Trip Video - Sardine Run, November 2023
- Thread starter CWK
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
The Mexican Sardine run can be done from a LOB or from a land based operation. I did it from land based in Puerta San Carlos that is assessed by a 5 hour road journey from Cabo San Lucas. Cabo has an international airport which would be your international entry point.
The operation I went with is called Dive Ninja Expeditions based in Cabo. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend them as I was very underwhelmed by their guide, who was more concerned about her camera and her own in water experience than she was about enhancing her clients in water experience. I also do not recommend a land based trip as the daily boat ride out and back alone may take 6 to 8 hours.
Your best bet would be to find a LOB trip that would free you from the long daily commute out and back.
Manuel Sam
Contributor
This year, the baitballs are happening much further south than normal, some 70-80 miles from the boat ramp, keeping in mind that getting out of Magdalena Bay thru the shortest route takes about 45 minutes. Hence the 6-8 hours that CWK said. It also depends on sea conditions. Even with 1-2 foot waves, the ride back can be uncomfortable to many. And when the wind picks up further, the ride in either direction can be brutal.
On a prior trip when the baitballs occurred in the normal areas, it'd take around 2 hours each way with fairly flat seas.
I've had no experience with Dive Ninja, but I can wholeheartedly recommend Latitude Encounters if doing land-based. I've done two mobulas trips with them and they are very good. I saw Fernanda, the owner, out there yesterday leading a group and she is a really enthusiastic tour leader who is all about safety and customer fulfillment.
Depending on how involved you wish to be in booking your package, she can offer you the full package that includes, lodging, transfers to and from the airport, and the snorkeling portion. Or you can choose to book your own lodging and rent a car and drive there on your own as we did (nice to have GPS if you do), and just book the snorkeling with her.
There are some who stay on Magdalena Island, as opposed to in the town of Puerto San Carlos on the mainland; but the accommodations can range from meager to glamping, at best. I saw a Japanese operator yesterday who is doing it this way this year, to cut some time off the boat rides, since that would put you closer to the mouth of the bay. The problem that I see with that is that your options for meals and shopping for necessities will be vastly reduced. And while he can take non-Japanese customers, he mostly caters to Japanese.
There are probably many other operators out there, since there is no lack of boats out there. On Friday, when we were with a big static baitball that lasted a good two hours, there had to be 50 people in the water. That can be a bit annoying but such is life. But when the going is good, each boat could have a baitball of its own.
As CWK suggested, the liveaboard option might be the most comfortable one because it probably cuts 2 hours from the current 6-8 hours for the roundtrip. Nautilus offers such an option. It is a nice liveaboard and you don't have to lift a finger other than to book your air to Cabo. They also have a spotter plane that helps with the search. They also have another liveaboard available for this - check their website for their offerings.
Nautilus is not allowed to use their own dinghy, but they book with a local boat operator to provide the boat and the boat driver to take you to and from the baitballs area.
I think that their trips are one week long and cost upwards of around $4000, so it is not an inexpensive option. On a per day basis, I am doing better land-based.
On a prior trip when the baitballs occurred in the normal areas, it'd take around 2 hours each way with fairly flat seas.
I've had no experience with Dive Ninja, but I can wholeheartedly recommend Latitude Encounters if doing land-based. I've done two mobulas trips with them and they are very good. I saw Fernanda, the owner, out there yesterday leading a group and she is a really enthusiastic tour leader who is all about safety and customer fulfillment.
Depending on how involved you wish to be in booking your package, she can offer you the full package that includes, lodging, transfers to and from the airport, and the snorkeling portion. Or you can choose to book your own lodging and rent a car and drive there on your own as we did (nice to have GPS if you do), and just book the snorkeling with her.
There are some who stay on Magdalena Island, as opposed to in the town of Puerto San Carlos on the mainland; but the accommodations can range from meager to glamping, at best. I saw a Japanese operator yesterday who is doing it this way this year, to cut some time off the boat rides, since that would put you closer to the mouth of the bay. The problem that I see with that is that your options for meals and shopping for necessities will be vastly reduced. And while he can take non-Japanese customers, he mostly caters to Japanese.
There are probably many other operators out there, since there is no lack of boats out there. On Friday, when we were with a big static baitball that lasted a good two hours, there had to be 50 people in the water. That can be a bit annoying but such is life. But when the going is good, each boat could have a baitball of its own.
As CWK suggested, the liveaboard option might be the most comfortable one because it probably cuts 2 hours from the current 6-8 hours for the roundtrip. Nautilus offers such an option. It is a nice liveaboard and you don't have to lift a finger other than to book your air to Cabo. They also have a spotter plane that helps with the search. They also have another liveaboard available for this - check their website for their offerings.
Nautilus is not allowed to use their own dinghy, but they book with a local boat operator to provide the boat and the boat driver to take you to and from the baitballs area.
I think that their trips are one week long and cost upwards of around $4000, so it is not an inexpensive option. On a per day basis, I am doing better land-based.
Similar threads
