Dive Review of Baja Expeditiions in
Mexico (Western)/San Ignacio Lagoon

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Baja Expeditiions: "San Ignacio Whale Watching – Non-diving adventure for divers!", Mar, 2023, by NEAL LANGERMAN, CA, US ( Contributor 19 reports with 21 Helpful votes). Report 12384.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation	N/A	Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	San Ignacio Whale Watching – Non-diving adventure for divers! Divers have a strong attachment to the oceans and their inhabitants. Interacting with gray whales, within touching distance ranks high on many bucket lists. The annual gathering of gray whales in San Ignacio lagoon is a safe and very controlled way to learn about these magnificent critters. This report is based on a visit to the Baja Expeditions campsite under the auspices of the Oceanic Society in March 2023. I will explain what you can expect if you choose to do this adventure and share my experiences and thoughts. San Ignacio Lagoon is in the Mexican State of Baja California Sur (B.C.S.). The lagoon contains the Vizcanio Biosphere Reserve, established by the Mexican government to protect the whales as they breed and calve. The reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site officially named the “Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcanio.” This reserve status tightly controls the number of visitors annually, daily, and hourly. The camp operators work to follow and support these protective rules. The gray whale population is stable with both solo whales and mother-calf pairs. According to the “Annual Gray Whale Research Report for Laguna San Ignacio and Bahía Magdalena, B.C.S., México During Winter 2022 ”, there were as many as 172 single adult whales and 18 mother-calf pairs in the lagoon in 2022. During the three days in March 2023 whales were observed to be plentiful and very active. There are several camp operators running whale watching tours into the lagoon. The Baja Expeditions site was used by the Oceanic Society and offered “glamping” tents and full food and beverage services. Baja Expeditions is owned by Nautilus Dive Adventures. Excursions into the lagoon are in open pangas, generally with a panga operator and a naturalist guide. Conditions on the lagoon tend to be windy, wet, and cold. Multiple clothing layers with a water-resistant outer layer is highly recommended. Baja Expeditions provides a small tube of a very effective titanium oxide-based sunscreen. Use it to protect your face from a combined sun and wind burn. Reserve rules allow only 16 pangas in the reserve at a time and each panga is limited to a 90-minute entry. After 90 minutes, the pangas must exit the regulated area but can reenter when space is available. This allowed three excursions onto the lagoon each day; during the three days, we did eight (8) excursions into the regulated area. The pangas get close enough to attract the attention of the whales and then allow the whales to approach up to the boat, if the whales are interested. A few whales came close enough to the pangas on each excursion to pet and feel the texture of their skin. Most interactions were about 10 meters from the pangas, but provided excellent opportunities to see the fins and how whales breathe between dives. All these interactions were exciting and contributed to the overall enjoyment of the visit to the lagoon. Living conditions: Glamping The glamping accommodations were at least on a par with a decent business-class hotel. Beds were large and comfortable. The showers were hot and roomy. The sink space was adequate for two persons. But, the tents did nothing to stop the wind and the interior was cold. The constant wind caused constant shaking and drafts. Many guests commented on interrupted sleep. To me, it felt like I was on a live-aboard, moving under power in a rough sea. The wind lessened in the late afternoon, and this provided a good time to shower. Living conditions: Food and beverage Meals were served in a large dining tent. It was as cold and drafty as the glamping tents. The food was good, with options to meet various dietary needs. Breakfast was buffet-style. Lunch and dinner were served by the dining room staff. Non-alcoholic beverages were available in the dining room. Beer, wine, and hard liquor were available from the nearby (cash) bar. The wind and low temperatures impacted the food. At breakfast, the buffet dishes were cold (estimated 7-10oC) and immediately chilled hot food which was placed on the dish. Hot coffee immediately became warm coffee. Food was prepared in a kitchen tent and brought to the dining tent on a cart. By the time the lunch and dinner plates were served to guests, the food was cool. In a regular restaurant, I would have returned the meal. Here it was just part of the experience. The bar was in a tent that served as a common meeting and socializing area. It was cold and drafty, but layers of clothing solved that. All the alcoholic drinks were reasonably priced and the selection was very good. Several bartenders made sure guests did not wait long to be served. Snacks and hors d'oeuvre were served at about 17:00. Dinner was at 19:15. Living conditions: Other activities Many guests went bird watching when not out on the lagoon. Others socialized in a patio-like sitting area outside the bar tent. At 18:00 each day there was a lecture about the lagoon and whales. The lectures were well-presented and interesting. The Wi-Fi was good, with two Starlink receivers feeding into a robust site-wide network. Photography I brought two cameras for this adventure. On the lagoon, I used a Nikon D500 with a Tamron 18-350 mm lens. I placed it in a Thinktank rain jacket and this was totally necessary. I also has several dry napkins, several dry lens cloths, and a small spray bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol. Cleaning ocean water spray from the lens was necessary and frequent. The main source of the spray was whale-blow. The zoom lens allowed getting good images, even when the whales were in the distances. It also allowed for well composed bird photography. I also had a GoPro Hero 10 in an Isota housing on a 0.8 m articulated pole. I was able to get some amazing underwater video of the whales when they came close to the pangas. I made the pole from the Ultralite Control Systems arms I use for my underwater photo kit. (See a video at [youtube.com link]). I planned to do some sunset and sunrise timelapse work, but the wind was so strong and so incessant that I could not stabilize my tripod. This was a disappointment as the sunsets were beautiful and the stars were intense. Getting there Guests traveling with Baja Expeditions are provided with air transport from Cabo San Lucas to a dirt air strip near the lagoon. From there a panga ride gets you to the glamping camp. Oceanic Society front-ended the lagoon adventure with a few days in Loreto. These were for some whale-watching on the Mar de Cortiz, some bird-watching, and some Mexican culture and tourism. The bus ride from Loreto to the air strip was long (7 hours each way), but frequent stops made it tolerable. Conclusion The whale watching experience made all the tribulations (mainly due to the wind and cold) secondary. It is an experience everyone who loves the oceans should pursue. For me, the Oceanic Society visit to Loreto was not w true value-added feature.
Websites	Baja Expeditiions
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	All of continental USA; Caribbean, Gulf, Sea of Cortez, Eastern & Western Pacific & more
Closest Airport	Cabo San Lucas	Getting There	See report. Private charter flight from Cabo San Lucas to air strip on the lagoon
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	-°F / -°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	- Ft/ - M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	> 2
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish	N/A
Small Critters	N/A	Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	See review comments. If you plan to download, the bar tent is set-up to accommodate laptops.

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Dive Review of Baja Expeditiions in Mexico (Western)/San Ignacio Lagoon

Baja Expeditiions: "San Ignacio Whale Watching – Non-diving adventure for divers!", Mar, 2023,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Baja Expeditiions in
Mexico (Western)/San Ignacio Lagoon