DIVING SEA OF CORTEZ | BAJA EXPEDITION
Baja California Sur | November 5 to 13, 2027
Eight days. Two tanks at Cabo Pulmo. Two tanks at Isla Espíritu Santo. A full day Sea Safari in the Cerralvo Channel. Hiking, mountain biking, beach lunches, and the kind of diving that reminds you why you got certified in the first place.
This expedition is open to all certified divers. The sites we visit are accessible and genuinely rewarding whether you have ten dives or a thousand. What they share is that they sit inside two of the most protected and biodiverse marine areas in Mexico. Cabo Pulmo was declared a national park in 1995 and what has happened to its reefs and shark populations since then is one of the most remarkable recoveries in ocean conservation history. Isla Espíritu Santo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Californian sea lions will meet you underwater on their own terms.
November sits in a beautiful seasonal window. The water is still warm from summer, visibility is excellent, and the Sea of Cortez is full of life. This is one of my favourite times of year to be in the water here.
I put this itinerary together because these are some of my favourite places in the Sea of Cortez. I know them well. I dive them every chance I get. And I am genuinely excited to share them with a small group of people who love the ocean as much as I do.
This is home. And I think you are going to love it here.
WHO IS THIS FOR
This expedition is for certified divers of any level. You do not need to be an experienced diver. The sites we visit are welcoming to beginners and genuinely exciting for seasoned divers too. You need an open water certification or above, valid dive insurance, and a genuine curiosity about the underwater world.
It is for people who want more than a dive trip. Who want to spend a week in the water, on trails, on beaches, and around a table with a small group of like-minded people in one of the most extraordinary places on earth.
Queer-led and explicitly welcoming. Come exactly as you are.
EXPEDITION SUMMARY
EXPEDITION ITINERARY
DAY 1 | ARRIVAL
November 5th
Check in at the Ananda cabins at Casa Tara Retreat: a beautiful beachfront compound in El Sargento with two infinity pools, two jacuzzis, a spa, and a restaurant serving local cuisine using locally sourced ingredients. All meals are included throughout the expedition so there is nothing to worry about.
This evening we gather for a welcome dinner together.
DAY 2 | RASTA BEACH & CARDON FOREST
November 6th
Morning snorkel at Rasta Beach, our local reef just minutes from the hotel. Pocillopora and Porites coral heads, schools of fish, and a warm-up for the diving ahead. Afternoon mountain bike ride through the Cardón cactus forest on the South Trails.
DAY 3 | CABO PULMO
November 7th
A full day at Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, a three-hour drive south but absolutely worth it. Two dives inside one of the most successful marine reserves in the world. Bull sharks patrol the sandy bottom. Giant schools of jacks fill the water column. Long day, early start, unforgettable.
DAY 4 | EL SALTITO
November 8th
El Saltito is my favourite snorkel spot in the area. A beautiful beach, shallow coral heads close to shore, and an 800 metre swim out to a dramatic rock formation where sea lions sometimes hang out. Hard corals, soft corals, fish everywhere. Lunch at the beach. A gentler day after the intensity of Cabo Pulmo.
DAY 5 | RECOVERY DAY - PUNTA GORDAT HIKEj
November 9th
A day to breathe. Own lunch, own pace. Late afternoon hike to Punta Gorda and snorkel at the point before sunset. Incredible views over Cerralvo Island and the Bay of La Ventana.
DAY 6 | SEA SAFARI
November 10th
Full day on the water in the Cerralvo Channel. Hours spent searching for and swimming with whatever the ocean brings. Mobula rays are present in November. Dolphins are common. The channel between the peninsula and Cerralvo Island is one of the most productive stretches of water in the Sea of Cortez.
DAY 7 | ESPIRITU SANTO
November 11th
A full day diving at Isla Espíritu Santo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site north of La Paz. Two dives in rich, clear water alongside Californian sea lions, reef fish, and whatever pelagic life is passing through. After the second dive the boat takes the group ashore for a beach lunch. Espíritu Santo or Balandra depending on the day. Either way it is a good problem to have.
DAY 8 | PUNTA ARENA
November 12th
A slower final day. Beach time and snorkeling at Punta Arena, one of the best spots in the area and a beautiful place to spend a last morning in the Sea of Cortez.
In the evening, sunset drinks and our farewell dinner together. The perfect way to close a week that will be very hard to leave.
DAY 9 | DEPARTURE
November 13th
Check out before 11AM and safe travels wherever you are headed next.
I hope you leave with a full heart, a love for this ocean and this place, and connections that last well beyond this week. Until the next adventure.