Magdalena Bay

Verified2026-09-30 checkedPelagic

Grey whales at the end of a 16,000 km migration, bringing their calves to the boat.

Depth: 0–8 m0–26 ft
Difficulty: Beginner
Entry: Boat
Typical current: Light
Coordinates: 24°37.002′N 112°6.000′W
Activities: Snorkelling

Grey whales swim from the Bering Sea to three lagoons on the Pacific side of Baja to calve, and Magdalena Bay is the southernmost. From January to March mothers bring their calves alongside the pangas — this is the place where the whales approach the boats, not the other way round, and it has been happening since a local fisherman first touched one in 1972. It is not a dive: nobody gets in, and the rule is that the whale initiates contact or there is none. Local law is strict about boat numbers and time on the water.

Fly to Loreto or La Paz, then two to three hours by road to Puerto San Carlos or López Mateos.

Best season

ExcellentJan–Mar

Conditions

Water temperature: 30.2°C86°F
Wave height: 1.5 m5 ft
Air temperature: 29.4°C85°F
Wind speed: 9.2 km/h5.7 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 16:15 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/7

High06:161.26 m
Low12:080.06 m
High18:111.41 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

Grey whaleEschrichtius robustusJan–MarSeasonal
Bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusCommon
California sea lionZalophus californianusCommon

From divers

What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.

No recent reports from divers. If you dived here in the last two weeks, you can say how it was.

How divers rate this site

Nobody has rated this site yet.

Log a dive here and you can be the first.

Log a dive here

Rating is open to divers who have logged a dive here.

Who is going

Nobody has planned a dive here yet.

Somebody reading this page is the most likely person in the world to organise one.

Create a plan

Dive shops here

How we check

No dive shop has claimed this site yet.

Be the first shop to join BubbleSong Diving World.