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Encounter sea lions, sperm whales, whale sharks, and more with Bluewater's Photo Workshop aboard the Quino del Mar.
Macro Critters
Whale Shark Encounters
Pelagic Encounters
Free Photo Workshops
This trip offers a great combination of big animals and fascinating macro life. There's always something for everyone. Plus, it's really easy to get to being only a 4-hour drive from Phoenix, AZ.
The Sea of Cortez is home to sea lions, whale sharks, manta and mobula rays, dolphins, and huge schools of fish. Sperm whales, pilot whales, and dolphins are also commonly spotted.
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It doesn't just stop there as the Sea of Cortez is also a perfect place to practice your macro photography skills. You will get to see nice varieties of nudibranchs, Panamic arrow crabs, Pacific seahorses, jawfish, small and big octopuses, frogfish, and blennies.
Check out this cool video from diving the Sea of Cortez:
The boat will depart from Puerto Peñasco at 6 pm on Saturday and then travel for 12 hours to arrive the next morning for a 7 am dive. You will be diving 3-4 times per day on this trip. Here's a sample day-by-day itinerary of this trip:
To learn more about what you can expect from this Sea of Cortez trip, check out 2024 trip to the Sea of Cortez the reviews on diving the Sea of Cortez here.
Download our full scuba gear guide to Sea of Cortez, Bluewater Travel guests receive 10% OFF! Click the image below to download (PDF).
Launching in July 2025, the Quino del Mar is one owned by one of the top dive operators specializing in trips to the Sea of Cortez and Socorro Islands in Mexico. This 89-foot liveaboard yacht offers 10 cabins for up to 20 divers.
Quino del Mar's Key Features
What excites us about the Quino del Mar liveaboard is the promise of knowledgeable and friendly dive staff, exceptional stability for navigating the often-rough waters to the Socorro Islands, mouthwatering Mexican cuisine, and ample space designed for underwater photographers to set up their gear. This liveaboard is shaping up to be a dream for avid divers and underwater photographers eager to explore Socorro and the Sea of Cortez!
Check out our walkthrough video of the Quino del Mar!
Double-occupancy
$3,195
per person
Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo & Video - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head.Â
You can get in touch with him at nirupam@uwphotographyguide.com or through his website www.photosfromthesea.com.
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