Baja Wildlife Expedition Trip Report 2025

Trip # 1
April 26 - May 3, 2025

 April 27, 2025 – Day One at Sea
We kicked off the expedition under a cool, cloudy morning sky. When the sun peeked through, you could feel its sting—it’s going to be a warm one.

Already spotted a good number of mobulas in the bay, which is always a promising sign of life.

Not long after, one of our guests Amy spotted splashing in the distance. We headed toward it, thinking it might be breaching whales. Then, for a moment, it looked like a massive male orca's dorsal fin slicing through the surface. We scrambled for gear, convinced we’d just found orcas on the hunt—me and the captain both were sure of it.

Turned out to be something else entirely: a pair of blue whales. A juvenile was playing alongside its massive mother. My heart was pounding—I was so sure we’d found the orcas already. But this? Still magic.

We’ll find the O’s soon enough.

10:00 AM
We spent a couple hours with the blue whales, watching them breathe, glide, and roll. Marcos launched his drone and managed to get some beautiful footage despite the overcast skies. He used an ND8 filter to cut the glare, but the clouds still made it tricky. Still, he pulled off some great shots.

After leaving the whales, we continued our search for orcas.

Word came in about mobula action nearby, so we motored over. On the way, we ran into another treat: a pair of humpbacks—a mom and calf. The calf was full of energy, breaching and tail-slapping over and over again. We watched them for a bit before moving on, still chasing the mobulas.

12:49 PM
We found the mobulas, and for a moment it was really good—mobs of them leaping. We grabbed our topside cameras to capture the action, and then, just like that, they stopped.

On the way back in, the wind picked up and gave us hell. Rough seas, whitecaps, and a pounding ride home. We did spot a mola mola in the chaos and tried to jump in, but conditions were too rough. We had to call off the attempt and continue our slog back to shore.

A rough ride in… but a good first day.

April 28, 2025 – Day Two (A quiet day)
Woke up to a beautiful blue sky. A little morning chill, but it’s shaping up to be a damn nice day—hot, for sure. We arrived to pick up the guests, though Scott decided to take a break today. Yesterday’s ride was rough on him. He’s 73 and still a total badass.

We’re running far this morning in search of Risso’s dolphins and pilot whales. Hoping for some good luck today. And so it begins.

10:24 AM
Still searching. The ocean’s calm, but no big animals yet. We’ve seen a couple sharks cruising the surface—a small mako and a smooth hammerhead. Off in the distance, a thresher shark breached. A marlin breached close to the boat too—gave us a nice jolt, but not much else. The search continues.

11:00 AM
We spotted a Bryde’s whale, but only got a quick look before it vanished into the blue.

Still searching.

1:00 PM
On our way back to the island, we came across a lone blue whale. It wasn’t interested in us—kept its distance—so after a brief drone flight, we let it be and moved on.

Still hoping for something incredible to cross our path before the day’s end.

There’s a lot of marlin in the area, which might explain the Bryde’s whale earlier. They often show up when marlin are rounding up baitballs.

Could be an interesting season ahead…

Today was a quiet day at sea, but that is nature. You take what she gives you. Somedays it is Blah, other days it is pure magic.

We are hoping tomorrow will be a day filled with magic!

April 29, 2025 – Day Three
We had a later start today—left at 9:00 AM instead of the usual 7:00. The morning was a bit windy, and the forecast showed things calming down in the afternoon, so we pushed back our departure.

Right away, we found mobula rays in shallow water and hopped in for a swim. A fun, easy way to kick off the day.

Not long after, we ran into a superpod of bottlenose dolphins and managed a few jumps with them. It was chilly, but a lot of fun.

After that, we headed offshore to continue the search. It’s been quiet out here—not much action for a while.

2:30 PM
We found a pod of offshore bottlenose dolphins and tried a jump.

Shortly after, we got a call about Risso’s dolphins and pantropical spotted dolphins feeding nearby. We raced over, launched the drone, and tried a few in-water attempts. As expected, the Rissos were shy—getting underwater shots of them is always a challenge. But I did manage to see them and capture a "proof of life" shot. I also saw the pantropicals underwater, which was a bonus.

As the light began to fade, I switched gears and focused on the surface—trying to catch a breaching shot of the Rissos. I got one decent proof-of-life frame. Nothing epic, but still rewarding given how hard it is to photograph them at all.

Overall, a great day on the water. The guests got in the water, and Marcos captured some excellent drone footage of the Rissos. A solid day at sea.

April 30, 2025 – Day Four
It’s a beautiful morning—calm seas and the kind of light that makes everything feel cinematic. Today already feels like the stuff of dreams.

We left port at 8:00 AM and headed north. Not long into the journey, we spotted a small school of golden cownose rays. I haven’t seen a school of these guys since a whale shark trip to Holbox back around 2007. A good omen to kick off the day.

The water is flat and glassy—perfect conditions. We even saw a small mako shark cruising the surface, cutting through the calm like a blade. A fun little moment.

We spent about an hour swimming with the sea lion colony off La Reyna. With the conditions we had, it was a blast. The guests were thrilled, which always makes me happy.

The sea lions were full of energy—wrestling, mock charging, blowing bubbles. One playful pup kept leaping over Amy, and Scott couldn’t stop smiling. It was one of those feel-good dives.

Sea lions are always a fan favorite. They all have different personalities and are so interactive. Visiting the sea lion colony is one of my favorite parts of the week.

After wrapping up at La Reyna, we set course again… in search of orcas.

2:00 PM — We found them!
A small pod of 3–4 orcas appeared up north. They were diving deep and didn’t seem interested in us at all, but still—we saw them. And now, as always, it’s up to them.

If they want to interact with us they will.

It’s been over 40 minutes now, and the pod hasn’t resurfaced since that first glimpse. They’re like ghosts today.

There were five boats in the area when the sighting happened. We’ve all spread out, hoping someone will relocate them.

But so far… nothing.

We ended the day without another sighting. The orcas vanished as quietly as they arrived. Just ghosts in the sea.

But since we know they’re here, we’ll be searching hard tomorrow.

Day Five is all about patience, persistence, and hope.

Excitement is in the air… anything can happen out here.

May 1, 2025 – Day Five
A new month begins, and today we're heading south. Word got out about the orca sightings yesterday, and a few more boats have arrived in the area. We heard a solid rumor from a trusted friend that a pod was seen to the south, so we decided to take a gamble and try to pick up their trail.

We’re really hoping for a good day—our guests haven’t had much in-water time yet, and I’d love for them to experience the magic that Baja can deliver.

3:47 PM – We’re heading in after an EPIC, EPIC DAY.

We spent the entire day with orcas.

We rolled the dice and went south in search of a pod a friend had spotted the day before. Just two boats—ours and our friend’s—headed that way, knowing the rest would be up north chasing yesterday’s news.

Sure enough, we had the south to ourselves all day. And wow… what a day it was.

We found a pod of about five orcas and were able to get in the water with them multiple times.

They were super friendly, very relaxed and kept coming up to us. It was a dream!

We all got a few solid jumps, then we decided to give them some space and follow from above with Marcos’ drone.

While flying the drone, Marcos noticed they had something big. At first, he thought it was a turtle—turned out it was a massive mola mola.

We watched as they fed on it, circling the same spot for quite a while. It was incredible to witness from above.

After they killed it, we jumped in the water to see what was happening. They were ripping apart this poor beautiful mola mola.

Man it was a big mola… the biggest I had ever seen.

We stayed with the pod for over three hours—just observing, filming, and soaking it all in. I captured both video and stills, and so did the rest of the crew. At one point, we think they may have taken down a second mola.

Later, as we were following them by boat without getting in, a young orca came right up to us—swimming laps around our panga. We all dunked our cameras in, hoping to catch a clean shot. It kept swimming up to us, over and over.

Just when you think they’re done with you, they surprise you. Pure magic.

And as if that wasn’t enough, on the way back in, we encountered a small pod of sperm whales. We spent a few minutes observing them before heading home.

What a day.
Absolutely unforgettable.
Man, I love my job.

May 2, 2025 – Day Six
Final day at sea.

9:35 AM – We’re heading out in hopes of catching up with the orcas. Reports say they’ve moved northeast, which will make sightings a bit more challenging today. Still, with sperm whales in the area, there’s always a chance something big shows up—and if it does, we’ll be ready with the drone.

Right now, we’re going to search for mobulas. We’ve yet to find one of those massive schools—the kind that lights up the surface and offers a chance for both epic dives and jumping photos. I’d love to gift our guests that moment. Either way, the ocean is calm, the sun is shining, and it’s another beautiful day on the water.

We spent the morning with a large school of mobula rays. The visibility was rough, but when they came close, it was worth it. A fun way to start the day. After a while, we left them in search of something bigger.

We heard over the radio that the orcas had been found—along with chatter about the chaos of boats swarming the pod, all trying to get close. Unfortunately, the orcas wanted nothing to do with it.

They disappeared, as orcas are known to do.

I had hoped to see them one more time before our group headed home, but I’m honestly so happy with the interactions we had the day before. Sometimes it’s better to leave on a high note—with the memories already made.

As we continued south, we came across a pod of bottlenose dolphins on the move. We watched them briefly but didn’t stop—we were still hoping for something bigger or more interactive to close out the expedition.

3:00 PM – We’re heading in. The trip is officially done.

What a great week with a fantastic group of people. I’m grateful they got to experience everything they did—wildlife, unpredictability, raw nature, and those rare, unforgettable moments. Tomorrow I’ll drive them back to Cabo… and then it begins again with the next group.

And I wouldn’t want it any other way.