Nautilus Explorer Itinerary
Mexico Sardine Run - Magdalena Bay8 days / 7 nights
About Nautilus Explorer
- Facilities include nitrox, gear storage, spacious zodiacs, and camera stations
- Adventurous itineraries in Socorro and Revillagigedo, and Guadalupe
- Enjoy zodiac tours, marine life presentations, paddleboards and kayaks
- Comfortable cabins for various budgets and personal travel styles
Nautilus Explorer liveaboard offers adventurous dive itineraries, with voyages exploring some of the eastern Pacific's most exciting big fish destinations. Choose from trips to Socorro and Revillagigedo, Guadalupe, or pioneering itineraries combining both! You'll enjoy personalised service, well appointed cabins and common areas, and custom-designed divers' facilities to help make the most of your time in the water. Plus, thoughtful details like warm deck showers and hot drinks after each dive and a hot tub for a hint of luxury. This boat perfectly balances a comfortable and unfussy atmosphere with little luxuries, creating the ideal environment for divers and social guests.
Itinerary details
Highlights
- Witness one of the largest sardine hunts in the world in Magdalena Bay
- Snorkel with striped marlin as they gather in anticipation of a feast
- Chance of seeing California sea lions, dolphins, wahoo, and more
- Spot humpbacks and, if you’re really lucky, even orcas or blue whales!
- See pelicans, gulls, booby birds, frigates, shearwaters and albatross
Meet at SeeCreatures Cabo by 5 pm for the short transfer to embark on your ship. Board and set sail up the coast of Baja for the approximately 15-hour run to Magdalena Bay. The sea is usually calm and sheltered inside the bay and barrier islands where we anchor at night. Please note that our interaction with the bait balls of the sardine run is in the open Pacific Ocean.
Day 2:
Late morning arrival in Magdalena Bay. Today is our warmup and tuneup day at the south end of Margarita Island. While this adventure is primarily about snorkeling and free diving with the schooling sardine and bait balls, you will have the opportunity to snorkel with sea lions and, weather permitting, dive on the remains of a large passenger ship that sank more than 200 years ago, as well as the wreck of a WW1 submarine.
Days 3-6:
Let’s find some bait balls! Our spotter airplane will be up in the air for the first couple of days of your trip. These next days are about snorkeling and freediving. Not scuba diving. We never know quite what Mother Ocean has in store for us, but on the vast majority of our trips, we are able to enjoy fairly calm seas with a low swell and loads of critters. Striped marlin and bryde whales are the stars of the sardine run, but there is lots more to see. This is a cooperative ecotourism program working with local pangas and captains who pivoted from fishing to tourism. Nobody knows these waters and where to find the animals better than these guys. You should also see turtles, more sea lions, sharks, and seabirds. It can be very, very exciting.
Day 7:
We had a spare day for bait balls in case we had inclement weather during the week. Otherwise, this is our day to do some scuba diving and also go ashore in the amazing giant sand dunes of Margarita Island. Departing for Cabo mid-afternoon on what is almost always a pleasant downhill ride with gentle motion.
Day 8:
Return to Cabo San Lucas for breakfast and disembarking by 8:30am.
Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics and local regulations.
Transfer details
Departure
05:00pm
SeeCreatures, Cabo San Lucas
Los Cabos International Airport: SJD
Return
08:30am
SeeCreatures, Cabo San Lucas
Los Cabos International Airport: SJD
Current availability and prices: https://www.zubludiving.com/itineraries/nautilus-explorer/itn-2211030255071-mexico-sardine-run-magdalena-bay