Whale Sharks and Sea Lions From a Deserted Island in Baja California, Mexico
Baja California is best known for its incredible surf with hundreds of surfers flocking to the pristine white beaches for warm water and perfect waves, but right below the surface awaits a diversity of life that has been called ‘the world’s aquarium’ by Jacques Cousteau and remains a treasure trove of life today. The Baja Peninsula boasts the northernmost reef in the Eastern Pacific.
We recommend the beautiful Espiritu Santo Island – where giant cactus meet blue water in the Sea of Cortez. Enjoy freediving into ‘the world’s aquarium’ – still beautiful today in its diversity and a true place of hope for conservation. You can swim with gentle giants, the whale sharks and visit the sea lion rocks to meet the playful pups, see the silvery females and marvel at the vast array of marine life that flourishes in this marine protected area.
We recommend this destination because supporting the responsible local ecotourism operators who can guide you to whale sharks (recently listed as Endangered on the IUCN RedList) makes these animals worth more alive than dead, incentivising protection rather than consumption through simple economics.
WHALE SHARKS are the largest cartilagenous fish in the sea. They are gentle filter-feeders, feeding on tiny plankton while migrating around the great oceans, sadly they are listed as endangered globally.
SEA LIONS are super playful and fun. We will have a blast spending time watching, interacting, swimming and diving with these intelligent creatures, getting inspired by their agility and entertained by their antics.
We would highly recommend staying at the exquisite Camp Cecil on Espiritu Santo Island. Owned and run by unwavering nature lovers, this real-deal eco site has won numerous awards and stands out as a true sustainable ‘barefoot luxury’ experience, offering a unique opportunity to be immersed in nature, the ocean and be wonderfully secluded. You get your very own luxury tent, complete with a real bed, comfortable finishings and of course the ocean right on your ‘doorstep’. Camp Cecil has a fantastic team that services the camp daily, cook healthy and sustainable meals and their resident naturalist tells you all you wish to know about this remarkable island and it’s fauna and flora, above and below. Camp Cecil is a seasonal leave no trace camp, so all ablutions are nature friendly – from solar warmed showers to compost toilets – thanks to the team on hand everything is spotlessly clean and comfortable even though it is simple.