Baja Wildlife Trip Report 2026
- Week 4 -
La Ventana, Mexico
May 23 - 30, 2026
May 24, 2026. Day one.
Our second week with Becky and her crew continues.
Yesterday is going to be remembered for a very long time.
What a day.
Today we headed out with Captain Cano and my buddy Mathias. New crew, new boat, new day.
We pointed the boat south, following the direction we believe the orcas traveled after yesterday's encounters.
Conditions were much nicer today.
The south was calm and inviting, a complete contrast to the rough seas we dealt with yesterday.
Our day begins.
We ran south for a while before eventually turning north again.
Not much was happening.
The ocean was flat and getting flatter, making it easy to spot activity from a long distance away.
Eventually we decided to head over to La Reina for some sea lion and diving bird action.
In calm conditions like these, if the birds are feeding, it can be a lot of fun.
I had also made a promise to Martina.
She wanted to see an octopus.
Luckily, finding octopuses on this reef is one of my specialties.
So that became part of today's mission.
On the way to La Reina we encountered a huge pod of bottlenose dolphins and tried a couple of jumps with them.
The dolphins weren't interested.
So we left them alone and continued on.
When we arrived at La Reina, the seas were calm, but the current was ripping.
Really strong.
The only place we could comfortably snorkel was on the lee side of the island.
Thankfully there was still plenty of life there.
Cormorants were actively diving and feeding, so I spent much of my time photographing them.
Every so often a sea lion would cruise through the scene and I'd steal a few frames before returning to the birds.
After a good search, I finally found Martina her octopus.
The octopus was moving across the reef and everyone took turns diving down to photograph it.
Then things got interesting.
Out of nowhere, a second octopus emerged from the reef and jumped on top of the first.
The two separated, but continued following each other around.
Eventually one disappeared into a hole while the other positioned itself over the entrance and began pulsing and pumping.
We aren't completely sure what we witnessed, but we suspect they were mating, or trying to mate.
Which is pretty cool.
Despite the strong current, we ended up spending nearly two hours snorkeling the reef.
A lot of laughter.
A lot of wildlife.
And honestly… a hell of a good way to end the day.
May 25, 2026. Day two.
We headed south today.
Today we had flat seas.
The kind of conditions that let you go far offshore and really explore.
We started the morning with a quick swim with some mobula rays.
There were quite a few boats around, and the rays themselves weren’t being particularly cooperative, so we left pretty quickly and continued offshore in search of bigger things.
Yesterday there had been reports of orcas moving through the south.
We didn’t find them.
Mostly because we didn’t go far enough.
But we did hear that they had passed through Cabo Pulmo, close to shore, still moving south.
The search continues.
Later we found a pod of bottlenose dolphins, but they were swimming in water absolutely loaded with Portuguese man o’ wars.
Not worth it.
We left them alone and kept moving.
A little farther offshore we ran into a nice-sized pod of rough-toothed dolphins.
We tried. And tried. And tried.
But they wanted absolutely nothing to do with us.
Normally rough-toothed dolphins can be really approachable, but today they weren’t having it.
The jellies were brutal in the area as well, so eventually we decided to move on.
One cool surprise was spotting a couple of silky sharks cruising deeper below the dolphins.
Always nice to see.
Becky managed a proof-of-life shot of the rough-toothed dolphins before we left the area. Which was awesome.
After escaping the jellyfish gauntlet, we headed toward reports of a super pod of spotted dolphins feeding alongside yellowfin tuna.
They were super active, jumping all over the place. It was quite the show.
When we arrived, we found them.
The first jump we saw the dolphins.
The dolphins weren’t particularly close, but we got to see them.
After that, every time we entered the water they would simply vanish.
Definitely, not interested.
So we changed tactics.
We put away the masks and pulled out the topside cameras.
And man...
I am so glad we did.
While we were tracking the dolphins, the yellowfin tuna suddenly corralled a massive bait ball of flying fish and started attacking.
The water erupted.
Flying fish launched into the air.
Tuna exploded out of the ocean after them.
Chaos everywhere.
And somehow...
we were right there with cameras in hand.
We managed to capture photos and video of the entire event.
And wow.
I have dreamed of photographing breaching tuna for years.
Today I finally got my chance.
My camera was set to 1/3200 of a second, fast enough to freeze those explosive moments in midair.
I honestly can’t wait to get home and see how the images turned out.
Today was definitely a dolphin day.
But it turned into so much more than that.
May 26, 2026. Day Three.
We started the day trying to get in with the mobula rays.
By the time we arrived, there were already quite a few boats working the area, but it was still a fun way to start the morning.
The wind today felt unusually warm.
11:40 AM.
The guests are tired today.
Lots of napping going on while we search for wildlife.
Honestly, they’ve been absolute troopers all week and have earned the rest.
Long days at sea have a way of catching up with you.
As the afternoon went on, the swells started building again, so we decided to begin making our way back toward port.
Before heading in, we made one final stop at Punta Sur to spend some time with the sea lions.
And honestly...
what a mess.
Three different boats were already there, packed with guests.
Most of them had selfie sticks.
Many were chasing the sea lions around, trying to force interactions and get close-up photos.
It was hard to watch.
I have to give a lot of credit to the sea lions.
Their patience was incredible.
Because with the way some people were behaving, they easily could have turned around and bitten someone.
Instead, they simply tolerated it.
The visibility wasn’t very good either, which made the decision easier.
After a few minutes, we left the area and called it a day.
Not every wildlife encounter is about what we see.
Sometimes it’s a reminder of how important it is to respect the animals and let them choose the interaction.
Today was one of those days.
May 27, 2026. Day four.
We left port at 6:30AM this morning hoping to get a shot at the mobula rays before the crowds arrived.
So far this week we really haven't had any great underwater encounters with them, so today's mission was pretty simple:
Find mobulas.
The west winds were already blowing and conditions weren't expected to be great, but reports suggested things might settle down later in the afternoon.
So we headed out anyway.
The day begins.
We started the morning with mobula rays.
Not huge schools, but enough to get in the water and spend some time with them before the other boats started arriving.
Once things got busy, we left and continued searching.
A little later we found the larger mobuli species and managed to get a jump with them as well.
Then things got even better.
We received reports of a manta ray.
We headed over and managed to get in the water with it.
I didn't come away with any images of them, but honestly, I didn't care.
It was just nice to see one.
By lunchtime we had encountered three different mobula species in a single morning.
Not a bad way to spend the day.
Our original plan was to head north and continue searching offshore, but the winds and swell up there were howling.
No reason to beat ourselves up unnecessarily.
So we stayed south and continued exploring the calmer water.
Some days are about the big stuff.
Other days are about appreciating the smaller victories.
And seeing three species of mobulas before lunch definitely felt like a win.
May 28, 2026. Day Five.
We got a late start today.
Instead of leaving at sunrise, we decided to head out around 11:00 AM and stay later into the afternoon, hoping for some golden light around whatever wildlife we happened to find.
Sometimes the best photographs happen during those last few hours of the day.
As we left the bay, we encountered a humpback mother and calf.
We stopped for a while to photograph them and hoped the mother might give us a nice fluke shot as she dove.
She never did.
But it was still nice spending time with them.
Afterward we pointed the boat north and slowly cruised past Orcalandi, searching for bait balls that had been reported in the area.
And, of course, keeping our eyes open for anything else the ocean might decide to show us.
Our afternoon begins.
The first surprise was a manta ray.
We managed a couple of jumps with it before it disappeared into the blue.
It didn't stick around very long, but everyone got a look at it, and that's always a win.
A little later we received reports of a super pod of dolphins and sea lions feeding on a bait ball farther north.
When we arrived, the feeding frenzy had already ended.
The bait ball was gone.
But the dolphins were still there.
And they were in a very good mood.
The super pod of bottlenose dolphins spent the next several minutes exploding out of the water all around us.
Breaching. Splashing. Launching themselves into the air for no apparent reason other than for the pure joy of it.
It was one of those moments where you stop worrying about getting the perfect shot and simply enjoy being there.
We tried photographing them from the boat, but they were splashing so much that keeping the cameras dry became almost impossible.
Eventually we gave up.
Put the cameras down.
Pulled out our phones.
And just enjoyed the show.
Honestly... it turned out to be a really fun day.
Not the day we expected.
But a good day all the same.
May 29, 2026. Day Six.
Final day with Becky and her crew.
It’s been a good two weeks. Not the easiest two weeks.
The weather fought us quite a bit, and the wildlife sightings were definitely better during the first week than the second.
But that's the ocean.
Some weeks the big animals show up and make everything easy.
Other weeks make you work for every encounter.
This week wasn't particularly productive when it came to the larger animals, but there was still plenty of life.
Lots of dolphins.
Multiple ray species.
Bait balls.
The food source is definitely here.
Which means the bigger predators are never far away.
Early in the morning we encountered a small mako shark slowly cruising through the bay.
Always fun seeing a mako.
I seem to be seeing more makos here lately than I have in previous years.
From there we headed out toward Orcalandi to see what might be around.
The seas weren't exactly friendly, but we made it.
Along the way we found a sea lion aggressively tossing around a fish it had caught.
That turned into a surprisingly fun photo session.
A little later we received reports of orcas far to the north.
So naturally...
off we went.
It felt like the perfect way to finish the week.
The reports placed the whales near La Paz, so we spent much of the morning searching and listening for updates.
But after hours of running around and chasing reports, it became clear that none of them were accurate.
No orcas.
At least not for us today.
So we changed gears.
Instead of continuing the search, we headed back to La Reina to spend the rest of the day with the wildlife we knew would be there.
And honestly...
it turned out to be a great decision.
We spent the afternoon photographing sea lions, seabirds, and octopuses.
I even saw my first zebra eel.
Absolutely beautiful animal.
The week was definitely made more difficult by the weather, the jellyfish, and the lack of productive encounters with the larger animals.
But that's only part of the story.
We still spent time with dolphins.
We still found rays.
We still experienced plenty of wild moments.
And at the end of the day, this trip has always been about whatever the ocean decides to offer.
The big animals definitely make the week better.
No argument there.
But the smaller moments matter too.
The sea lions.
The octopuses.
The birds.
The unexpected things.
And I am especially grateful that Becky and her friends joined us for two full weeks.
That extra time dramatically increased their chances of experiencing the best this area has to offer.
And they definitely had some incredible encounters.
So thank you to Becky and my new friends for spending the last two weeks with us.
It was a lot of fun.
And we shared some truly epic moments out here.
Until the next one.