Marlins Expedition in Bahia Magdalena
The Mexican Sardine Run
Tours Overview
Every fall, Magdalena Bay on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur becomes the stage for the Mexican Sardine Run, one of the region’s most exciting seasonal wildlife events.
From mid-October to mid-December, an extraordinary concentration of marine life gathers along this remote coastline, creating a unique opportunity to experience Baja’s wild Pacific at its most active.
Tours Details
Contact us for price detail and availability
Every year from mid-October to mid-December
Last places of the season 2026:
Nov 7 to 11 : FullNov 15 to 19 : FullNov 22 to 27 : FullNov 29 to Dec 5 : Full- Dec 06 to 10 : 4 spots available
DAY 1 : Pick up at your chosen hotel in Cabo San Lucas. Transfer to San Carlos. Hotel included in Puerto San Carlos.
DAY 2 - DAY 4 : FULL DAY Ocean Safari. Hotel included in Puerto San Carlos.
DAY 5 : Transfer from Puerto San Carlos to Cabo San Lucas (after breakfast). Hotel NOT included. Drop off at your chosen hotel.
You have to arrive in Cabo San Lucas at least the day before the expedition starts. Please make personal arrangements for the day before departure and on day 5.
We recommend booking the same hotel for these 2 nights. Feel free to contact us if you need any help booking a hotel in Cabo.
Our expeditions are ideal for the following people:
- Have previous snorkeling or freediving experience
- Feel perfectly comfortable swimming in the open ocean with marine life around
- In good physical condition
- Adventure seekers
- Wildlife photographers
* We go out very far offshore and conditions can be quite rough. We also spend a very long day on the boat (approx 8 hours at sea every day). If you’re up for a challenging and exhilarating experience that you’ll never forget then this expedition is perfect for you.
- Round-trip transportation from chosen hotel in Los Cabos
- 5 days total, 3 full days of Ocean Safari (approx 8 hours)
- 4 nights in Puerto San Carlos
- Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Water & soft drinks
- Photos and videos
- Weights & belts on the boat
- Flight to Los Cabos International Airport
- Hotel in Cabo the day before departure & Day 5
- Dinners (local restaurant in Puerto San Carlos)
- Personal Travel Insurance (Mandatory)
Wildlife Expeditions In Bahia Magdalena
Along the coast of Bahía Magdalena, large schools of sardines and mackerel gather in huge numbers during the season. As predators move in to take advantage of this abundance, the bait is pushed into dense schools near the surface, creating the fast-moving bait ball action that defines the Mexican Sardine Run.
Striped marlin are at the heart of the action. Working individually or in groups, they use their speed and bill to hunt through the schools of bait, often alongside sea lions, dolphins, tunas and other pelagic predators. Whales, sharks and other wildlife can also be encountered throughout the season, making every day on the water different.
Finding this activity is part of the expedition. There is no fixed dive site and wildlife is constantly moving, so our days are spent searching the coastline and open ocean for signs of activity. Birds, dolphins and surface movement can all lead us toward feeding events.
When the right encounter develops, we enter the water by snorkeling or freediving to observe the action at close range. There is no scuba diving on these expeditions, allowing us to stay mobile and react quickly as the wildlife moves and new opportunities develop throughout the day.
For those who want to experience the wild
These expeditions are designed for people who want more than simply watching wildlife from a distance. They are about spending time in the field, following the activity as it develops and being ready when the right encounter happens.
Whether you are a wildlife photographer, underwater filmmaker, experienced snorkeler or simply passionate about the ocean, our goal is to give you the time and flexibility needed to make the most of every day in Bahía Magdalena. We keep our groups small and spend full days at sea, allowing us to adapt to the conditions and focus on the best wildlife opportunities available each day.
This is a true wildlife expedition. Encounters are never staged or guaranteed, and no two days are the same. That unpredictability is part of what makes the Mexican Sardine Run such a unique experience.
Adventure & Conservation
Our story with the Sardine Run began in 2015, when we first traveled to Bahía Magdalena to discover this extraordinary corner of Baja California Sur. More than ten years later, the excitement of returning each season has never disappeared. No matter how many days we have spent on these waters, there is always something new to witness, and that sense of discovery is a big part of why this expedition remains so special to us.
Over the years, our connection with Bahía Magdalena has also grown through the people who call this place home. Our expeditions are organized in close partnership with a local family and team from the community, whose knowledge of these waters, wildlife and changing conditions is an essential part of what we do. Season after season, they have become much more than local partners. They are part of the experience we share with our guests.
Supporting the local community and working with people who have a direct interest in protecting the waters they depend on is an important part of our approach. Our local partners work throughout the year to preserve the richness of this environment, and choosing to build our expeditions around this collaboration allows tourism to contribute directly to the people who live and work here.
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What To Expect
Remote and Authentic Destination
Bahía Magdalena is a remote destination, and that is very much part of its character.
Accommodations are simple, clean and comfortable, but this is not a luxury resort destination. Life here revolves around the ocean and the small local communities that depend on it, offering a very different experience from the more developed tourist areas of Baja California Sur.
Long days built around the ocean
Our days are intentionally built around maximizing time at sea. We generally spend 8 to 10 hours on the water, giving us the freedom to search over large areas and stay with good marine life encounter when we find it. Conditions and wildlife determine the rhythm of each day, so flexibility and patience are an important part of the experience.
Small groups, more time in the water
We keep our expeditions to small groups, with a maximum of four or five guests depending on the package. This gives everyone more space onboard and, most importantly, allows us to manage in-water encounters carefully without overcrowding the action. You do not need to be an expert freediver, but you should be comfortable snorkeling in open water and ready to enter and exit the boat several times throughout the day when opportunities arise.
Boat & Safety
Boats built for the expedition
Our expeditions are operated aboard traditional Mexican pangas, open boats that are particularly well suited to wildlife encounters in Bahía Magdalena. Their layout gives us excellent visibility while searching for wildlife and allows quick and easy access to the water when an encounter develops.
The boats are equipped with full shade coverage, comfortable seating and outboard engines, and are operated and maintained by our trusted local partners in Puerto San Carlos. After many seasons working in these waters, we know that having a reliable boat and an experienced local captain is essential when spending long days offshore.
Safety equipment onboard
Safety is a priority throughout every expedition. Before heading out, our team reviews the conditions for the day and all guests receive a safety briefing covering both boat operations and in-water encounters.
Each boat carries the safety and communication equipment required for our offshore operations, including:
- GPS
- Marine VHF radio
- First aid kit
- Life jackets
- Emergency signaling equipment
Experienced crew & guides
Every expedition is led by an experienced Baja Shark Experience guide together with a local captain who knows these waters intimately.
Our guides have extensive experience working around large marine wildlife and managing in-water encounters, while our local captains bring years of knowledge of Bahía Magdalena, its conditions and its wildlife.
This combination of local knowledge and experience in the water is at the core of how we operate, allowing us to approach each encounter responsibly while adapting to the conditions and wildlife activity of the day.
Marine species Bahia Magdalena
Striped Marlins
The striped marlin is probably the most beautiful of all the marlin species. With its brilliant bluish-purple stripes that run along its flanks, the striped marlin is a real stunner. Beautiful and sleek, the striped marlin is among the most acrobatic of the marlin species.
Sardines & Bait ball
There’s nothing special about a single or even a few sardines but the magic happens when sardines gather in mind-boggling numbers. Imagine a massive ball of sardines floating underwater. It’s a phenomenal sight that many people dream of witnessing.
Orcas
Orcas, also known as killer whales are the largest members of the dolphin family. They stand out in the water because of their distinctive black-and-white coloring. These smart marine mammals belong to tightly-knit families.
Humpback Whales
The protective bays of Baja California make the perfect environment for breeding and calving humpback whales. These magnificent whales usually begin arriving in the warm and nutrient-rich waters of Mexico around November and stay there until the end of March.