THE EXPEDITION

This special TWO-IN-ONE, 10 day Unique Ocean Expedition covers two different areas of California Baja, Mexico. Each one with possible unique marine encounters.

Firstly we will spend two days in La Paz diving at Isla Espiritu Santo with the famous California sea lions and look for hunting cormorants on sardines. Here you will have some of the closest encounters with California Sea lions and their pups, among lots of colourful schooling fish and cavers.

We will then travel 3 hrs north to our next destination Magdalena Bay, where we will stay for four days snorkelling with stripped marlins, baitballs, amongst other action packed pelagic encounters before heading back down to La Paz where we will finish our expedition.

LA PAZ

Espiritu Santo Island is a Natural Protected Area declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995. You will find in it an impressive scenic beauty; the contrast between the desert and the sea and its rock formations.

We will spend two days in La Paz diving Isla Espiritu with the famous playful California sealions and look for hunting cormorant birds on small schools of sardines. By October the Sea lion pups are big enough to come out and play and are less pressured by the big males. You will find them picking up sticks, shells, star fish or whatever they feel like sharing with you. Prepare to have several areas nipped and tugged by these playful pups.

Theres also caverns, small caves, schools of sardines usually with hunting action, tunas and plenty to keep us occupied.

MAGDALENA BAY

Magdalena Bay is a 50 km long bay in Comondú Municipality along the western coast of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is protected from the Pacific Ocean by the unpopulated sandy barrier islands of Isla Magdalena and Isla Santa Margarita. Here every year around October and November large schools of sardines turn up to be feasted upon by stripped marlin and plenty of other pelagic’s.

Our day starts by leaving the dock early morning as the birds begin to leave looking for the sardines so do we, for an action packed blue water experience. Looking for sardines, schools of birds and any other pelagics that we come across we wait prepared to jump in and snorkel with the feeding frenzy action as marlins and sea lions take turns to deplete the baitballs. Every day offers some unique experience and its not uncommon to encounter whales, schools of mobula rays and even ocras.

For the last few years between October and December Striped marlins have been gathering here to feed on the large amount of mackerel and sardine baitballs that form here. It is quite unbelievable how many stripped marlins are hunting here and its not uncommon to jump in on a baitballs with more than ten individuals hunting.

We will spend four days of this expedition looking for marlins and pelagic’s.

The group size is limited to max 6 participants plus one guide.

RATES

ITINERARY

1. Day One - Arrive in La Paz - We will spend the afternoon preparing for tomorrows snorkel adventure

2. Day Two - Espiritu Santo - We will snorkel and Dive at the world famous sealion colony

3. Day Three - Espiritu Santo - We will snorkel and Dive at the world famous sealion colony

4. Day Four - Travel Day - Travel to Magdalena Bay approx travel time is 4hrs

5. Day Five - Magdalena Bay - We will spend the day looking for pelagics and baitballs

6. Day Six - Magdalena Bay - We will spend the day looking for pelagics and baitballs

7. Day Seven - Magdalena Bay - We will spend the day looking for pelagics and baitballs

8. Day Eight - Magdalena Bay - We will spend the day inside the lagoon

9. Day Nine - Magdalena Bay - We will spend the day looking for pelagics and baitballs

10. Day Ten - Travel Day - back to La Paz Approx travel time is 4hrs

ACCOMMODATION - LA PAZ

THE CATHEDRAL HOTEL

ACCOMMODATION - MAGDALENA BAY

HOTEL ALCATRAZ

AVAILABLE BAJA EXPEDITION DATES

2024

2025

EXPEDITION INFO

PRICE BREAKDOWNS

EXCLUDES

• International Flights

• Gratuities

WORKSHOP SKILLS

RICHARD BARNDEN from Richard Barnden Photography will be leading this expedition and sharing his knowledge and skills of photographing at both Isla Espirito and Magdalena Bay. Each evening Richard will give in depth presentations about the following days activities along with photography tips on settings and compositions.

Isla Espritu is one of the best places in the world to shoot sea lions and their pups. Theres also some nice cavers where the pups like to hide and play making some beautiful dramatic images. Magdalena bay has so much to offer with fast paced marlin and baitball action to sand dunes, thousands of birds and pelicans. Each day we will explore and photograph something new.

SKILLS EXPLORED

• Equipment and Photographic Gears

• Lighting - Ambient Light

• Lighting - Strobes vs Continues light

• Settings and Compositions

• Basic editing skills