SARDINE RUN EXPEDITION
Join us on a once in a lifetime expedition to experience the amazing Pacific Ocean sardine run !
Where?
Baja California Sur, Mexico
When?
The expedition will take place from the December 1st until December 7th 2025 for 7 days of adventures.
What?
Experience one of nature’s greatest show: the “sardine run” with hundreds of sea lions, mahi mahi, marlins and whales gathering to hunt these massive bait balls ! We can also encounter Humpback Whales, Pacific white-sided Dolphins and more !
How many people?
We’ll have 2 boats with 5 guests on each boat.
THE SARDINE RUN
The “Sardine Run” is one of nature’s most amazing show you can witness !
Millions of mackerels gather every year in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico. These gatherings also attract countless predators that feed on these mackerels: California Sea Lions, Mahi Mahi, Striped Marlins and even the rare and fascinating Bryde’s Whales !
During this expedition, we’ll also be able to encounter other species like Humpback Whales, Pacific white-sided Dolphins and more…
This adrenaline-fueled expedition is a chance to witness nature’s raw power in action while learning more about the local marine life with us !
WHAT WILL WE ENCOUNTER ?
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Striped Marlins & Mahi Mahi
During the expedition, we’ll get the chance to see the amazing power, grace and beauty of the Striped Marlins hunting alongside the Mahi Mahis.
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California Sea Lions
Hundreds of California Sea Lions will be here as well to feed on the mackerel.
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Bryde's & Humpback Whales
Some days, Bryde’s Whale join the party as well to feed on the massive bait balls. We’ll also encounter Humpback Whales cruising along the coast.
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And a lot more !
There are lots of other species we can encounter as well like Pacific white-sided Dolphins, False Killer Whales, Orcas, Bottlenose Dolphins, pelagic sharks and more !
STRIPED MARLINS
Among the fastest fish in the sea, Striped Marlins can reach speeds of 80kmh / 50mph, slashing through bait balls with their sharp bills to stun prey. When hunting, they flash electric blue stripes, likely to confuse fish and coordinate attacks. These powerful predators often work in teams, herding sardines before striking with precision.
Being in the water with them is a show you’ll never forget !
BRYDE’S WHALES
Unlike most big whales, Bryde’s Whales prefer warm tropical waters. These 12-15m. / 40-50ft. giants are fast, agile and incredibly beautiful. These Whales are still very mysterious as they aren’t often encountered but this expedition is your best chance to see them in the water as they can sometimes be seen charging through the bait balls, sometimes eating half of the entire bait ball at once !
CALIFORNIA SEA LIONS
Smart, social, and incredibly agile, California Sea Lions are some of the ocean’s most skilled hunters. Males can grow up to 390kg / 850lbs while females are expert divers, reaching depths of 275m. / 900ft. in search of food. Seeing hundreds of them hunting the bait balls will definitely be a highlight of this expedition !
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHINS
During the expedition, we’ll try to find Pacific white-sided Dolphins which are quite common in the area we’ll explore. It is especially amazing to swim with these dolphins as they are one of the most, if not the most, social and playful dolphin species out there which usually results in absolutely amazing encounters !
FALSE KILLER WHALES
During this expedition, everything is possible !
We might encounter rarer species like False Killer Whales or Orcas so make sure to be ready for anything !
MEGAPODS
Another amazing sight we can have during the week is Megapods !
These are enormous pods of Bottlenose Dolphins with sometimes more than a thousand dolphins together.
It is quite difficult to get in the water with these Megapods as they usually travel quite fast but it’s a breathtaking sight to witness from the boat !
PHOTO PACKAGE
During the week, our team Deep Sea Guardians will be here and will capture everything !
After the expedition, all the guests will be given a full photo package that will include all the images captured by our team.
That way, even if you don’t have any fancy camera or if you don’t feel like shooting and just want to enjoy the dives, you’ll still be able to go home with the best memories ever !
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REQUIREMENTS
You don’t need any specific certification to join this expedition. You just have to be in good physical conditions and comfortable swimming in the open ocean.
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TEMPERATURE
Mornings are usually very cold during the way out on the boat so we recommend bringing warm clothes including beanie, jacket and gloves. It’ll then warm up during the day. Water temperature is quite chilly, we usually wear a 3mm open cell wetsuit.
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INSURANCE
A dive Insurance is recommended for this trip. We recommend DAN (find more infos here).
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GEAR
If you have your own snorkeling / freediving equipment, bring it with you. If needed, gear will be available. Just let us know what you would need to we can arrange it.
PROGRAM
DAY 1 - December 1st 2025
We’ll all meet in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico. From there, we’ll have a 5h drive to our base for the entire week. We’ll settle down and have a good night of sleep before kicking things off the next day.
DAY 2 to 6 - December 2nd to December 6th 2025
5 full days of adventure in the ocean to look for the amazing wildlife mentioned above. We’ll wake up very early everyday, hop on the boat before sunrise and make our way to the Pacific Ocean. We’ll spend the entire day on the ocean to look for bait balls. We’ll have lunch on the boat. In the afternoon, we’ll start making our way back home. We’ll have dinner on land.
DAY 7 - December 7th 2025
On our last day of expedition, we’ll drive back to Cabo San Lucas where we’ll wrap up this epic adventure.
WHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO GO ON AN EXPEDITION ?
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It might sound obvious since it’s the goal of the whole expedition but you’ll get to experience unique wildlife encounters !
It is very important to keep in mind that none of it must be taken for granted and that being able to see, dive and interact with such animals is something truly unique because most of the animals we’ll encounter are highly endangered of extinction because of the constant pressure of overfishing.
Some of the shark species we’ll encounter are even Critically Endangered so it is very important for us to always remain thankful to be able to witness such unique animals.
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At the end of the week, we’ll give everyone a photo package that includes all the best images of the expedition ! That way, if you’re used to being behind the camera, you’ll also have beautiful pictures of yourself and if you don’t even have a camera, you’ll still head back home with tons of images to share !
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By joining us, you’re making sure you’ll spend the week with shark experts which not only means that you’ll be 100% safe but it also means that you’ll be able to learn more about human-shark interactions and how to safely dive and coexist with them !
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During the week, we’ll make a presentation to teach everyone more about sharks: the issues they’re facing, what makes them so important for the health of our oceans and our planet and what can be done to help protect them !
We’ll share an exclusive insight into our on-going shark conservation projects and the different people we work with !
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When you join our expeditions, you don’t just go on a diving trip, you directly support our efforts to help protect these endangered animals !
100% of the proceeds of all our expeditions is entirely used to fund our on-going shark conservation projects !
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Our expeditions aren’t only about the wildlife we’ll get to encounter, it’s also about the people we’ll share it with.
After a week of expedition, we can assure you that we’ll all feel like a little family with hundreds of stories to say and it’ll be hard to say good bye !
PRICES
What’s included ?
• 5 DAYS IN THE OCEAN
• ACCOMMODATION
Shared room with single beds.
• BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
• PHOTO PACKAGE
All photos and videos captured during the week by our team will be shared with everyone so everyone can go home with the best memories !
• TRANSPORTATION
Transfer from Cabo San Lucas to our base for the week and back.
Transportation for dinner.
What’s not included ?
Dinner
International flights
Personal expenses
Tips
Total price – 3’750chf (swiss francs)
Conditions
A deposit of 1’500chf needs to be paid in order to book your spot.
The rest of the expedition price must be paid by October 15th 2025.
The expedition will happen with a minimum of 6 persons.
We want things to be fair for everyone. This is why in case of cancellation, we’ll fully refund the client if we have enough time to find someone else to take the spot.
If we don’t reach the minimum of 6 people, you will be fully refunded.