Dive For Fun · New Year's in the Sea of Cortez

La Paz

A week of diving in the world's aquarium, plus one day in Bahía Magdalena. New Year's in Baja California Sur.

✦ Dec 28, 2026 to Jan 4, 2027 ✦ 1 week of diving ✦ + 1 day in Bahía Magdalena
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The destination

The world's
aquarium

Jacques Cousteau called the Sea of Cortez "the world's aquarium", and the nickname stuck. It is the only sea on the planet that belongs to a single country, and it is home to around 40% of every marine mammal species there is. Outside, desert. Inside, life everywhere.

La Paz is the capital of Baja California Sur, a city of about 300,000 people with a waterfront malecón and ecotourism as its main activity. This is where the boats leave for Los Islotes, for the wrecks and for the encounter with the whale sharks that visit the bay.

Whale shark seen head-on, mouth open filtering water, in the Bay of La Paz
Whale shark in the Bay of La Paz
600+
Sea lions at Los Islotes
10 to 20m
Average depth
40%
Of the planet's marine mammals
34
Years of Buceo Carey operating
1
Day in Bahía Magdalena

Video

See La Paz from the inside

Promo video from Buceo Carey, our local operator, in Portuguese: the boats, the house, the sea lions and what happens underwater.

Video in Portuguese, hosted on YouTube in enhanced privacy mode.

The diving

Four ways
to dive La Paz

Average depth at the dive sites is between 10 and 20 meters. It is accessible diving: Open Water and up, no advanced certification required.

Los Islotes
The sea lion
colony

More than 600 sea lions live at Los Islotes. The pups are curious, they come close, nibble your fin and play with the bubbles. It is the most photographed dive site in La Paz, and for good reason.

Wrecks
Wrecks in
shallow water

Boats sunk on purpose to create artificial reefs, with an average depth of 20 meters. Open to all levels, and today taken over by life: schools of fish, turtles and reef fish.

Reefs
Schools of fish,
rays and mantas

The coral reefs in the region concentrate big schools of fish, nudibranchs, moray eels, rays and manta rays. Calm dives, with good light and plenty to look at up close.

Whale shark
Snorkeling with the
biggest fish in the sea

Around 30 whale sharks visit the Bay of La Paz each year, 15 minutes by boat from the marina. The season runs from October to April. The encounter is done snorkeling, not scuba diving.

Diver lighting up the structure of a wreck in the Sea of Cortez Sea turtle resting on the hull of a wreck

Gallery

What waits
for you below

Sea lion with its mouth open swimming toward the camera
Colony of sea lions resting on the rocks at Los Islotes
Sea lion pup playing underwater
School of yellow fish over the reef in the Sea of Cortez
Mobula ray gliding through blue water in the Sea of Cortez

The extra day

Bahía Magdalena

On the other side of the peninsula, on the Pacific side, lies Bahía Magdalena. The expedition sets aside a full day for it, and what you see depends on the time of year.

September to December is the marine safari window: the sardine bait ball, the marlin and the predators chasing it. January to March is the gray whale watching window, when the whales use the bay as a nursery. The trip crosses New Year's, so the day in Magdalena may fall in the marine safari window (through December 31) or already in gray whale watching (from January 1). We confirm which one with the local operation, according to the day chosen.

Gray whale surfacing in Bahía Magdalena Gray whale approaching a small whale watching boat Sardine bait ball attacked by a marlin in open water
Villa Carey pool during the day, surrounded by loungers and garden
Accommodation

Villa Carey

Since 2020 Buceo Carey has had its own dive house, exclusive to its guests. There are 20 double rooms, and the place was designed by people who dive: everything you need between one boat day and the next is right there.

20 double rooms, exclusive to Carey guests
Pool with jacuzzi, garden, fire pit and massage area
Private bar with draft beer, lounge and gym
Camera rinse area and 220v outlets
Symmetrical 600 Mb internet
Farewell barbecue at the end of the week
Villa Carey pool lit up at night Villa Carey lounge with sofas and common area
Local operation

Buceo Carey

A family business, running dives in La Paz since 1992. That is 34 years of the Sea of Cortez, led by founder Gabriel Vázquez, an instructor evaluator. These are people who know every rock in the bay and know where the animals are in each week of the year.

Private marina in the heart of La Paz
3 boats, with capacity for 30 divers
3 in-house vans, with all transfers included
Nitrox membrane and 120 tanks
Family run since 1992
Buceo Carey boat cruising with divers on board in the Sea of Cortez

How it works

The format
of the expedition

🤿
One week in La Paz
Dive days leave from Carey's private marina in downtown La Paz, with a transfer from the house to the boat.
🐋
One day in Bahía Magdalena
A full day on the other side of the peninsula, on the Pacific. Marine safari or gray whale, depending on the window of the date.
🏠
Stay at Villa Carey
The operator's dive house, exclusive to guests, in a double room.
🚐
Transfers included
Carey has its own vans and handles ground transportation during the operation.
🎓
Open Water and up
The dive sites sit between 10 and 20 meters. No advanced certification is needed to join.
👥
Dive For Fun staff
The DFF team is with you throughout the trip, from the welcome briefing to the last dive.

Conditions at sea

What the historical
average says

Approximate numbers from past seasons, so you can plan your exposure suit and your expectations. The sea is the sea: these are estimates, not a guarantee.

🌡️
November and December
Water 28 to 25 °C
Visibility 25 to 20 meters. Air between 18 and 28 °C.
❄️
January to March
Water 24 to 18 °C
Visibility 15 to 20 meters. Air between 18 and 25 °C.
🦈
Whale shark
October to April
Season in the Bay of La Paz, 15 minutes away by boat. Snorkeling activity.

Pricing

⏳ Coming soon

We are still finalizing
the pricing

The expedition is confirmed with Buceo Carey, from December 28, 2026 to January 4, 2027. The package price is still being finalized. We would rather not publish a number before we are sure.

Dec 28, 2026 to Jan 4, 2027 Pricing to be defined Interest list open

Join the interest list on WhatsApp and you get the price and the payment terms as soon as they are set, before they go live.

Join the interest list Send an email

New Year's in the Sea of Cortez

Ring in the new year in
the world's aquarium.

A week of diving in La Paz, plus one day in Bahía Magdalena. We let you know as soon as the pricing is set.

Chat on WhatsApp Send an email

Airfare quoted separately. Prices and payment terms will be announced soon.

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Developed by Gabriel Vieira Costa