Sean Chinn’s Snorkel Journeys: Part 4 – 2 Days in Cabo

In this ongoing series regular contributor and worldwide snorkel adventurer Sean Chinn shares his snorkel journeys.

Part 4 – 2 Days in Cabo

My Socorro liveaboard back in 2017 departed from and returned to Cabo San Lucas at the Southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. On my return to Cabo I had 2 nights here before my return to the UK after what was already an amazing trip. The 2 nights in Cabo added some more incredible moments to make this an all round incredible 2 weeks. It left me itching to return to a place with such incredible underwater biodiversity. Those 2 days only scratched the surface on what wonders await around Baja California.

A whale shark appears at the last second from the murky green water. 

It started immediately as we returned to port at around 7.30am after a long cruise across the pacific ocean from Revillagigedo Archipelago. We were met at the port by Jacob of Cabo Shark Dive, who had arranged for a small group of the boat to travel a couple of hours up the coast to La Paz to dive with the famous Los Islotes Sea Lions. Once we arrived in La Paz we met the dive centre that would be taking us out for the day and originally our plans were to do 2 dives with the Sea Lions. However the centre advised that the seasonal whale sharks were still in the area and would we like to snorkel with them. It was a unanimous decision to take any opportunity to swim with the biggest fish in the sea.

After an amazing dive with the Sea Lions it was a long boat ride back to head to the whale sharks. What shocked me initially was how close to shore we were as we were only in shallow water and it was hard to imagine whale sharks here but sure enough we cruised the area and was able to spot one from the surface. This is where the adventure started as the boat would position itself in the direction of the whale sharks path and we’d launch in in anticipation. The visibility wasn’t great and we were guided by those onboard to where to stay and look. Then out of the murky green water one would appear in front of you. Quite the thrill when you don’t see a shark the size of a bus until it’s within touching distance. A great little adventure.

My guide taking the shot of a smooth hammerhead we snorkelled with off Cabo San Lucas.

The next day saw us out with Cabo Shark Dive for some Pelagic shark action. My ultimate goal was to see mako sharks but unfortunately I should have joined a couple of the guests in our group who went in the morning and saw a mako. We went in the afternoon and unfortunately didn’t see a mako. However it was still an incredible experience with some amazing in water action with a smooth hammerhead shark. It was quite a long wait as the chum was dropped in the water and the waves increased. Once the shark was there though it stayed around and really put on a show for the snorkelers. At one point I’d drifted away from the group and had an amazing interaction with the shark as it circled me and was in an excited inquisitive mood providing great photo opportunities and everlasting memories. Exploring more of Baja California is high on my list as there’s great pelagic action on snorkel to really enjoy.

A stunning smooth hammerhead shark came close as it circled me off Cabo San Lucas.

Find out more about Sean, his photography and his trips at: www.greatwhitesean.com