Swimming with Sea Lions and Whale Sharks in La Paz, Mexico

If you are in Los Cabos or La Paz, I highly recommend scuba diving with sea lions and snorkeling with whale sharks! It is one of the coolest feelings being so close to massive yet peaceful animals. This was definitely one of our favorite experiences of our trip. 

We booked this experience with Manta Scuba Diving in Cabo San Lucas. Manta Scuba went above and beyond – our driver, captain, and dive instructor were all amazing!

The day started off in Cabo San Lucas at Manta’s office. We tried on our scuba and snorkel gear and headed to the city of La Paz. 

Sea Lions

In La Paz, we loaded onto a boat and headed out into the Sea of Cortez. The first stop was scuba diving with sea lions. There were over a hundred sea lions surrounding a small cluster of rocks in the sea. We geared up and jumped in. I was instantly thankful for the thick wetsuits and hood! The water was a lot colder than the tropical Caribbean. However I quickly forgot all about the temperature as soon as the giant sea lions started swimming close.

At first, they were curious but hesitant and continued to swim past us. But then a few of the bravest sea lions started getting closer and inspecting our cameras and scuba gear! One even started playfully gnawing on my hand! I was very thankful for our divemaster’s advice to keep our hands in a fist so the sea lions don’t accidentally tug on a finger. =) 

They were so playful and curious that they reminded me of puppies of the sea. Em recorded a video of a sea lion who would swim behind me and bite my snorkel. By the time I would realize she was there, she would swim away! The biggest male sea lions would swim past and ignore us. But some of the moms and babies acted like we were their new playmates. 

My favorite sea lion was this one little guy who kept nuzzling us and wanting us to pet him. Like any wildlife, we didn’t want to touch any sea lions to alter their wild behavior. However, our guide said it was okay to touch them if they came up to us, and this little guy wouldn’t leave us alone! Just like a puppy, he would swim after us and nuzzle us until we would scratch his fur! It was definitely the cutest thing we’ve experienced scuba diving!

Dolphins and Lunch

After swimming with sea lions, we saw a pod of about 30 dolphins swimming and playing in the wake of our boat! There were so many of them and it was really cool seeing them enjoying the ocean! On our way to swim with whale sharks, we stopped in a beautiful deserted cove for lunch. The water was waist deep and so clear that I felt like we were in the Caribbean! The captain prepared freshly made ceviche, which was some of the best I’ve ever tasted!

Whale Sharks

About an hour later, we arrived at an area where juvenile whale sharks come to feed on plankton. We strapped on our fins and snorkels and eased our way into the water. Em and I have swam with whale sharks before near Cancun, so our guide told us that these juveniles wouldn’t be as big as the full-grown whale sharks we had seen before. But swimming next to anything that is 3-4 times your size seems massive. We couldn’t have had a better experience. We were the only boat in the area and got to swim with the same whale shark for 30-45 minutes. We would try to keep a distance so as not bother the gentle giant or accidentally be hit by his tail. But sometimes he would turn his head and that massive mouth would be pointed right at us. I know it isn’t physically possible for them to swallow a human, but it certainly looks like they could! The teenage whale shark just kept swimming as if we weren’t there. I felt like we were just another one of the suckerfish that were swimming next to him. 

Although they are the biggest sharks in the ocean, it’s incredible how gentle these massive giants are. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and had a deep love for the animals. In La Paz, each instructor has to undergo rigorous training in order to even enter the area that the juvenile whale sharks go to feed. He was telling us that despite all the research, scientists still don’t know much about how whale sharks give birth. It’s pretty perplexing that they’re the largest fish in the ocean and no one has captured them giving birth! 

It was one of the most incredible days of our trip! We highly recommend scuba diving with sea lions and swimming with whale sharks in La Paz.

~ Read our 8 Best Things To Do in the Baja Peninsula of Mexico post for more ideas on what to experience in this beautiful country!