Snorkeling with Sea Lions at Los Islotes, La Paz

At the northern tip of the Espíritu Santo archipelago, a pair of guano-white rocks called Los Islotes is home to a colony of California sea lions. Young sea lions here are famously curious: they spin, blow bubbles and swim right up to snorkelers. For many visitors it's the best day of the whole trip.

Where Los Islotes is

Los Islotes sits off the north end of Isla Espíritu Santo and Isla Partida, part of a protected archipelago in the Bay of La Paz. The islands are part of the Gulf of California's UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 2005, and the surrounding sea became a marine national park in 2007. Boat trips from La Paz usually take a couple of hours each way along the island's coves, often with a beach stop and lunch.

Meet the residents

The colony is made up of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Counts vary by season and survey: recent reports range from a few hundred animals at Los Islotes to more than 700 across a network of connected haul-out sites in the bay. Researchers have found the colony now uses satellite sites around the bay as resting areas linked to the main breeding rookery.

What you'll see:

• Pups and juveniles that play in the shallows and investigate swimmers.
• Big territorial males barking from the rocks. Give them space: they're the ones in charge.
• Seabirds like brown pelicans and blue-footed boobies on the rocks above.

When to go

• September to May is the main season for swimming with the colony.
• June 1 to August 31 is breeding season. Swimming at Los Islotes is closed to protect pregnant females, newborn pups and territorial males. Boats may still view the colony from a distance, and some trips swim with a smaller colony at San Rafaelito instead.
• Water temperature: it's cooler in winter and spring, so operators provide wetsuits.

Exact rules and dates are set by Mexico's environmental authorities (SEMARNAT and CONANP), so check the current season with operators.

In the water: how to be a good guest

• Let them come to you. Float calmly; the young ones approach on their own.
• Don't touch, feed or chase the sea lions, and stay away from the rocks where the big males patrol.
• Wear reef-safe protection like a rash guard or wetsuit, and follow your guide's briefing.
• Pack the basics: water, a hat and a towel for the ride home.

Book a sea lion snorkel

Search Book with Buddy for Espíritu Santo and Los Islotes snorkel trips from La Paz. Staying at Colibri Guest House? Ask us when you book and we'll point you to trips that fit your dates.

Sources

• La Paz Sea Lions Expand Territory Beyond Los Islotes, The Gringo Gazette.
• Shhh! Do Not Disturb! Sea Lion Mating Season Underway, The Gringo Gazette, on the June–August closure.
• Isla Espíritu Santo, Wikipedia.
• Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California: World Heritage decisions, UNESCO.
• Espíritu Santo Archipelago marine national park, IUCN.
• Programa de Manejo, Parque Nacional Archipiélago de Espíritu Santo (compendio), Pronatura Noroeste.