La Ventana, Mexico: Swimming with Mobula Rays in Baja California Sur

Swimming with mobula rays in La Ventana

By William Drumm, underwater photographer and ocean ambassador

Every spring, one of the largest ray aggregations on earth forms a few hundred meters off a windswept stretch of desert coastline in Baja California Sur. Tens of thousands of mobula rays gather in the shallows off La Ventana, and on the right morning they launch themselves clear of the water, over and over, until the whole bay sounds like applause.

I have been in the water with them. This guide covers what lives in La Ventana, when to go, how to get in with the rays, and what it is honestly like out there, based on my own trips and on what the local operators know.

La Ventana at a Glance

• Where: Baja California Sur, Mexico, on the Sea of Cortez, about 40 minutes southeast of La Paz
• Known for: the mobula ray aggregation in spring and world class kiteboarding in winter
• Mobula season: roughly late April through July, with the biggest schools usually mid May to early June
• How you see the rays: snorkeling and freediving from a small boat, not scuba
• Typical cost: about 200 to 350 USD per person for a full day ray trip
• Also out there: silky sharks, sea lions, spotted and bottlenose dolphins, mahi mahi, and rarely orcas
• Airports: La Paz (LAP) about 40 minutes, Los Cabos (SJD) about two hours
• Water: warm and nutrient rich, which means abundant life and often reduced visibility

Where Is La Ventana?

La Ventana is a small village on the east coast of the Baja peninsula, facing the Sea of Cortez across a channel from Isla Cerralvo. The Mexican government renamed that island Isla Jacques Cousteau in 2009 and essentially nobody in Baja calls it that. From La Paz it is about 40 km on highway BCS 286 and then a few kilometers down the Corredor Isla Cerralvo, a drive of roughly 40 to 60 minutes.

The name means the window, and the geography is the whole story. Desert on one side, a deep productive channel on the other, and wind funneling between them. The same wind that made this a kiteboarding town is what makes the water worth getting into. It pushes surface water offshore, cold nutrient rich water rises to replace it, and plankton blooms. Plankton feeds baitfish. Baitfish and plankton feed rays. Rays feed sharks and orcas. The entire food web here is downstream of the wind.

That productivity comes with a tradeoff. Nutrient rich water is not clear water. If you are picturing Caribbean visibility, adjust the expectation now. What you get instead is volume of life.

The Mobula Rays of La Ventana

The rays are why most people who come here with a mask come here at all, and they are worth the trip on their own.

What Kind of Rays Are They?

Locally they get called bat rays or devil rays, but the species forming the enormous La Ventana schools is the Munk’s devil ray, Mobula munkiana. It is the smallest of the mobulas, with a wingspan of about a meter and a maximum around 130 cm, a little over four feet. The true bat ray is a completely different animal, so if you want to name what you are looking at, call them mobulas.

What makes them extraordinary is not size. It is number. Mobula munkiana is the only ray that aggregates like this, and the only one that leaps repeatedly while it does it.

Why Do Mobula Rays Jump?

Nobody knows for certain. That is the honest answer, and it is more interesting than a tidy one would be.

The rays launch a couple of meters clear of the surface, sometimes spinning, and land flat with a crack you can hear from the boat. The leading theories are that they are shaking off parasites, that they are courting, or that they are signalling to the rest of the school. I have a frame from one trip of a remora coming off a mobula in midair, which is at least a point for the parasite theory. It is not proof.

Watching a few thousand animals do something science cannot fully explain is one of the better reasons to get in the water.

When to Go

The season runs roughly from late April through July. The densest schools are usually reported from mid May into early June, though the rays have not read the schedule. Some years they show early, some years they linger. Operators track them daily and will tell you the truth if you ask.

If you can only pick one window, aim for mid May to early June, and give yourself several days rather than one. A single day trip is a coin flip. Three or four days is a plan.

How to Get in the Water With Them

Snorkel and freedive. Not scuba. The rays school near the surface and a diver’s exhaust bubbles push them away, so every legitimate operator here runs these as freediving and snorkeling trips from a panga. You do not need a certification. You need to be comfortable in open water with nothing below you, able to hold your breath long enough to drop a few meters if you want a good angle, and able to fin without kicking the person next to you.

Expect roughly 200 to 350 USD per person for a full day, depending on the operator and whether you join a group or charter the boat. Private charters are usually priced per boat, commonly around 18,000 to 30,000 pesos depending on group size. Trips run from La Ventana itself and from La Paz, about 45 minutes up the road.

I have run my trips here with Nomad Diving, whose crew found the rays every day we asked them to. Several other established operators work the same water out of La Ventana and La Paz. Whoever you book, ask two questions: do they approach the school from the side rather than driving into it, and do they cap how many people are in the water at once. The answers tell you what kind of day you are going to have, and what kind of day the rays are going to have.

Silky Sharks in the Blue

Where there are that many rays, there are predators. The one you are most likely to meet is the silky shark, and meeting one in open blue water with no bait and no cage is a very different thing from what most people expect a shark encounter to be.

They came in slowly and circled, as curious about us as we were about them. No chum, nothing in the water to hold them there. They stayed because they wanted to. One carried a body full of old scars, which is what a life in the open ocean looks like up close.

Great hammerheads work this coast too, though sightings are far less predictable. And in the right conditions orcas come through hunting the mobulas. On my first trip here we were in the water within half an hour of spotting the splashes, watching orcas work the ray schools. My friend Erik Higuera had waited years for that. We got lucky. Do not book a trip expecting it.

Sea Lions Run This Coast

California sea lions are the loudest personalities in this water and they know it. The males bark underwater, blow bubble trails, and make it extremely clear whose reef you are on. They guard their harems and they are not subtle about telling you to move along.

There is something clarifying about being told off by a sea lion. It is their house. You are a guest who let himself in.

Swimming With Spotted Dolphins

The dolphins were the surprise. We swam with hundreds of pantropical spotted dolphins, the extroverts of the dolphin world, fast and curious and happy to run circles around a freediver. Bottlenose dolphins turn up as well, and they are the harder subject: shyer, warier, less inclined to give you the frame.

Spotted dolphins in numbers like that are a rare thing to swim with. It was my first chance to photograph them, and they set a high bar.

What Else Is Out There

Under the pelagic drama there is the everyday reef: pufferfish, morays, schooling jacks, and mahi mahi tearing into bait balls at the surface. Above the waterline, frigatebirds and ospreys ride the cliffs and pelicans hammer the shallows. The desert behind the village looks empty until it rains, and then it is not.

And the jellyfish. Baja’s productive water grows jellies in serious numbers. Most deliver a mild sting and it is part of the deal. One day a stray Portuguese man o’ war tentacle caught me across the face, and my friend Cris from Nomad Diving emptied a jug of vinegar over my head from the boat, which is the correct response. Vinegar and hot water treat a sting. Urine does not, has never, and that myth needs to die. Bring a rash guard and a hood even when the water is warm. You will be glad you did.

Planning a Trip to La Ventana

Getting there

Fly into La Paz (LAP) for the short transfer, about 40 minutes by car. Los Cabos (SJD) is the bigger airport with more international routes and sits roughly two hours away. Rent a car if you want flexibility. The highway is paved and straightforward, but cell service gets patchy, so download offline maps before you leave the terminal.

When to go

For mobula rays, late April through July, peaking mid May into early June. For wind, November through March. The two seasons barely overlap, so pick the one you actually came for. Late April is the closest thing to a shoulder season.

What to bring

A 3mm wetsuit or a shorty and a rash guard, depending on the month. Freediving fins if you own them. Reef safe sunscreen. A hat, because the desert sun coming off the water is relentless. Cash in pesos for boats, tips, and the taco stands, which do not all take cards.

Things to Do Beyond the Water

La Ventana is small and that is the appeal. There is mountain biking and hiking in the desert behind the village, a hot spring on the beach out toward Punta Arena, a handful of very good places to eat, and the kite scene when the wind is up. The sunsets over the sierra are the closing act every night and nobody misses them.

Is La Ventana Safe?

Yes, with the ordinary caveats that apply anywhere.

The US State Department rates Baja California Sur, the state La Ventana sits in, at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution. That is the same advisory level as France, Germany and Italy, and it is a lower rating than Baja California in the north, which is a separate state. Advisories change, so check the current listing before you travel.

In practice, La Ventana is a small village built around a seasonal community of kiters, divers and expats, and it feels like one. The realistic risks here are the ocean and the sun, not crime. Watch the wind, respect the current in the channel, drink more water than you think you need, and do not freedive beyond your training or alone.

Is La Ventana a Kiteboarding Town or a Diving Town?

Both, and the seasons barely overlap.

From November through March, El Norte winds blow down the Sea of Cortez and La Ventana becomes one of the most reliable kiteboarding and wing foiling destinations in North America. Several established schools operate out of the village and the beach fills with kites every afternoon.

Then the wind drops, the water warms, and the rays arrive. If you came here for kite instruction, the local schools and the wind forecasts will serve you far better than I can. If you came for what is underneath, keep reading.

Why I Keep Coming Back

Most people will never see a mobula aggregation. They will never get told off by a sea lion, or watch a silky shark decide on its own to come and have a look at them. That is the entire reason I carry a camera.

The ocean does not need me to make it interesting. It needs people to know what is down there, because nobody protects something they have never seen. La Ventana is one of the places where the argument makes itself. You get in the water, ten thousand rays go past you in the blue, and you come out different.

If you want more of the Sea of Cortez, the Cabo Pulmo diving guide covers the marine park a few hours south, where a fishing village brought a dead reef back to life. You can see my favorite frames in the portfolio, and fine art prints are available, with a portion of every sale going to marine conservation.

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Frequently Asked Questions About La Ventana

When is the best time to see mobula rays in La Ventana?

The mobula ray season runs roughly from late April through July, and the densest schools are usually reported from mid May into early June. This is wildlife, not a timetable, so give yourself several days rather than betting everything on one boat trip.

Do you scuba dive with the mobula rays in La Ventana?

No. The rays school near the surface and a scuba diver’s exhaust bubbles push them away, so every reputable operator runs these trips as snorkeling and freediving from a small boat. You do not need a dive certification.

How much does a mobula ray trip in La Ventana cost?

Expect roughly 200 to 350 USD per person for a full day trip, depending on the operator and whether you join a group or charter the boat. Private boat charters are usually priced per boat, commonly in the range of about 18,000 to 30,000 Mexican pesos depending on group size.

What kind of rays are in La Ventana?

They are Munk’s devil rays, Mobula munkiana. It is the smallest mobula species, with a wingspan of about one meter and a maximum around 130 cm. They are often called bat rays locally, but the true bat ray is a different animal, so mobula or Munk’s devil ray is the accurate name.

Why do mobula rays jump out of the water?

Nobody knows for certain. The leading theories are that the rays are shaking off parasites, courting, or signalling to the rest of the school. They can launch a couple of meters clear of the surface and land flat with an audible crack, and Mobula munkiana is the only ray known to do this repeatedly in large aggregations.

Can you see sharks in La Ventana?

Yes. Silky sharks are the most reliable encounter, usually in open blue water with no bait and no cage. Great hammerheads work the same coast but are far less predictable, and orcas occasionally come through hunting the mobula schools.

Is La Ventana safe to visit?

The US State Department rates Baja California Sur, the state La Ventana is in, at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution. That is the same level as France, Germany and Italy, and it is a lower rating than Baja California in the north. Check the current advisory before you travel. In practice the realistic risks in La Ventana are the sun, the wind and the current, not crime.

How do you get to La Ventana, Mexico?

Fly into La Paz (LAP), about a 40 minute drive away, or Los Cabos (SJD), roughly two hours away with more international routes. The road is paved and straightforward. Download offline maps before you leave the airport, because cell service is patchy.

Do you need to be a strong swimmer to see the mobula rays?

You do not need a certification, but you do need to be comfortable in open water with no bottom below you. Being able to hold your breath long enough to drop a few meters will get you far better views and photographs.

What is the visibility like in La Ventana?

Often reduced. The wind drives an upwelling of cold, nutrient rich water, which is exactly why the marine life is so abundant here. Rich water is not clear water. You trade Caribbean style visibility for sheer volume of life.

Is La Ventana better for kiteboarding or for diving?

It depends entirely on the season. El Norte winds blow from roughly November through March and make La Ventana one of the most reliable kiteboarding destinations in North America. The wind then drops, the water warms, and the mobula rays arrive from late April through July. The two seasons barely overlap.