The best time to swim with orcas and the other giants of the Sea of Cortez.
Real sightings data from our daily logs, month by month across our 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons, so you can pick the window that delivers the encounters you're dreaming of.
May is the best month for mobula ray aggregations and blue whales
If your bucket-list encounter involves swimming inside a swirling tornado of mobula rays, or spotting the largest animal to ever exist on earth, plan for May. Our log sheets confirm what guests keep telling us: May is the most biodiverse, most magical month of the season.
Mobula ray aggregations
May brings massive "fevers" of mobulas, sometimes thousands strong, leaping, schooling and surrounding you underwater. We typically only see them in May and June, with May delivering the densest schools.
Blue whales
May gives you the highest chance of spotting the largest animal on earth. We've logged mom-and-calf pairs, calm surface feeders, and multiple sightings in a single day throughout May. Mexican law allows us to view blue whales from the boat, not in the water.
Peak orca activity lands in July and August
Every number is the count of days in that month we encountered orca, not the number of orca and not the number of sightings in a day. As a rule of thumb, we have orca on 7–12 days per month in May and June, climbing to 11–18 days per month in July and August.
May
June
July
August
Each figure is the number of days that month with a confirmed orca encounter (for example, 16 means we found orca on 16 separate days).
The world's aquarium, month by month
The Sea of Cortez has been called "the world's aquarium", and for good reason. Here's what else you can expect, and when.
Blue whales
The largest animal ever to live. We regularly spot mom-and-calf pairs, and in calm conditions get incredible drone footage. Mexican law allows us to view blue whales from the boat, not in the water.
Mobula rays
Massive fevers of Mobula munkiana and M. mobular leap, school and tornado around you, in crystal-clear shallow water.
Humpback whales
Active feeders and breachers. A mom-and-calf humpback was one of our favourite sightings of 2025.
Sperm whales
Pods of 8 to 40+ individuals have shown up multiple times. Deep-diving, vocal, unforgettable when they surface.
Whale sharks
The world's largest fish. Multiple drops with a massive 35-foot+ individual, a lifetime encounter for any swimmer.
Pilot whales
Super-pods of 500 to 700+ are regular sightings in peak summer, often in sleeping formation at the surface.
Giant manta rays
Reef and oceanic mantas, including massive individuals that linger for long, multi-drop interactions.
Dolphins
Bottlenose, common, spinner, pan-tropical spotted, Risso's and rough-toothed, sometimes in mega-pods of hundreds.
Sea lions at La Reina
Our local colony offers crystal-clear water playtime with curious juveniles. A guaranteed smile on every trip.
Fin and Bryde's whales
Fin whales are the second-largest animal on earth. Bryde's whales visit more often, and we've logged mom-and-calf pairs.
False killer whales
Super-pods of 100+, sometimes traveling near sperm whales. In-water encounters are possible and always extraordinary.
Rare encounters
Baird's beaked whales, schools of hammerhead sharks, massive mola molas, translucent Japetella octopus.
Something incredible, every day on the water
Sighting days for every species logged across the 2025 season (Apr to Aug). Dolphins are tallied by species group.
The standout moments from our log
Orcas and beyond.
15 orca, all day, 60+ drops
Found one male at 8:30 am, then our scouts located 13 more. Stayed in and out of the water with them until 6 pm. A 10/10 day.
20+ orca across two pods
Two separate pods of 11 and 15 orca, one south, one north. Epic day for everyone on board.
Baird's beaked whales
A rarely seen deep-water species at the surface. Guests captured incredible drone footage from the boat.
Best mobula school of the season
"Epic large school of mobula rays, best of the season so far." Paired with a mom-and-calf humpback the same day.
700+ pilot whales, sleeping
A massive super-pod drifting in sleeping formation at the surface. Calm, quiet and otherworldly.
100+ false killers and 40 sperm whales
Both species logged in the same day, with great drone footage of a very rare mixed-species event.
Orcas hunting a minke whale
10–12 orca tracked from 10 am to 4:30 pm. Described in our log as "NAT GEO LEVEL" footage.
35-foot+ whale shark
Multiple drops with a massive whale shark, moving slowly enough for clean, up-close encounters.
Japetella translucent octopus
A photographer's dream: 10 minutes at the surface with a translucent deep-water octopus.
15 orca take down a thresher shark
Seven hours with 15 orca in pristine viz. Watched them take down a thresher shark. 10/10 encounter.
Anytime. Every month of our season is extraordinary.
May and June
The densest mobula ray aggregations and the highest chance of blue whales, plus dramatic orca encounters like minke whale and turtle hunts. Mobulas are only around in May and June, so if they're on your list, this is the window.
July
One of our busiest orca months, along with August, running slightly ahead of May and June on encounter days: 14 in July 2024, 11 in July 2025 and 16 in July 2026. Also super-pods of 700+ pilot whales, whale sharks, giant mantas and sperm whales. The mobula rays are gone by July, but there is plenty more to see.
August
One of our busiest orca months, along with July: 18 encounter days in August 2026, 16 in August 2025 and 13 in August 2024. There are no mobula rays in August, but the orcas, whales and everything else the Sea of Cortez delivers more than make up for it.
Data sourced from the Orca Swims Baja daily sightings log for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons. Wild encounters are never guaranteed, but our 7–12 hour days on the water and dedicated offshore scouts give you the best odds in the region.
Ready to pick your week?
Trips run Saturday to Saturday, May through August. See live availability for every departure.