Adventure tourism allows you to discover countless corners of our planet. The 1,500-kilometre length of the Baja California peninsula contrasts sharply with its narrow width - barely 200 kilometres, with most areas less than 100 kilometres wide. The waters surrounding this elongated landmass are among Earth's richest and most diverse marine ecosystems.
On the peninsula's western coast, the powerful waves of the Pacific Ocean crash ashore after travelling thousands of kilometres unimpeded. These are green, turbulent, cold waters teeming with life. Giant kelp forests dominate the underwater landscape, where we'll encounter sea lions and elephant seals, vast schools of fish, and marine giants like blue whales and grey whales. The latter migrate from the Arctic in December, establishing their breeding grounds in the lagoons of Ojo de Liebre and Magdalena Bay until spring returns them north to feed.
The eastern coast, bordered by the Gulf of California, is bathed in the calm, warm, transparent waters of one of the world's youngest and, in many respects, richest seas: the Sea of Cortez.
Its unique morphology and depth create significant nutrient upwellings exploited by phytoplankton to form an extraordinary food pyramid.
Top dive sites
To explore this oceanic wonder, we'll need to reach one of Baja's three main population centres: San José del Cabo, La Paz or Loreto. Each offers sufficient tourist infrastructure for comfortable exploration of these magnificent waters.
San José
From San José, we can access the peninsula's southern region and its three most interesting diving areas: Cabo San Lucas, Gorda Banks and Cabo Pulmo. The latter contains the gulf's only significant coral reef, albeit small with limited madreporic species diversity compared to other tropical ocean regions.
Gorda Banks, an offshore rocky reef, offers exceptional encounters with large pelagic species: manta rays, whale sharks, hammerheads, marlins and sailfish among others.
At Cabo San Lucas beaches, just offshore, we can observe a curious underwater phenomenon: daily cascades where hundreds of tonnes of fine sand plunge into the depths, creating perpetual underwater sandfalls.
La Paz
From La Paz, we can explore a veritable necklace of islands and islets paralleling the coast until reaching Montague Island at the Colorado River delta. Despite sparse vegetation, their eroded forms, wild beauty and diverse terrestrial and marine flora and fauna make them fascinating.
Espíritu Santo and Partida will amaze with magnificent landscapes and colourful shallow coves with sandy bottoms.
At Los Islotes - small rocky outcrops offshore - we could spend hours watching the comings and goings of a delightful California sea lion colony. San José Island's spectacular landscape features transparent lagoons surrounded by lush mangroves, where Spaniards harvested rich pearl oyster beds during the 16th-17th centuries. These islands host large seabird colonies - gulls, terns, cormorants, frigatebirds and pelicans - finding abundant food in the waters and peaceful isolation for nesting.
Open sea
In open waters, we're guaranteed encounters with large dolphin pods that will follow our bow, enlivening the journey with leaps and underwater acrobatics. Common minke whales are also frequently spotted between islands.
This coastal stretch features two exceptional dive sites: Los Bajos (Sea Mounts) and Las Ánimas - both being rocky masses in open sea surrounded by deep water, making them veritable life catalysts.
Los Bajos
Los Bajos comprises three rocky pinnacles with summits at 15-20 metres depth. Strong currents foster numerous filter-feeding invertebrate colonies, particularly abundant, large and colourful gorgonians and stony corals. Rock crevices shelter benthic species like groupers, moray eels, pufferfish and trumpetfish.
The open waters belong to large pelagic species attracted by abundant food, as the seamount teems with massive anchovy schools and juvenile fish.
Mantas, dolphins, marlins, sailfish and sharks are permanent residents, with sightings of hundred-strong hammerhead schools.
Las Ánimas
As a small island group, diving at Las Ánimas is easier, though similar in currents, depth, visibility and marine life - with the added attraction of a large sea lion colony.
Northern islands
Further north, Catalán, Montserrat, Ildefonso and Rasa islands offer seasonal wonders. The first two are covered in cactus species exceeding 10 metres height, with shallow waters concentrating garden eels and starfish. Surgeonfish, emperor angelfish and butterflyfish abound, the latter forming massive yellow balls when hundreds gather. During spring, Ildefonso and Rasa host millions of nesting seabirds - terns, gannets, pelicans and gulls completely covering the land in a spectacular, unrepeatable display.
When to visit
For diving in the Sea of Cortez, we recommend June to October, though water clarity depends on currents and plankton blooms. Water temperature fluctuates but rarely drops below 23°C during this period, sometimes reaching 30°C.
Daily dive trips on speedboats with two-tank dives are available from all mentioned locations.
However, liveaboard cruises offer the best experience - comfortable onboard living, access to remote sites, and discovery of the Sea of Cortez's island universe.
Marvellous wildlife
The extraordinary wildlife resembles other Pacific locations like Galápagos, Cocos, Revillagigedo or Malpelo. Large pelagics including sharks, mantas, marlins and sailfish. Spectacular mammals like whales, dolphins and sea lions. Unique species like batfish, frogfish, Chinese groupers, and endemics like Cortez angelfish will be your regular diving companions.
On the peninsula's western coast, the powerful waves of the Pacific Ocean crash ashore after travelling thousands of kilometres unimpeded. These are green, turbulent, cold waters teeming with life. Giant kelp forests dominate the underwater landscape, where we'll encounter sea lions and elephant seals, vast schools of fish, and marine giants like blue whales and grey whales. The latter migrate from the Arctic in December, establishing their breeding grounds in the lagoons of Ojo de Liebre and Magdalena Bay until spring returns them north to feed.
The eastern coast, bordered by the Gulf of California, is bathed in the calm, warm, transparent waters of one of the world's youngest and, in many respects, richest seas: the Sea of Cortez.
Its unique morphology and depth create significant nutrient upwellings exploited by phytoplankton to form an extraordinary food pyramid.
Top dive sites
To explore this oceanic wonder, we'll need to reach one of Baja's three main population centres: San José del Cabo, La Paz or Loreto. Each offers sufficient tourist infrastructure for comfortable exploration of these magnificent waters.
San José
From San José, we can access the peninsula's southern region and its three most interesting diving areas: Cabo San Lucas, Gorda Banks and Cabo Pulmo. The latter contains the gulf's only significant coral reef, albeit small with limited madreporic species diversity compared to other tropical ocean regions.
Gorda Banks, an offshore rocky reef, offers exceptional encounters with large pelagic species: manta rays, whale sharks, hammerheads, marlins and sailfish among others.
At Cabo San Lucas beaches, just offshore, we can observe a curious underwater phenomenon: daily cascades where hundreds of tonnes of fine sand plunge into the depths, creating perpetual underwater sandfalls.
La Paz
From La Paz, we can explore a veritable necklace of islands and islets paralleling the coast until reaching Montague Island at the Colorado River delta. Despite sparse vegetation, their eroded forms, wild beauty and diverse terrestrial and marine flora and fauna make them fascinating.
Espíritu Santo and Partida will amaze with magnificent landscapes and colourful shallow coves with sandy bottoms.
At Los Islotes - small rocky outcrops offshore - we could spend hours watching the comings and goings of a delightful California sea lion colony. San José Island's spectacular landscape features transparent lagoons surrounded by lush mangroves, where Spaniards harvested rich pearl oyster beds during the 16th-17th centuries. These islands host large seabird colonies - gulls, terns, cormorants, frigatebirds and pelicans - finding abundant food in the waters and peaceful isolation for nesting.
Open sea
In open waters, we're guaranteed encounters with large dolphin pods that will follow our bow, enlivening the journey with leaps and underwater acrobatics. Common minke whales are also frequently spotted between islands.
This coastal stretch features two exceptional dive sites: Los Bajos (Sea Mounts) and Las Ánimas - both being rocky masses in open sea surrounded by deep water, making them veritable life catalysts.
Los Bajos
Los Bajos comprises three rocky pinnacles with summits at 15-20 metres depth. Strong currents foster numerous filter-feeding invertebrate colonies, particularly abundant, large and colourful gorgonians and stony corals. Rock crevices shelter benthic species like groupers, moray eels, pufferfish and trumpetfish.
The open waters belong to large pelagic species attracted by abundant food, as the seamount teems with massive anchovy schools and juvenile fish.
Mantas, dolphins, marlins, sailfish and sharks are permanent residents, with sightings of hundred-strong hammerhead schools.
Las Ánimas
As a small island group, diving at Las Ánimas is easier, though similar in currents, depth, visibility and marine life - with the added attraction of a large sea lion colony.
Northern islands
Further north, Catalán, Montserrat, Ildefonso and Rasa islands offer seasonal wonders. The first two are covered in cactus species exceeding 10 metres height, with shallow waters concentrating garden eels and starfish. Surgeonfish, emperor angelfish and butterflyfish abound, the latter forming massive yellow balls when hundreds gather. During spring, Ildefonso and Rasa host millions of nesting seabirds - terns, gannets, pelicans and gulls completely covering the land in a spectacular, unrepeatable display.
When to visit
For diving in the Sea of Cortez, we recommend June to October, though water clarity depends on currents and plankton blooms. Water temperature fluctuates but rarely drops below 23°C during this period, sometimes reaching 30°C.
Daily dive trips on speedboats with two-tank dives are available from all mentioned locations.
However, liveaboard cruises offer the best experience - comfortable onboard living, access to remote sites, and discovery of the Sea of Cortez's island universe.
Marvellous wildlife
The extraordinary wildlife resembles other Pacific locations like Galápagos, Cocos, Revillagigedo or Malpelo. Large pelagics including sharks, mantas, marlins and sailfish. Spectacular mammals like whales, dolphins and sea lions. Unique species like batfish, frogfish, Chinese groupers, and endemics like Cortez angelfish will be your regular diving companions.
