top of page
Marlin_202.jpeg

Magdalena Bay Ocean Expeditions 

Magdalena Bay is a long Bay located along the western coast of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur in the municipality of Comondu​. It is protected from the Pacific Ocean by the unpopulated sandy barrier islands of Isla Magdalena and Isla Santa Margarita. This area is particularly noted for the Mexican Sardine Run and the migration of the Grey Whales. Join us on one of our multi-day adventures to experience nature and wildlife at its finest. Always at Baja Vikings Ecoventures our mission is to safely and respectfully enter the water and interact with marine life. 

 

​

A52E4F6B-5A2A-460D-A847-2F9A1CD2576B.jpeg

There are two different trips you can take part in Magdalena Bay, the Mexican Sardine Run and Migration of the Gray Whales. These are multi-day excursions that help you immerse yourself in nature and get the most of our your experience. 

Marlin & Ocean Encounter 

​When: October 22th - October 27, 2023 

October 30 - November 4, 2023 (SOLD OUT)

December 5 - December 10, 2023 (SOLD OUT)

Adult: $2,800 USD
Group Size: 7 passengers 

Witnessing the ‘Mexican Sardine Run’ underwater is a lifetime opportunity. These expeditions will take you to one of the best location of the ocean where you can swim in the Open Ocean with bait balls of Sardines, Mackerel, and Anchovies and watch one of the fastest fish in the ocean, Striped Marlins, hunting. These bait balls attract other marine life as well such as sea lions, dolphins, whales, orcas, sharks and pelicans. Magdalena Island is waiting for you to join us with our local expert guides and be part of this amazing adventure.

​

What's Included:

  • Round trip transportation Cabo San Lucas – Puerto San Carlos

  • Round trip transportation Puerto San Carlos – Magdalena Island

  • 2 Marlin expeditions

  • 1 Ocean encounter

  • 1 Day of mangroves and sand dunes

  • 5-night accommodation at Tavo’s House

  • Pictures and videos of the experience

  • Lead weights

  • 5 Breakfasts

  • 5 Dinners

  • 6 Box lunches

  • Masks, snorkels and fins
    * All the meals will be served at Chejo’s Restaurant on the island.

9B5470AF-60F1-4EE7-91CA-B5338264E770.jpeg

Friendly Gray Whale Expedition 

When: PRIVATE TRIPS AVAILABLE
Duration: 3 Days, 2 Nights or 5 Days, 4 Nights 
Group Size: 2- 8 passengers
EMAIL FOR PRICING 

Grey Whales come to Magdalena Bay and other lagoons in Baja California Sur to shelter in the shallow waters during winter and is an important place for their reproduction; mating, giving birth and nurturing their young.  Here in Magdalena Bay it is one of the few places on earth where the Gray Whales feel safe enough to get close to the Whale Watching boats. It is often we see the Grey Whales rubbing themselves against the boats, sticking their heads out of the water and interacting with the people, even at times letting you touch them and splash them with water. There is nothing like looking in the eyes of a Grey Whale that is just as curious as you are and to have a safe and mutual interaction with them. Not only do we have the chance to see the Grey Whales but other species such as Humpback Whales, Whale Sharks and other Pelagic life. So, join us for the experience of a lifetime and learn about the biology, behavior and feelings of the friendly Grey Whales! 

​

  • Round trip transportation Cabo San Lucas – Puerto San Carlos

  • Round trip transportation Puerto San Carlos – Magdalena Island

  • 2 Half Day Gray Whale expeditions

  • 1 Ocean encounter

  • Half Day of mangroves and sand dunes

  • Half Day of hiking or beach walk

  • 4-night accommodation at Tavo’s House (link to Tavos House)

  • Pictures and videos of the experience

  • Lead weights

  • 4 Breakfasts

  • 4 Dinners

  • 5 Box lunches

  • Masks, snorkels and fins
    * All the meals will be served at Chejo’s Restaurant in the island.

Marlin & Ocean Encounter Schedule

This expedition will be a 5-night stay below a star-studded sky on the magnificent Magdalena Island. Each morning you will head out with our team to see the extreme hunting skills of the striped marlins, the playfulness of sea lions, and get up close and personal with many other pelagic sea species in the area including the Mobula Ray migration, whales, dolphins, and more!

Arrival day – We recommend that you arrive one day before the starting day of your expedition so that you have enough time to prepare and make your way to the meeting point (travel/accommodation expenses not included).

Day 1: Drive to Magdalena bay. We will have a lunch box at the van and then arrive to Magdalena Bay for dinner. We will do all the necessary introductions and a briefing on what to expect for the coming days.

Day 2, 3 & 4: 3 days of ACTION! 6:30 am, after a light breakfast, everyone will be on the boats by 7:15 am to get an early jump on the search for bait balls and the Pelagic hunters. We will be one of the only groups staying on the island giving us an advantage over every other boat in the area.

After a full day of action and adventure, we will be back around 4:30 pm to take a break and head to dinner at 6:30 pm. We will repeat the same structure for 3 days.

Day 5: We will have the opportunity to explore the hidden spots of Magdalena Bay, visit the unique sand dunes, cruise through the mangroves, look for bald eagles, and hopefully
encounter the elusive wild coyotes of Magdalena Island. We will then have a final get-together to celebrate the experience, share photos, and have a farewell drink.

Last day: We will head back to San Jose Del Cabo around 9:00 am to be back in the afternoon.

Friendly Grey Whale Encounter Schedule

During your 4-night stay at the island with us, you will have plenty of opportunities to see whales up close, being able to differentiate gray whales from one another and learn about their biology, behavior, and even their feelings!

Besides, you will have opportunity to encounter dolphins, other species of whales, mobulas or whatever the ocean delivers!

You will even have the opportunity to get to the sand dunes after crossing a path of mangroves; getting there will make you feel in another world.

Arrival day – Arrive one day before the first day of your expedition to be prepared to arrive at the meeting point (Expenses not included)

Day 1: Drive to Magdalena Bay. We will have a lunchbox in the car, then arrive to Magdalena Bay to have dinner at the local restaurant. We will do introductions, and a briefing on what to expect for the coming days.

Day 2 & 3: 2 days of ACTION! 7:30 am breakfast will be served. Everyone will be on the boat by 8:30 am to get an early jump on the search of Grey Whales. (We will be one of the only groups staying on the island giving us an advantage over every boat on the area).

After a full day of action and adventures, we will be back around 2:30 pm to take a break while we have some food.

The other half of the day (Day 2) we will have the opportunity to explore the hidden spots of Magdalena Bay, visit the unique sand dunes, cruise through the mangroves, look for some eagles and hopefully encounter the elusive wild coyotes of Magdalena Island.

For the evening of Day 3 we are going to enjoy a hiking at the island to the Pacific Ocean or a beach walk, depending the group conditions.

Day 4: We will go out early morning to do an ocean safari and look for dolphins, mobulas, sea lions, any kind of whales and more! We will have a final get together to celebrate the experience, share photos, and have a farewell drink.

Last day: We will head back to San José del Cabo at 9:00 am to be back in the afternoon around 4:00 pm (San José del Cabo Time Zone)
** The order of the days might change, it depends on different conditions like weather.

Trip Requirments ​
​​

  • Must be 18 years or older

  • Previous snorkeling experience

  • Insurance (mandatory, to get yours visit: https://dan.org/)

  • Each participant will be required to fill out a waiver before the expedition.

What to Bring
​

  • Wetsuit (3-5mm highly recommended, available for rent upon request)
    Mask, fins, snorkel (we will provide with basic gear)

  • Passport or INE

  • Proof of dive and travel insurance ( we recommend World Nomads for travel insurance and DAN for dive insurance)

  • Sunblock SPF 30+ (reef-friendly is mandatory)

  • Spending money for personal expenses

  • Comfortable Walking shoes

  • Insect repellent

  • Hat, buff, and polarized sunglasses

  • Layers of clothes (for the Pacific breeze)

  • Rain jacket

  • Bathing suit

  • Dry bag

  • Beach towel

  • T-shirts and shorts

  • Sweatshirt and long pants

  • Warm, waterproof jacket

  • Sandals or shoes that can get wet

  • A canteen or water bottle

  • Any special foods or medications (seasickness tablets, waterproof bandaids for fin sores, electrolytes)

Not Included
​

  • Freediving equipment: dive/wetsuits (Full equipment upon request, $30 USD per day)

  • Personal expenses

  • Flights

  • Tips

Acommodation 

Located on Magdalena Island in a small fishing town called Puerto Magdalena, Tavo’s house is the perfect location for your expedition. Octavio’s family has a long and interesting history on the island. They have worked in tourism for 27 years and they always dreamt of a place of their own in this majestic place. It wasn’t until they managed to acquire a piece of land that no one else wanted (because it was full of trash) that the dream began to take form. After removing about 200 tons of trash off the island, their lot was ready for the next step and they built their first house in the town. A few years later, Tavo himself built a family, 4-bedroom, and 4-bathroom house, with all the services you will need for your stay.

Tavo´s House 

All 4 rooms in the house have two double beds and one bathroom each. The house looks onto the oceanfront and has a big deck with an idyllic ocean view, where you will be able to enjoy every sunrise and sunset while you chill out. There’s also satellite internet in the house, so you can connect to your computer or phone if necessary.

Continuing with the idea of sustainability and conservation that motivated Tavo’s family to begin with, their houses are powered by solar panels. Water is limited and they bring it to the island themselves in their own boat. There is always enough water for a comfortable stay and most of the gray water is reused to water a few plants around the house.

Tavo’s is the only house on the island with all services included and it’s closer to the gray whale sanctuary and the marlins spot than the San Carlos Port. Staying there will give you the opportunity to be out before everybody else or after everyone else has left, giving you some precious time to be alone in the wild.

tavos-house.jpg
bottom of page