Watch the video above – then read why this dive site is unlike anything else in the Sea of Cortez.
Two hours from La Paz, the Sea of Cortez delivers one of diving’s most extraordinary encounters. No long-haul flights. No remote expedition logistics. Just a boat ride north along the coast of Isla EspÃritu Santo – a UNESCO biosphere reserve – to a small rocky outcrop called Los Islotes.
It does not look like much from the surface. What lies beneath is another story entirely.
A Colony Unlike Any Other
Los Islotes is home to a resident breeding colony of roughly 600 to 650 California sea lions. They are not trained. They are not managed. Nobody orchestrates what happens when you slip into the water.
The sea lions come to you on their own terms. Young pups spiral through your bubbles, lock eyes with you from centimetres away, and tug at fins without warning. They choose the interaction. That distinction matters. This is wildlife behaving freely in a protected environment – and it shows.
At around 15 metres (50 feet), with a pup spinning circles around your head and a baitball pulsing in the background, the noise of the world above disappears completely.
Why It Works Here
Los Islotes works because it is protected. The surrounding waters form part of a marine sanctuary that restricts development and limits pressure on the ecosystem. The sea lions here have never been hunted or harassed. Over generations, they have learned that divers are no threat. Some even seem to regard them as entertainment.
It is a direct, living proof that conservation produces results. Protect a place properly and wild animals do not disappear into the shadows. They come closer.
The Wider Picture
The video asks a question worth sitting with: what do you do with this moment once you surface?
Around the world, oceans are losing exactly what Los Islotes still has – populations of bold, curious, unafraid marine life. Coral reefs are bleaching. Wild encounters are shrinking. The animals that might have swum towards divers in other places no longer exist in the numbers they once did.
Los Islotes survives because the protection came early and held firm. Not every place has been that fortunate.
Plan Your Dive
Los Islotes sits about 90 minutes north of La Paz by boat and is included as part of most full-day dive trips from the marina. It pairs well with a morning wreck dive on the Fang Ming or C-59, both accessible to open water divers and resting at around 20 to 21 metres (65 to 70 feet).
Water temperatures in October run around 29°C (84°F). Visibility regularly exceeds 15 metres (50 feet).
For everything you need to know about diving La Paz — the sites, the operators, the whale sharks, the wrecks, and the best time to go – read our full guide: Diving La Paz: Inside The World’s Aquarium.
The sea lions are waiting. Go meet them.
Film Credits
- Camera & Voice Over – Luke Inman
- Film Editor – Shari hammerman
- Diver/Biologist – Karla Rodriguez Loos
- Executive Producer – DeeperBlue Global Media
- Special Thanks to – The Dive Gurus Mexico
