Baja Wildlife Trip Report 2026
- Week 5 -
La Ventana, Mexico
May 30 - June 6, 2026
May 31, 2026. Day One.
A new week begins.
We headed out this morning with a new group and the chance to share this magical place with a fresh set of eyes.
Hard to believe four weeks have already passed.
The season has gone by so fast.
We heard that yesterday the orcas we had spent time with the previous week were up near La Paz hunting mobula rays. The last sightings had them heading offshore, so our hope was that they might continue moving south toward us.
Fingers crossed.
We’re hoping to find some magic today… always hoping!
Today we covered a lot of water.
A lot of miles.
The orcas were never found, but the ocean still kept us busy.
Along the way we encountered:
Mobula rays
Cownose rays
Not a bad start. Not a great day for photos, but still good.
Later in the afternoon we were making our way toward La Reina to finish the day with a swim around the seamount when we got distracted by a pod of bottlenose dolphins.
The dolphins were actively feeding and playing around the bow of the boat.
While watching them, our captain spotted a ray near the surface.
At first we weren't sure what it was.
It turned out to be one of the rarer mobula species found here, the mobula tarapacana, or normally called the Chilean Devil Ray.
Everyone immediately jumped in for a chance to see something rare.
I managed a pretty terrible proof-of-life photo.
The video was a little bit better, but not very good.
Still… it was enough to know we all saw a very rare species.
While in the water we looked down into the blue, a silky shark began rising from the depths.
Then another.
Then another.
Before we knew it, there were seven silky sharks circling beneath us.
That completely changed the mood.
We ended up having a really fun session with them.
At one point a marlin appeared out of nowhere and cruised right through the scene as if it wanted to see what all the excitement was about.
Just another reminder that you never know what is going to happen out here.
We got several close encounters with the sharks, and one of the dirty buggers even charged me.
It turned away right before it bumped my camera… Just enough to make the moment exciting.
What a fun way to end day one.
That’s really what this trip is all about.
There is a lot of searching.
A lot of empty ocean.
A lot of rolling the dice and hoping for a big payoff.
But the magic isn't always in the marquee animals.
It's in the moments.
The little surprises.
The things you never planned for.
You have to appreciate every gift the ocean gives you.
Today the ocean gifted us sharks.
June 1, 2026. Day Two.
A new month begins.
Hard to believe I’ve been in Baja for more than a month already.
Time moves differently out here.
Today we headed north, following a few leads and hoping they might lead us to something big.
The ocean has been kind to us so far, and with conditions this nice, there is always hope.
Our day begins.
One of our first stops was a buoy holding a huge amount of life.
Schools of baitfish swirled beneath it.
Five mahi-mahi were hanging around the structure along with a very active skipjack tuna that was aggressively hunting the bait fish.
Warren and I jumped in hoping to photograph the mahi feeding.
Unfortunately, they never really committed to coming in close while we were in the water.
But watching the skip jack hunt was fun.
I actually could have stayed there all day watching this scene play out.
On the swim back to the boat, however, I got absolutely nailed by jellyfish.
Not the usual sting we've been dealing with.
This one left raised bumps all over my leg where it got me.
Painful, but thankfully faded fast.
After that we continued our search.
A little later we received reports of orcas.
Of course...
they were in the south.
I had been pushing north all morning.
The ocean has a sense of humor sometimes.
It took us a couple of hours to get there, but eventually we found them.
Several of our friends were already on scene.
When we arrived, only the big male was around.
The rest of the family had disappeared.
This pod was one I immediately recognized… they don’t really enjoy the company of people very much.
The male, however, stayed nearby.
We managed a few jumps with him.
And our final jump was really special.
The guests came out of the water with huge smiles on their faces.
And that is why I do what I do… it makes me happy.
It was a great way to end day two.
I’m really hoping we get another day with the orcas this week.
Especially since this is my final week here in Baja.
I just want one more day.
One more encounter.
One more jump.
Because with orcas… it’s never enough.