Ultimate Whale Shark & Sea Lion Sea of Cortez Trip - Bluewater Dive Travel

Ultimate Whale Shark & Sea Lion Sea of Cortez Trip 2024

 

Ultimate Whale Shark & Sea Lion Sea of Cortez Trip 2024

Embark on the ultimate Sea of Cortez adventure, where you'll encounter an abundance big animal sightings including whale sharks and sea lions, plus an array of mesmerizing marine life including blennies, nudibranchs, and octopus.

 

why join this trip?

  • Whale Sharks & Sea Lions Galore! A day of whale sharks with multiple encounters on 95% of trips
  • Experience the Best of the Sea of Cortez
  • Fly in and out of Phoenix, Arizona! Our van brings you to / from the boat right across the Mexican border
  • Huge diversity of marine life - blennies, nudibranchs, octopus, and more on one of Mexico’s favorite liveaboards - Rocio Del Mar
  • Free optional photo workshop

 

august 24 - 31, 2024

Trip Leader: Mark Hatter

7 Nights for only $2,995

 

 

Check out this cool video from diving the Sea of Cortez:

 

Trip Overview

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.

BWT Trip to Sea of Cortez 2019, photo by Bryan Chu

 

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. 

Signal Blenny Sea of Cortez A female bluespotted jawfish

Some macro photos from our 2022 trip to 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:

  • Day 1 - Embark at 5 pm in Puerto Peñasco. Depart at 6 pm
  • Day 2 - Wake up at Refugio Bay on Angel Island
  • Potential Dive sites: Angel Rock, La Vela, Lolo’s Cove, Sunset Zodiak Cruise with Sea Lions
  • Day 3 - Angel Island
  • Potential Dive sites: Andrea’s Eagle, El Aquario, Las Vivoras, Las Vivoras including a night dive
  • Day 4 - San Pedro Martir Potential Dive sites: El Arroyo, Punta Martir (Sea Lions), Chayo’s Cove
  • Day 5 - San Pedro Martir
  • Potential Dive sites: Ravijunco, Xareni’s Pinnacle, Coromel, Morrito, in the afternoon we go looking for whales!
  • Day 6 - Salsipuedes & Animas
  • Potential Dive sites: Los Cuervos, El Caballo, In Animas, El Lavadero, El Lavadero including a night dive
  • Day 7 - Baja and Snorkeling with Whale Sharks in Bahia De Los Angeles
  • Potential Dive sites: El Pescador, Baja Ca., start heading back to Puerto Penasco in afternoon
  • Day 8 - Disembark at 7 am

 

To learn more about what you can expect from this Sea of Cortez trip, check out 2022 Sea of Cortez trip report. Also see the reviews on diving the Sea of Cortez here.


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Inclusions

  • Three meals per day & snacks,
  • Beverages including soft drinks, juice, domestic beer & wine
  • One morning of whale shark snorkeling, & several dives with a friendly sea lion colony
  • Tanks, weights & weight belts

 

Exclusions

  • Transfers from Phoenix airport ($150 roundtrip)
  • Park fees ($28)
  • Fuel Surcharge, if applicable (none currently)
  • Nitrox ($120)
  • Gratuity
  • Mexican Tourist Card: purchased at the border ($36 CASH ONLY)
  • Travel Insurance: click here to learn more about our preferred plan

 

TRIP TYPE

This trip is a PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP. It will be led by one of our photo instructors and will include daily underwater photography tutorials, in-water photography support, and one-to-one advice and guidance as required.

What to expect from our Photo Workshops

  • Daily photo workshops - Your photo instructor will schedule seminars each day on topics including, but not limited to, equipment type and selection, the concept of underwater photography, lighting and composition techniques, and post-processing. They will also include additional topics relevant to the location and your experience.
  • In-water support - Where possible, each dive group will spend time underwater with the photo instructor, receiving in-water support and guidance on their shooting techniques.  Participants can also request in-water assistance during the workshop and the photo instructor will do his or her best to accommodate all requests. 
  • Consecutive days of practice & review - Each day you will have the opportunity to practice the techniques and skills learned in the previous day’s tutorials. If you are new to underwater photography you will likely see a vast improvement in just a few days.
  • Daily photo image reviews - You are strongly encouraged to bring your laptop, a thumb drive, edit your photos, and submit your shots for review from both the instructor and your peers. These are fun and interactive sessions encouraging you to improve throughout the trip.
  • Quality time with fellow photographers - Both new and experienced photographers from past workshops have expressed the advantages of joining a trip with like-minded divers with a passion for underwater photography.
  • Suitable for everyone - New and experienced photographers are welcome on all our trips. Gain the necessary skills to start shooting great photos, increase your confidence in finding the best underwater shots, or hone specific skills. We also encourage non-photographers to join, as many of them really enjoy the daily photo reviews, learning about underwater photography, and some have even returned to a photo workshop with an underwater camera setup!

Enjoy free, unlimited access to a wealth of knowledge and advice from your photo instructor.

 

Trip Syllabus

Bluewater's Sea of Cortez photo workshop with Mark Hatter will cover the instruction gambit from wide-angle animal image photography (sea lions) to macro photography (nudibranchs, sawfish, and signal bennies).

This seven-day workshop will include at least four days of formal instruction plus hands-on tutorials both above and below water, as requested. Each day there will be 4 x 45-minute sessions while onboard the boat, plus 1 x 60-minute introduction Zoom session between 1-3 weeks before departure. Taking will take the form of PowerPoint presentations, informal group discussions, 1-on-1 training, streaming live demonstrations (e.g., using programs like Lightroom), and underwater help. There will also be an optional pre-trip Zoom class on the basics of UW photography to jumpstart novices.

 

  • Days 1 & 2: Intro to UW photography, wide-angle photography, macro photography
  • Days 3 & 4: Using Lightroom, local adjustment tools for the balance of light in gradient images
  • Mark will also provide as much in-water and 1-on-1 support as necessary.
 

 

About the Rocio Del Mar

Rocio Del Mar is one of the most popular liveaboards sailing in the area, offering excellent service and fantastic food. There are 10 cabins for up to a maximum of 20 divers, all offering private bathrooms with hot shower stalls, Western-style toilets, and above-height windows. Cabins are carpeted and have air-conditioning, plus convenient gear and clothes storage drawers beneath the beds. 

 

Rocio Del Mar  Rocio Del Mar Rocio Del Mar Rocio Del Mar

Rocio Del Mar  Rocio Del Mar 

Check out this page to see more details and customer reviews on the Rocio Del Mar.

 

Rocio Del Mar Deck Plan

 

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FLIGHT INFORMATION

Trip attendees will fly in and out of Phoenix, Arizona, which is the closest international airport. You should fly in on Saturday morning and arrive before 11 am.  For return flights, book anytime after 2 pm. 

Head Out To Rocky Point offers a shuttle service to and from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and takes you directly to the boat. It takes approximately 3.5-4 hours. The cost is $150 per person, round trip. All passengers will be picked up at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport at 1pm, Terminal 4, Door 5 outside on the far side of the street. The shuttles are clearly marked Head Out To Rocky Point. The shuttle will stop at the border so passengers can purchase Mexico Tourist Cards.  If you choose to stay at a hotel the evening prior, be sure to be back at the airport by 12:30 so you can comfortably get to the shuttle departure area by 1pm. On disembarkation day the shuttle departs the boat at 7am.

Book the round-trip Head Out to Rocky Point Shuttle here: https://www.headouttorockypoint.com/scuba.

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ABOUT THE TRIP LEADER

Mark Hatter is an accomplished photojournalist who has had nearly one hundred feature articles with many hundreds of images published in more than two dozen fly fishing and diving publications over the last two decades.  His most recent destination features have appeared in Alert Diver and Diver (UK) magazines. 

Mark has traveled the world in pursuit of new underwater photography challenges, including cold-water destinations such as British Columbia and even Antarctica in January 2018.  

“Of course, I love shooting in tropical locations but I think cold water diving is a great forcing function to hone one’s photography skills as the environment and equipment are much more demanding of a diver.  Good image capture in cold water is particularly rewarding.” Mark tells us. 

Mark has been shooting underwater since the early 1980s and has worked in both film and digital mediums in his photojournalism pursuits.  In 35 years of diving, Mark has logged over 2000 hours, much of it doing underwater photography.  Currently, he teaches underwater photography classes locally at Seminole Scuba in Lake Mary, Florida. More about Mark here.

 

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

  • Deposit: $825
  • Payment 2: $725, due on January 15, 2024
  • Balance: $1,445, due on April 15, 2024

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GOT QUESTIONS? READY TO BOOK?

Call us today at +1-310-915-6677 or email us trips@bluewaterdivetravel.com

And let us book your dream vacation!

 

Photo Gallery 

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Sea of Cortez Underwater Photos from Previous Trips

Sea of Cortez trip Sea of Cortez

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Sea of Cortez 2017 Trip Sea of Cortez 2017 Trip

Sea of Cortez 2017 Trip Sea of Cortez 2017 Trip

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