Baja California

The Sea of Cortez (officially the ‘Gulf of California’) is one of the most biodiverse seas in the world. This body of water bridges the gap between tropical ocean and cooler temperate water. Animals from both of these environments converge in the Sea of Cortez, creating a bucket-list dive destination with a head-spinning variety of marine life you would never expect to see all in one place.

Orca whales. Whale sharks. Schools of hammerhead. Manta rays. Gray, humpback, pilot, and blue whales. The Mexican sardine run. Dolphin mega pods. Thousands of mobula rays. Schools of swirling pelagic fish. Hundreds of playful sea lions.

No wonder Cousteau described this place as the “world’s aquarium.”