Magdalena Bay Striped Marlin Expedition
This is a real hunting scenario, you can feel the adrenaline of hunters and preys, the fear of the mackerel seeking protection on your body and the excitement and the frenzy of the marlin trying to eat it no matter what! This is like watching a lion hunting a gazelle in Africa, the only difference is that here you are in the open ocean and right inside the action!
FREEDIVING / SNORKELING
- minimum occupancy 4 people
- 5 days tour option with 3 full days in the ocean
FREEDIVING/
SNORKELING
- minimum occupancy 4 people
- 7 days tour option with 5 full days in the ocean
Included
- Transportation from Cabo San Lucas to Puerto San Carlos (Magdalena Bay) round trip.
- Meeting in at Cabo Shark Dive Location, in front of Captain tony's restaurant at the marina next to Tesoro Resort. Chance to pick up in La Paz.
- 4 nights in Hotel Brennan or similar in double occupancy, private bathroom, air conditioning (Having a private single room, costs an additional $90 US per night, per person)
- Light breakfast, box lunch, snacks, water and sodas on boat.
- 3 full day free diving & snorkeling in the open Ocean looking for striped marlin activity
- Visit the local community of fishermen of isla Magdalena, a real contact with local culture and traditions
- Weights, weight belt and snorkeling gear available for rent.
- Life jackets available on board (NOT MANDATORY)
- underwater photography of the marlin encounter
Departure
Weekly departures, at 10.30 am
Duration
5 Days, 2 days road trip, 3 full days in the ocean with the marlins. It takes 5 hours driving to reach Magdalena Bay from Cabo San Lucas
What to Bring
Wind jacket, some heavy clothes, wetsuit (3 or 5 mm) mask snorkel and fins, cameras and go pros, sun screen, and we suggest to take a Dramamine 45 minutes prior the the boat ride in case you suffer seasickness
Not Included
Snorkeling gear for rent, Alcoholic beverages, tips for the crew, dinners at the restaurant, flights, hotel in Los Cabos or La Paz, any meal outside Puerto San Carlos.
Tour Highlights
- Small groups only 6 guests per boat plus crew
- Snorkeling and free dive with striped marlin hunting in bait balls and other big marine animals
- Strong pelagic action, big animals dive
- underwater photography of your striped marlin encounter made with underwater full frame cameras
- Maximum learning from Marine Biologist
- Interact underwater with other big marine animals
- Maximum safety
- Small groups, maximum 6 people in the water
- Up close and personal encounter
- Explore the wildest marine reserve of Baja California
- Birdwatching and nature visits to local mangroves, sand dunes and wild landscape of the Bay
- Live an authentic cultural experience
SAFETY ON TOUR
The Cabo Shark Snorkeling Tour is ABSOLUTELY SAFE, we have a 100% safety record with no accidents in all our tour history. Cabo Shark Dive has the Official Authorisation and Permit of the Mexican Federal Institutions and Port Authorities for shark diving/snorkelling activities in Cabo San Lucas. Our Shark diving/snorkelling tour follows the rigorous professional global protocols of the shark diving industry, with tested and reliable safety measures. With more than 15 years of experience in shark diving operations we guarantee that you are in the best hands! The safety and comfort of our guests is a priority for us, in and out of the water. All our divers and watchers will receive careful and direct supervision during all the experience by our certified and experienced guides. Our crew members are trained as EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONDERS and EFR Instructors and they are qualified to use all medical equipment onboard and handle any kind of situation. Our boats are fully equipped with radio and gps, full Medical kits and all the safety devices required by the Port Authorities. With a constant and direct supervision of the snorkelers, we ensure safety, comfort and enjoyment during the whole experience. Our guides enter the water first and stay with you throughout, guaranteeing a safe and enjoyable experience. Just ask – we're here to help!
Requirements
- Basic swimming and snorkeling skill
Magdalena Bay Striped Marlin Expedition: The Secret Sardine Run
WHAT YOU WILL SEE WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!
Every year, in October, November and December the clear and pristine waters of Magdalena Bay filled up with Striped Marlins, sardines, birds, and other big pelagic fishes hunting the famous Sardines and Mackerel bait balls.This is the second world biggest sardines migration after the South Africa Sardine run. Cabo shark Dive is one of the first company discovering and monitoring this amazing natural event, for 5 years already. We know perfectly how the marlin behave and how to find the best action and the biggest static bait balls. Here we work only with the best and trusted captains (all ex fishermen) best connoisseurs of the area, and during to whole trip, FROM START TO FINISH, you will be guided by the best and super-trained guides of Cabo Shark Dive, for a maximum safety and highest marlin sightings percentage. This is a unique opportunity to live a real wild life experience, like in a National Geographic documentary, face to face with one of the fastest and most elusive pelagic predator, hunting free in his natural environment!
THIS INCREDIBLE TRIP IS OPEN TO EVERYONE, FROM BEGINNERS TO PROFESSIONALS, NO CERTIFICATION REQUIRED. UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY OF YOUR MARLIN ENCOUNTER INCLUDED!!
THE HUNT: ARE YOU READY FOR THE WILDEST EXPERIENCE OF YOUR LIFE?
On this amazing expedition you will have the UNIQUE opportunity to free dive and snorkeling SAFELY with one of the fastest marine predator, hunting literally in front of you, the best up close and personal encounter! We offer the best, up close and personal experience, a more intimate and longer interaction with the marlin, for that reason we take only small group, max 6 guests per boat plus crew.We can spend SEVERAL HOURS with massive static bait balls watching marlin hunting, and we can stay in the water until they eat everything!
You will experience the best pelagic action you have never seen, even better than the South Africa Sardine run, more intense, with 90 ft visibility, warm and crystal clear water in the pristine and fascinating environment of Magdalena Bay. On this trip we will spend 3 whole days in the ocean, full day until sunset! During the Mexican sardine run, you will see thousands of Frigate birds, hundreds of marlin, sailfish, mahi-mahi, tunas, sea lions, orcas and whales all participate in this crazy natural event, with the same purpose, feeding on sardine bait balls, and you will get very close to the action. The most amazing and interesting thing is watching different species of animals, birds, top predators and marine mammals interacting together to hunt most sardines as possible, a real food frenzy!
BOOK YOUR MARLIN EXPEDITION NOW!
To reserve your spots and hold your reservation we just require a deposit of the 50% of the total per person payable right here on our website, just CLICK ON "BOOK NOW" BUTTON to book your trip, it will take a minute, safe and easy! The balance will be paid in cash or credit card at the check in. If you pay with credit card we will add the 16% state taxes (IVA) on the balance. Check out schedule for the next season, CLICK ON "BOOK NOW" BUTTON and scroll on our calendar and choose the date you prefer
DEPARTURES DAYS SEASON 2024
Both the 5 and 7 days trips start every monday from October 07th until December 30th.
October: 7 - 14 - 21 - 28
November: 4 - 11 - 18 - 25
December: 2 - 9 - 16 - 23 - 30
Full private charters and luxury marlin expeditions with catamaran and accommodation in villas with Jacuzzi and private chef available, ask us for rates and availability!
A UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM, ONE OF THE WORLD BEST MARINE RESERVE WITH AN INCREDIBLE BIODIVERSITY
Magdalena bay is a natural reserve in the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur, not open yet to mass tourism. It is 50 km long bay along the western coast of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is protected from the Pacific Ocean by the sandy barrier islands of Isla Magdalena and Isla Santa Margarita. This bay is particularly noted for the seasonal migration of the California Grey whales and now also for the biggest striped marlin migration of the animal world. The abundance of sharks, billfishes, pelagic predators and different species of marine mammals makes Magdalena Bay the best place in Baja California Sur to free diving and snorkeling with marine mega - fauna. The nature is wild also outside the water. Nearby mangrove swamps provide sanctuaries for sea birds. More than 100 species of birds call the bay and the surrounding area. The bay includes the small and authentic Mexican fishing village of San Carlos, that will be our base for 3 days. This is a place where the time seems to be stopped, preserving nature and culture. Isla Magdalena and the surrounding area is also home to more than 8 endangered, endemic and rare plant species.
DIVING AREA
The activity occur offshore, in the deep and blue waters of the Pacific Ocean far from coastal recreational activities. We will go out early morning in the open ocean looking for any surface activity like birds hunting or bait balls, the The unmistakable sign of presence of the mighty striped marlin hunting sardines! Than we will jump in the water for the big show!
Visibility 100ft, water temperature 80-85 F
SAFETY ON TOUR
This is trip absolutely safe, we run this expedition safely and successfully for 5 years already with 0 accidents, nobody never get speared! All our guides are Emergency First Responder Certified Instructors, with a strong aquatic readiness and incredible swimming and diving skills. We have a an extremely safe and efficient way to approach the bait balls and a fully - leaned diving technique. Before the tour we will do a detailed briefing to explain basic safety rules and how to interact with marlin hunting in the best and safest way!
WHAT YOU CAN SEE BESIDE MARLIN AND BAIT BALLS
Magdalena Bay is the only place where you can take pictures of pelicans eating sardines underwater. Ask our guide or captain to spend sometimes with the pelicans or to visit the famous Bird's Island at the end of the day! This is a list of the species you can see during our expedition. Interact With:Yellow fin tuna ( Thunnus albacares)Dorado (Coryphaena hippurus)Striped marlin (kalika audax)Wahoo (acanthocybium solandri)Common Dolphin (delphinus capensis)Mobulas (mobula mobular)Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)Killer whales ((Orcinus orca)Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)Pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)Hawksbill Turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata)Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)Brown PelicansSabine's GullsHeerman's GullBlue-footed BoobyMagnificent FrigatebirdPink-footed ShearwaterBlack-vented ShearwaterImpressive Laysan AlbatrossBlack-footed Albatrosses
