Whale Shark Tour

Join us on a La Paz whale shark tour adventure.

Includes combo tour options.

Swim with whale sharks in La Paz Bay while learning about the biology, life-history and conservation status of these gentle giants.

whale shark in la paz, mexico

Join a marine biologist from Whale Shark Diaries to snorkel with the majestic whale shark, Rhincodon typus.

Set off from the boat dock for the short ride into the area where whale sharks seasonally aggregate to feed in the plankton-rich waters of La Paz Bay.

On arrival to the dock, you will receive a boat safety briefing before being fitted with your snorkel gear and wetsuit. From here, our marine biologist guide will talk to you about whale shark biology, their life-history and the threats that whale sharks face on a local, regional and international scale. What is known about whale shark reproduction is always interesting for our guests. The work that we do to contribute to the conservation of whale sharks through collaborative research, awareness, and education will also be discussed during the trip.

The boat will enter the habitat of the whale sharks to go in search of individuals cruising or feeding on or close to the surface. The rules and protocols of interacting with the species will be clearly explained before you enter the water with your guide to swim beside the earth’s largest living species of fish!

During the trip, we gather photos of each whale shark that we encounter that can later be used to identify individuals. You will have the opportunity to learn about and witness how this is done and what can be learned from this process.

Each boat has a limit of 2 hours in the whale shark area to avoid the area becoming congested. The round trip to include travel time in and out of the area is around 3 hours.

Price is $125 USD per person and includes a licensed boat with certified captain, marine biologist guide, snorkel gear, wetsuit, and a whale shark sanctuary entry permit.

COMBO TOUR OPTIONS

Whale sharks, Sea lions, and Balandra Bay combo tour!

If whale sharks aren’t enough, you can extend your trip to cross the bay to visit the sea lion colony at San Rafaelito where approximately 50 individuals live together on this rocky islet just off the La Paz coast. San Rafaelito is surrounded by a healthy rocky coral reef and is inhabited by much marine life. After swimming with the sea lions and exploring the reef, we will then head off to the beautiful Balandra Bay, an area where the flora and fauna are protected under Mexican law, to enjoy lunch on a paradise beach. The round trip length is 5 – 6 hours.

Price is $225 USD per person and includes a licensed boat with certified captain, marine biologist guide, snorkel gear, wetsuit, a whale shark sanctuary entry permit, and ceviche and burritos lunch on a paradise beach.

For guests wanting to scuba dive with the sea lions, this can arranged but is a custom trip. Get in touch with us for a quotation.

Whale Sharks and Espiritu Santo National Park combo trip.

The Espiritu Santo National Park is widely considered to be the crown jewels of La Paz. The land component consists of approximately 100 km2 while the entire park including the marine component is close to 600 km2.

The main attraction of Espiritu Santo is the HUGE sea lion colony at the northern-most point, 2 rocky islets known as Los Islotes where around 400-500 sea lions live together. After swimming with the playful juveniles we will continue to explore other parts of the marine park for snorkeling and sight-seeing.

It should be noted that due to the distance between the whale shark area and the National Park, there is a relatively large amount of boat travel time. It takes around 1.5 hours to travel from the whale shark area to Los Islotes. The entire day takes around 8 hours to complete.

Price is $250 USD per person and includes a licensed boat with certified captain, marine biologist guide, snorkel gear, wetsuit, a whale shark sanctuary entry permit, National Park permit, and ceviche and burritos lunch on a paradise beach.

For whale sharks and 2 tank dive combo the price is $275 USD per person. Dive equipment rental is extra ($35 USD full set).

Send us a Message

Store Location

La Paz Divers

Mariano Abasolo #2635

(Between Antonio Navarro y Manuel Encinas)

Barrio Manglito

La Paz

23060

Tel: +52 612 197 5824

Email: [email protected]

Business Hours

Monday: 9AM – 5PM

Tuesday: 9AM – 5PM

Wednesday: 9AM – 5PM

Thursday: 9AM – 5PM

Friday: 9AM – 5PM

Saturday: 9AM – 5PM

Sunday: Diving only, no retail

Google Reviews

     Excellent  
     Based on 57 reviews 
    
 
 
   
 
 
        
   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!!