never promise to see any animal, on any trip.

Water temperature through the year

The water around La Paz changes a lot over the year, and it decides what you wear.

From December to February it is 23 to 25 °C, and a 3/5 mm wetsuit is comfortable. March and April are the coolest months, at 21 to 23 °C, so plan on a 5/7 mm wetsuit.

In May and June the water warms to 25 to 28 °C, and a 3 mm wetsuit is enough. From July to September it is around 30 °C. October and November sit around 28 °C. You will not need a wetsuit from July to November.

Every month of the year

Four trips run all year round.

Balandra Beach & Sea Lions combines time in Balandra, a protected, knee-deep bay of turquoise water and white sand dunes, with snorkeling with the sea lions at San Rafaelito, a very small island next to the bay.

The Ocean Safari is a full day on the water from Playa Central beach in La Ventana. We patrol strategic areas looking for dolphins, mobulas, whales, sea lions and whatever else is moving through. What you see depends on the season.

Diving in the Sea of Cortez is a day of two-tank guided dives, about 7 to 8 hours, for up to 7 divers. Expect sea lions, schooling fish, rays, turtles and the occasional hammerhead shark.

Our Diving in the Sea of Cortez expedition is a week-long dive trip across the region's best sites, for up to 7 divers. An Open Water certification is enough.

January, February and March

This is the busiest stretch of the year. The Whale Shark Snorkel is running in La Paz Bay, and the Sea Lion Snorkel is running to the colony at Los Islotes.

Winter is also whale season. Our Whale Watching day trip runs from December to March, when gray and humpback whales gather off Baja to breed and rest. It goes to Puerto Chale, at the southernmost part of Bahía Magdalena. The Grey Whale Sanctuary expedition runs from January to March. It goes to the north of Bahía Magdalena, near Puerto San Carlos, where gray whales raise their calves.

April

The whale watching season has ended, but the Whale Shark Snorkel runs through April. The Sea Lion Snorkel is still running too.

May

May is the last month of the Sea Lion Snorkel season. It is also the first month of the Mobulas & Big Animals expedition. Thousands of mobula rays mass in the Sea of Cortez, leaping clear of the water and schooling together, alongside dolphins, whales and other big animals passing through.

June and July

The Mobulas & Big Animals expedition runs through June and July. Alongside it, the four year-round trips are running. If you want sea lions in these months, choose Balandra Beach & Sea Lions.

August

August is a month for the year-round trips: Balandra Beach & Sea Lions, the Ocean Safari, and both diving trips.

September

The Sea Lion Snorkel season opens again in September, and runs all the way to May.

October and November

This is the time of the Mexican Sardine Run. Sardine bait balls are hunted by striped marlin, sea lions and diving birds just off the Baja coast. It is one of the ocean's greatest spectacles, and our expedition runs in October and November.

The Sea Lion Snorkel runs through both months. In November, the Whale Shark Snorkel season starts again.

December

In December, the Whale Shark Snorkel and the Sea Lion Snorkel are both running, and the Whale Watching season at Puerto Chale begins.

Planning around the calendar

The day trips are open to all levels, apart from the diving day, which is rated intermediate. The snorkel trips need basic swimming skills and comfort in the water, and there is no minimum age on the snorkeling day trips. Our guides speak fluent Spanish and English.

The Mexican Sardine Run and Mobulas & Big Animals expeditions are for adults only, with a minimum age of 18. You need to be very comfortable swimming in open ocean, and dive insurance is required. Both are land-based, and we return to the hotel every day after our time at sea.

All our trips run in small groups. We do not chase, feed or touch wildlife on any of them. Our philosophy is that the best interaction with wildlife is one in which the animal never had to change its behavior because of our presence.

Find your trip

Every trip in this calendar is listed below, from the Whale Shark Snorkel and Sea Lion Snorkel to the Mexican Sardine Run and the Grey Whale Sanctuary. If your dates fall between seasons, message us on WhatsApp and we will tell you what is running.