Immerse Yourself in the Sea of Cortez

SEASONS

January – July: Peak Animals
Mid-July – November: Peak Diving
September – March: Most Popular

TYPES OF ADVENTURES

Liveaboard, Yacht Charters, Ocean Safaris
Base Camp, Day Trips

PRICING (pp. dbl occ.)

Day Trips Start at US$175 pp.
5 Night Get-Away Trip: From US$1,795
5 Nights / 6 Days Trip: From US$2,595
Loreto Great Circle Trip: From US$2,395

Destination Overview

Your Summer Get-Away Begins Here
Dive the World’s Aquarium

The Sea of Cortez is a diver’s paradise. With its unique ecosystem and the overall natural beauty, have earned a UNESCO World Heritage Site status. We have been diving here for almost 5 decades and every time it has been exciting! Come see firsthand why this sea is called the “Aquarium of the World” and all of it’s natural wonders.

Meet the playful sea lions of Los Islotes, surround yourself in a tornado of big eye jacks and schools of skipjacks. Lets not forget the huge pods of dolphins, turtles, mobulas, sperm whales, gobies, the hammerhead sharks around El Bajo & Los Animas, whales of all types of descriptions, shipwrecks and night dives. And if you’re lucky, giant mantas swimming around La Reina and orcas.

See what a recent guest had to say about the Sea of Cortez! →

The Sea of Cortez is Vibrant with Life

The Sea of Cortez is loaded with life from huge pods of inquisitive dolphins, sharks, giant whale sharks, friendly sea lions, mobula rays, cow nose rays, sperm whales, swirling tornadoes of fish and sometimes even Manta Rays. Whales of all descriptions visit over the winter and into spring. Huge squadrons of mobula rays numbering upwards of 100,000 aggregate every spring, orcas have been frequent visitors over the last several years. Also, hammerhead sharks migrate into the sea in May and stay until early winter.

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Easy Non-Stop Flights to Cabo San Lucas

We are closer than you think. Over 30 major airports around the world have direct non-stop flights to Cabo San Lucas (SJD). With seamless La Paz transfers included on all multi-day adventures. It’s never been so easy to get to the Sea of Cortez and Baja!

Nautilus Scout

Nautilus Scout – Spotter Airplane

Crewed by our own pilot and naturalist, Nautilus Scout will be up in the air 5 to 6 days a week, often on 2 missions a day between May – August, to maximize our guests experience and guide them towards the most interesting marine life including some really BIG animals. Blue whales, giant pregnant whale sharks, orcas and huge schools of mobula rays being our speciality.

Mobulas & Orcas Adventure

Mobulas & Orcas Ocean Adventures

We have you covered with mobulas & orcas. Whether you want to get an early start on an Ocean Safari, or join a liveaboard trip on our 116-ft expedition yacht or try something really exceptional and enjoy a luxury sailing yacht charter with family or small group of friends. We know exactly how to get you onto the schooling mobulas and much more.

April – Mid-July

Ocean Safari – US$295 pp.
Yacht Charters – Available
Liveaboard – from US$4000 pp.

Huge Schools of Mobula Rays and the Possibility of Orcas. Spotter Airplane Supported!

8 days / 7 nights. Fly into SJD Cabo for a late afternoon board and depart from Cabo San Lucas. Mobula rays and orcas are resident year round in the Sea of Cortez but the action gets especially hot from late march to mid-July when the mobulas aggregate in large schools.

Where there are schooling mobulas there can be orcas and with the help of our spotter aircraft we achieved a 78% success rate with in-water encounters in 2022. We have also encountered blue whales, solitary pregnant whale sharks, huge pods of dolphins and lots of fin whales on previous trips. Mobulas and orcas encounters are snorkelling and free-diving with the opportunity for additional scuba diving most days at our favourite dive sites.

Special feature if you book on the Nautilus Gallant Lady. We have gained a park permit for underwater lights for night scuba diving at a location usually frequented by schooling mobulas. If the mobulas grace us with their presence, this is the highlight of any trip.

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What Guests Have to Say About Mobulas & Orcas

Amazed by the Abundance and Diversity of Marine Life in the Sea of Cortez.
I’m constantly amazed by the abundance and diversity of marine life in the sea of Cortez I’ve seen over the 5 years I’ve been living and working in Baja California. Read full review
Celina Divemaster onboard the Nautilus Explorer

Did Someone Say Orca?
WHAT A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME THAT WAS. An opportunity came up with some friends to go snorkeling and swim with mobulas and orcas in the open ocean of the Sea of Cortez. Read full review
Stephanie, California onboard the Nautilus Gallant Lady

Sea of Cortez Peak Season

Sea of Cortez – Peak Dive Season

Imagine beautiful warm water and calm seas teaming with life. Loads of California sea lions playing with you. Whale sharks. A tornado of big eye jacks swirling around you. Schools of skipjacks, mobulas, cow nose rays and turtles. Hammerhead and other sharks. Fish big and small all the way down to delightful seahorses. Night diving on shipwrecks. And even giant mantas if we are lucky. Beach walks. Water temp rising to high 80’s by September and visibility as gin clear as your bathtub. This is Sea of Cortez in peak diving season from mid-July to end of November.

Ask about our super pangas, 48-ft high speed day boats, 45-ft luxury sailing catamaran, 55-ft pocket liveaboard, base camp Espiritu Santo, multi-day shore based and 116-ft expedition yacht.

Two tanks: Starting US$99 pp.
Ocean Safaris – US$295 pp.
Liveaboard – From US$2,595 pp. dbl occ.

Loreto Great Circle Sea of Cortez Diving

Loreto Great Circle Sea of Cortez Diving

We have been running this trip since 1978 and have learned a thing or two about where to find the best diving in this part of the Sea of Cortez! Las Animas, La Reyna (fingers crossed on a giant manta), El banjo, Espiritu Santo, our secret pinnacle off San Franciscito and an easy overnight run to the spectacular scenery, gorgeous white sand beaches and diving of Loreto.

Boards in La Paz to get you right out to our favourite dive sites. You can expect an average of 4 dives a day including night dives and the same spirit of adventure as the old days on our Alaska trips with shore expeditions, kayaking and paddle boarding, beach walks, swimming and that beautiful Mexican night sky from your hot tub.

Includes spotter airplane support looking for big critters.

Insider Tips: Seas are generally flat calm in the Sea of Cortez this time of year. visibility and water temps improve dramatically in July. By September you can expect water temps in the mid 80’s and visibility of 100 – 150 ft.

July – November
8 Days, 7 Nights

From: US$2,695 pp. dbl occ. Stateroom.

Sample Itinerary

Fly into SJD. Cabo.

Day 1

Meet at SeeCreatures San Jose del Cabo, coach transfer to La Paz

Days 2-7

Diving and having fun during the day and travelling in the evening or overnight to get to new dive sites. The speciality of this trip is exploring the loop from La Paz up to Loreto and back stopping in at our favourite “classic dive sites” as well as new sites that we have recently discovered. We are proactively exploring all the time and even after all these years, we are finding new dive sites. Your captain and divemasters will maximum the experience based on changing conditions and where the best animal sightings are.

Day 8

Breakfast and disembark by 08:30 am. Complimentary transfer back to SJD or Cabo SeaCreatures.

5 Night Get-Away Sea of Cortez

5 Night Get-Away Sea of Cortez

6 days / 5 nights in the Sea of Cortez on a luxury liveaboard for under $2000 pp dbl occ. How’s that for a great deal!!!

Las Animas, La Reyna (fingers crossed on a giant manta), El bajo Los Islotes,, Espiritu Santo and more!! 15 dives including night dives.

Meets in Cabo and boards in La Paz to get you right out to our favourite dive sites. We have been running trips to these dive sites for over 40 years and have learned a thing or two about how to maximize your dive vacation.

July – November
6 Days, 5 Nights

From: US$1,995 pp. dbl occ. Stateroom.

Sample Itinerary

Fly into SJD. Cabo.

Day 1

Meeting at SeeCreatures Cabo 5 pm to board your ship. Sail off to the Sea of Cortez with drinks and dinner as the sun sets.

Days 2-5

4 Full days of adventure. You can expect to visit Cerralvo Island, La Reyna, Las Animas, Espiritu Santo and more with days full of diving, snorkelling, swimming, beach and shore hikes, kayaking and paddle boards. Divers can expect 15 dives including 2 night dives with tornadoes of fish, sea lions, moray eels, shipwrecks and much more with fingers crossed that the mantas are at La Reyna. Water temps in the mid 80’s and visibility should be spectacular! Complimentary discover scuba experience for non-divers.

Day 6

Disembarks in Cabo 8:30 am.

What Guests Have to Say About Sea of Cortez

The Staff Was World-Class
I couldn’t recommend the Nautilus more. It was such a great week sailing the Sea of Cortez. Read full review
Nicole, San Francisco onboard the Nautilus Explorer

The Particular Magic of the Sea of Cortez Is That You Never Know What You’re Going to See
Our second and third days of diving were all about the sea lions. We saw sea lions on every dive and it was nothing short of amazing. Read full review
A. Clark, New Jersey, USA onboard the Nautilus Explorer

Dive your own way!

Dive Your Own Way

We cater to the entire spectrum of diving experience and fitness. Our super experienced divemasters are there for those who are new to diving. Experienced divers are welcome to explore most of our dive sites at their own pace with or without a divemaster. We are there to guide and critter point for whoever wants it. Note that in national parks, divers are required to stay with our divemasters.

Operated For Safety

Operated For Safety

Safety is a very serious business. Mother Ocean can be capricious and unforgiving. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and you should expect and demand no less. In our view, every dive boat should be operated within a certified ISM safety management system, outfitted with sprinklers, emergency smoke hoods for everybody and the same safety, fire, life saving equipment and radios as the largest cruise ships. Captains, mates and engineers should have professional commercial mariner qualifications and all crew should have STCW professional mariner certification. Safety is not something to publish in a brochure. It’s part of our DNA. A cornerstone of our culture. Something that we have been living by for every day of the last 30 years.

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