Swim with Sea Lions at Los Islotes | Diving in La Paz with Experts

March 17, 2023
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Dive in La Paz with sea lions

Tags : dive in la paz dive with sea lions la paz diving sea lions swim with sea lions

Category : Diving

Join La Paz Divers to dive in La Paz with sea lions

One of the most fun and exciting places to dive in La Paz is at Los Islotes, a pair of islets located at the northern-tip of the Espiritu Santo National Park. This rock formation is located approximately 1:30 hrs from La Paz by boat and is home to a large colony of 850 + California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). These animals are popularly known as the pups of the sea, due to the curious and playful nature of the juveniles. On land, these animals may appear a little clumsy, but under the water, they are agile, graceful swimmers. Reaching speeds of up to 20 miles per hour, the sea lions will amaze you with their energy and maneuverability.

Book NowSea lions entertain themselves by swimming, splashing around, and playing with each other, objects, and animals that they encounter in their habitat. These pinnipeds commonly interact with people in the water, swimming close to take a second look and even playfully nibbling at the fins of divers and snorkelers.

Sea lions are very vocal animals and will often seemingly argue with each other for hours as they negotiate for space to haul out on the rocks and bask in the sun.

Throughout your diving adventure, you will be accompanied by your marine biologist guide who will explain about the biology, life-history and conservation status of these amazing creatures.

The season for swimming and diving in La Paz with sea lions is from September to the end of May each year, since the breeding season of the sea lions starts in June and ends in August so in-water interactions are suspended for this critical time for the species.

There is a wide-range of diving in La Paz to be enjoyed including sea turtles on the Fang Ming shipwreck, seasonal manta sightings at La reina, and huge fish schools at Swanne rock.

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Dive Site Quick Info

Los Islotes: Location – Espiritu Santo National Park. Max depth – 18 metres. Time from dock – 80 minutes. Dive level – all.

La Reina: Location – Isla Cerralvo. Max depth – 26 metres. Time from dock – 90 minutes. Dive level – all / advanced.

Swanne Reef/Rock :Location – San Lorenzo Channel. Max depth – 12 metres. Time from dock – 50 minutes. Dive level – all.

Fang Ming Shipwreck: Location – Espiritu Santo National Park. Max depth – 20 metres. Time from dock – 50 minutes. Dive level – all.

El Salvatierra Shipwreck: Location – San Lorenzo Channel. Max depth – 20 metres. Time from dock – 50 minutes. Dive level – all.

San Rafaelito: Location – La Paz Bay. Max depth – 16 metres. Time from dock – 35 minutes. Dive level – all.

Old Sea Lion Colony: Location – Espiritu Santo National Park. Max depth – 40 metres. Time from dock – 70 minutes. Dive level – all, advanced for deep dives.

El Bajo: Location – Espiritu Santo National Park. Max depth – 40 metres. Time from dock – 90 minutes. Dive level – advanced.

Russell Mccallum

25. February, 2023.

Thank you for the great sea lion experience My daughter was a little concerned at first being first time out at sea but April our tour guide took her and was terrific I got a full face yo face with one seal and the beautiful close up of the reef and all of its habitats My only regret was not bringing a better camera lol 5 stars to Whale Shark Diaries and their team

Jessy Caron

23. February, 2023.

La Paz divers was an INCREDIBLE from top to bottom. Jay and his whole crew were professional, super communicative with organizing the trip, easy going and incredibly welcoming. Our Dive Master Abril is responsible for one of the best days of my l life! She was kind, informative, made us feel safe while also giving the space to explore…. and on my part do a little underwater dance with sea lions. Absolute game changer. I will be back from more. I highly recommended them.

David Emme

2. February, 2023.

Attentive and thorough open water dive cert course with Jay. Professional instructor and good vibe. I felt safe throughout, and appreciated that there was no free pass. Jay absolutely required that I demonstrate all the skills to achieve the certs. I think that's the way it should be. Thanks, Jay! I appreciate your expertise and professionalism.

Sofia Blanchard

29. January, 2023.

Best diving of my life! Would 100% recommend La Paz Divers to anyone wanting to swim with sea lions, sea turtles, and experience the underwater beauty of the Sea of Cortez. We had a phenomenal experience with La Paz Divers in November. We started the day early and went directly to the sea lion sanctuary on a tiny island past Isla Espirito Santo and Isla Partida. We saw families of sea lions - mothers watching little babies play in the shallows, and big male sea lions fighting underwater. The highlight of our entire day was when we had the opportunity to meet and play with a group of baby sea lions - they are like curious little puppies! They were nipping at our fins and just wanted to mess around, wrestle, and have fun. A once in a lifetime experience. After the morning dive we were taken to a beautiful secluded white sands beach to have lunch and relax in the sun. Our second afternoon dive was on a shipwreck known as a sea turtle habitat, and sure enough when we went down we spotted four sea turtles resting on the wreck and getting cleaned by shoals of fish. We were able to swim inside the wreck, and see the coral reef growing inside it along with the vibrant sealife. I felt very safe with our Dive Master Lea who is also a very experienced Dive Instructor. Not only would I highly recommend La Paz Divers for an amazing diving experience, just know that with Jay and his team you will be in good hands. Our Dive Master was very reassuring and supportive, and she shared a lot of fascinating information about the local wildlife and geography. After the dive, I found I had cut my foot on a rock and Jay picked me up from a cafe later that day and took me to a health clinic to get looked at, and a pharmacy - totally free of charge. Thank you Jay and team, for your amazing support and for a day I will remember for the rest of my life!

Juliane Müller

21. January, 2023.

Diving with la Paz divers was ok, however we We’re missing a lot of communication… like when is the boat leaving, how is the procedure on/after the boat, especially if you have your own equipment etc. Also the first guide we had for the first 2 days did just her job - nothing more. You could feel how she had no fun diving and just wanted it to be over and did not pass on information like food allergies. the second guide however was awesome.

Valerie Wallace-Tarry

21. January, 2023.

We were a private group of 8. Our guide, who is a marine biologist , shared excellent information with us about the whale sharks before we dove in to swim along side them. Followed by snorkelling with sea lions, they were so playful, one was very curious about my diving fin as I floated on my back. We felt safe at all times. The cherry on top was ceviche lunch on the beach in a bay of shallow crystal clear water to warm up in the sun. What a wonderful experience!!