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.

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. 

June 2, 2026. Day Three.

Flat calm seas.

The kind of conditions that make you excited before the day even begins.

The ocean looked beautiful this morning, and with visibility stretching for miles, it felt like anything could happen.

We headed north and after a bit of searching found a super pod of common dolphins feeding alongside yellowfin tuna.

The dolphins were everywhere.

Constantly changing direction.

Exploding across the surface.

I spent some time trying to photograph them from the boat, but honestly, common dolphins are one of the hardest animals to shoot topside as well.

They can be so quick and unpredictable.

Still... it's always fun trying.

We attempted a couple of jumps with them, but the dolphins wanted nothing to do with us.

Common dolphins have always been that way here.

The only place I've ever consistently seen common dolphins truly accept people in the water is during the bait balls of Africa's Sardine Run.

Out here, topside is usually all you're going to get.

After leaving the dolphins, we checked several offshore buoys in hopes of finding sharks, mahi-mahi, or something else interesting hanging beneath them.

During our search we spotted an olive ridley sea turtle, just relaxing on the surface.

I asked if anyone wanted to jump in with it, Warren and Cassie 6 jumoed at the chance, and snapped a few images. After a minute of this, it dropped down, so they returned to the boat.

We were about to take off, but it surfaced again, so I jumped in and managed a fewe shots before it swam off. My first sea turtle shots of the season, not counting the bird sitting on a turtle from last week, which was pretty cool.

We have seen a lot of sea turtles this season but they have been very shy. With the turtle pod of orcas that often visits and hunt the waters here I can easily guess why.

After the encounter we pointed the boat toward La Reina.

And today La Reina was beautiful.

This was our groups first time here, I love showing people this reef.

The visibility was so good.

The baitfish and life on the reef were absolutely exploding. Everywhere you looked there was something happening.

I spent some time filming a pair of cormorants cleaning themselves underwater. They have become so comfortable around people this season, and I love spending time with them.

Later I was filming some 360 video of the baitfish schools. A group of needlefish was cruising along the surface above me and the whole scene looked incredible.

Then I felt something.

You know that feeling when you suddenly realize you're not alone?

I turned my head and found a sea lion hovering right behind me, quietly watching what I was doing, inches away from me.

The moment I looked at him, he casually turned away and swam off as if he had never come anywhere near me.

So damn cute.

Not every day is about orcas, whales, or big animals.

Sometimes it's the little moments that stay with you.

And today was full of them. 

June 3, 2026. Day Four.

We headed south today.

As we were leaving the bay, we ran into a pod of bottlenose dolphins.

They seemed to be in a social mood, so we decided to give them a try.

The dolphins stuck around and gave us several really nice jumps.

They kept passing underneath us, so I spent a lot of time diving down to meet them as they swam by.

A few of the passes were really good.

They were playful, relaxed, and a lot of fun to be around.

The highlight was a tiny baby dolphin traveling with the group.

It honestly looked like a plush toy.

So damn cute.

Eventually a couple of other boats arrived, and rather than add more pressure to the dolphins, we decided to leave them alone and continue offshore.

Excited about the possibilities.

Our day begins.

We spent the next several hours searching but never found much of anything.

There was a report of a sperm whale, but it was simply too far away for us to reach.

So instead we shifted our attention to mobula rays.

Eventually we found a massive group.

The water was murky, the rays were deep, and conditions were far from ideal.

Thankfully they were moving slowly.

That gave us enough opportunity to get in the water and do some freediving.

After several attempts we managed to capture a few nice images of them moving through the haze.

Not perfect conditions.

But good enough.

After the mobulas, we headed over to Puffer Cove.

That place is always a crowd favorite.

The puffers are ridiculously cute and somehow never fail to make people smile.

While there, I spent some time photographing a pelican swallowing a fish.

Watching the bird work the fish down its throat was entertaining and made for some fun photos.

Puffer Cove is always a great way to finish a day.

Day four wasn't about huge animals or epic encounters.

It was about dolphins, mobulas, pelicans, puffers, and all the little moments in between.

And that made it a pretty good day at sea.

June 5, 2026. Day Five.

We headed out this morning into absolutely perfect conditions.

Flat calm seas.

No wind.

Just beautiful.

The kind of morning where you feel lucky simply to be out there.

We pushed offshore and soon spotted several boats working a group of mobula rays.

Normally we might have continued on in search of something bigger.

But the water was so blue...

it would have been a sin not to stop.

So we did.

We waited our turn and eventually slipped into the water with a fast-moving fever of mobulas.

It was perfection.

The visibility was incredible.

The water was that deep Baja blue that seems almost impossible to photograph properly.

The mobulas moved gracefully beneath us, their wings flashing through the light.

The animals stayed a bit deeper than I would have liked.

I could have spent the whole encounter freediving down after them.

But there were already people in the water, and sometimes it's important to respect the moment instead of forcing it.

So I stayed shallow.

After the mobulas we continued south.

And so far...

nothing.

No whales.

No dolphins.

No sharks.

Just a lot of beautiful, beautiful, ocean.

June 5, 2026. Day Six.

Our final day at sea.

And officially my last day of the season here in Baja.

It's a strange feeling.

I'm excited to go home after five weeks away.

But I'm also sad to be leaving this magical place.

The ocean has a way of becoming part of you.

And every year, leaving is a little harder than I expect.

We got off to a great start this morning.

Not long after leaving port, we encountered a mating train of mobula mobular rays, the larger cousins of the mobula rays we see so often here.

There were eight animals in total.

One female. Seven males. All chasing her.

The group stayed together long enough for us to get a fantastic close encounter in beautiful blue water.

I was really excited about that one.

As we climbed back onto the boat and prepared to continue searching, something unexpected happened.

About fifty yards away, a thresher shark exploded out of the water.

Everyone on the boat immediately started yelling.

One more time!

One more time!

And it did.

The shark breached again. 

What a beautiful animal.

We didn’t have enough time to get our phones out for a photo, but it was so damn cool to see.

We continued on and eventually encountered a pod of bottlenose dolphins that looked like they might be interested in playing.

At least that's what they wanted us to think.

The moment we entered the water they dropped straight down and disappeared.

Message received.

They said no.

While we floated there wondering where they had gone, two silky sharks appeared from the blue to investigate us.

We spent a few minutes enjoying their company before continuing on.

Eventually we made our way to La Reina for one final swim.

I love this place, and it would of been sad leaving without one more dive here. 

The visibility was incredible.

Everywhere you looked there was life.

It was the perfect place to finish the season.

While exploring the reef I found an octopus crawling across the rocks.

We followed it for a while, watching it move from one hiding place to another.

Then, from a nearby hole in the reef, a second octopus emerged.

The two approached each other.

Touched.

Wrapped around one another briefly.

Then separated.

Were they mating? Wrestling? Arguing?

I'm not entirely sure, but it was fascinating to watch.

Sadly, there were no cormorants diving today, so I never got the chance to properly say goodbye to my birds.

I spent a lot of time with them this season, and I was hoping for one final encounter.

A pelican was working the shoreline, scooping up mouthfuls of tiny baitfish. As I approached, it stopped feeding and drifted away before I could get any photographs.

Maybe next season.

On our way back to port, we got one last surpirse gift from the ocean… mating olive ridley sea turtles.

We stopped and only a few of us got it. The Cassie’s were already drinking a celebratory beer and just wanted to enjoy their moment on the boat.

We got in, snapped a few photos and then left them alone to finish making baby turtles.

I was happy I got to see that this season.

We have gotten mating sea turtles each season. It felt right leaving with an opportunity to experience the magic of nature recreating itself.

The ocean always leaves you wanting more encounter.

One more encounter.

One more photograph.

One more day.

Five weeks.

Thousands of miles.

Countless hours searching… Whales. Orcas. Sharks. Mobulas. Sea lions. Octopuses. Dolphins.

And a whole lot of memories.

Thank you, Baja.

Thank you all my friends.

Thank you Fer and Matt.

Until next season… Baja Te Amo!