All-Inclusive

A sailing cruise of approximately 5 hours includes savory chef-prepared meals, a skilled and educated crew, and typically a marine biologist as snorkel leader, along with certified whale shark guide(s). We provide one or more snorkel boats, bottled water, beer, sodas, an open bar, private bathrooms, freshwater showers, laundered towels, and all the equipment needed including wetsuits. We even provide reef-friendly sunscreen!

The whale shark filters surface water for microscopic plankton, which allows us to swim beside these rare and gentle giants. Baja Whale Shark in Cabo and La Paz, provides an outstanding ALL INCLUSIVE yacht cruise, on a catamaran day trip, to snorkel with the largest fish in the world, the whale sharks in La Paz. A Baja Whale Shark excursion includes transportation from the Cabo areas to La Paz and back. It is truly a lifetime experience to swim with the Whale Sharks in La Paz and our friendly sea lions at the San Rafaelito colony.

Tour Details

The Whale Shark and Sea Lion encounter includes ground transportation from the Cabo area to the La Paz whale shark location, and back. There is a discount for driving on your own. On board our private sailing catamaran, or our 96-foot cruising yacht, you will enjoy a light breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and pastries as we begin the whale shark cruise. A chef-prepared lunch is also included, along with an open bar. After the captain’s orientation, your hostess and snorkel leader, usually a marine biologist, will share valuable information on the Sea of Cortez and pertinent details pertaining to whale shark snorkeling and a visit to the sea lion colony.
Which activity we do first is a function of the reservation entry time to the whale shark feeding zone. Federal regulators control access to the whale shark area. Only licensed providers with a current permit and whale shark flag, are allowed entry, and then only with explicit permission. Baja Charters has the appropriate licenses, permits, and whale shark flag. We submit entry reservation requests prior to guest pickups.

The whale shark experience is a very special one. When cleared by regulators into the whale shark zone, guests cross-board into one our companion snorkel boats. This allows guests to get up close and personal with these large and magnificent creatures. Boarding ladders allow access to and from the water. Your licensed, certified whale shark guide will enter the water first to assist guests as needed. Guests wishing to swim or snorkel alongside a whale shark will be encouraged to do so, but it is not required. Only five guests are permitted in the water with a licensed guide and a single whale shark, at any one time. When reboarding the sailing catamaran, freshwater showers are available, as are fresh laundered towels, shampoo, soaps, etc.

What’s the chances of seeing a whale shark?

Baja Charters has successfully operated the PREMIER whale shark encounter for ten years with a 100% track record for locating whale sharks during the legal season, PROVIDING the port was open and government regulations did not prevent access to the whale shark feeding zone.

What’s Included?

We provide a large and spacious sailing catamaran, or a 96’ Cruising Yacht, with one or more licensed and certified snorkel boats, licensed captains, and certified guides.

Ground transportation is included along with, wetsuits, snorkel gear, a choice of full-face or standard snorkel masks, snorkel vests, towels, private bathrooms, private fresh-water showers, and reef-friendly sunscreen.

An onboard chef prepares meals, which are also included. We provide an array of beverages, snacks, and an open bar. We typically provide a marine biologist as your teacher and instructor. There are excellent areas to lay-out on board and enjoy your cruise. For service quality reasons, we self-restrict on board guest count to well below our licensed capacity.

We are NOT a cattle-car style tour company!

Where do you pick up guests?

Ground transportation is included. We pick up guests at the lobbies of all hotels in the greater Cabo and San Jose areas. On rare occasion, in the San Jose area during holidays, we need to meet San Jose guests at the central Starbucks at the main traffic circle.

How many guests are on board?

The sailing catamaran is the largest, and certainly the nicest, of the vessels doing this activity. We have lots of space and are virtually never crowded. We provide a chef, meals, beverages, an open bar, a marine biologist as hostess and snorkel leader, certified guides as required with separate snorkel boats, depending on how many persons are on board.

For quality-of-service reasons we self-restrict the number of guests on board our large and spacious sailing catamaran to 2/3rds of our licensed capacity, but rarely reach that number, except during the weeks around Christmas and Spring break.
Government rules allow a maximum of five guests in the water with a certified whale shark guide at any given time. So, when we are permitted to enter the whale shark feeding zone, (entry is controlled by a federal agency), guests shift to a snorkel boat with a guide and licensed captain. As we have more guests than are permitted on a single snorkel boat, we add additional snorkel boats and guides. The snorkel boats come up to the steps of the sailing catamaran and take guests into the area to swim with whale sharks.

On average, during the whale shark season, we range from 6 to 12 guests onboard, during the Christmas period 16 to 20. The boat itself is large and comfortable with plenty of space to lie out and enjoy the cruise. The sailing catamaran is licensed for thirty, but as explained above, we self-restrict for both logistical and quality of service reasons.

How do I book?

You may book at on this website by clicking on Book Now. It will take you through the process including date selection. If you need personal assistance, or prefer to book via email or by phone, contact us via ChartersBaja@gmail.com, or our local English Only line 612 152 9940, or our Spanish-German line at 624 128 5666. You may also reach us via our US line 214 974 0501.

How long is the Tour?

Plan for an entire day. The typical time spent on board for the whale shark and sea lion encounter is 5 ½ hours. It can be longer, or slightly less, depending on the time federal regulators assign for entry to the whale shark park. Guests using our ground transportation from the greater Cabo area are scheduled for pickup sometime between 6 AM and 6:45 AM. It is approximately a 2-hour drive to La Paz. The whale shark park is the only legal area for swimming with whale sharks. The time allowed inside the whale shark park is limited to 2 hours. Thereafter, we proceed to the sea lion colony of San Rafaelito. There are tropical fish over corals at this location. Depending upon the entry time assigned to the whale shark area, we may do the sea lion encounter first.