Join Laine on the Nautilus Gallant Lady for the Mobula Migration and Orca Season

Experience Unforgettable Marine Wildlife Encounters in the Sea of Cortez

July 10-17, 2027

Nautilus recommends flying in a day early to avoid missing the boat.

The Gallant Lady accommodates only 12 people including Laine. Sign up now to claim your spot on this unique adventure.

Every year, tens of thousands of mobula rays gather in the Sea of Cortez. During the main mobula migration season, from late March through early July, visitors can witness the remarkable display of joyful, leaping, and gliding mobula rays. Since learning about this phenomenon, I’ve had a personal goal of witnessing the spectacle firsthand. I’m so excited about this trip! Additionally, multiple pods of orcas are regularly seen in the Sea of Cortez during spring and summer, with peak sightings occurring in July and August. Our scheduled trip in July aligns with warmer water temperatures (approximately eighty degrees) and the mobula migration and peak orca season.  See them leap in this short video:  https://youtu.be/oz6zOyZpYTY?si=NGGS0aS7GzPiVEp6

Join me (Laine) in the Sea of Cortez for an amazing experience snorkeling with mobula rays and pods of orcas.  But that’s not all! Each trip offers a unique adventure, as ocean conditions and marine wildlife sightings vary, offering potential encounters with:

• Mobula rays
• Cow nose rays
• Orcas
• Whale sharks
• Friendly sea lions
• Large pods of dolphins
• Finback whales
• Sperm whales
• Pilot whales
• Vast schools of fish
• And more!

We will spend the week on Nautilus’ liveaboard, the Gallant Lady. Nautilus employs a spotter plane to locate and optimize wildlife encounters. See how in this video provided by Nautilus:  https://youtu.be/T-uN1z-1j9g?si=kwQule888hF625Xq

The Nautilus crew are a dedicated team of experts committed to delivering safe and exceptional wildlife experiences, with the utmost respect for the animals. Encounters occur solely at the animals’ discretion, on the animals’ own terms. It’s the animals’ choice whether to swim over and check us out. With a deep understanding of the region, the Nautilus crew specializes in observing and interpreting marine life, ensuring that you make the most of every moment on the water.

What About Diving?

This itinerary emphasizes maximizing interactions with mobulas, orcas, and other marine mammals, primarily through snorkeling. Given mobulas’ tendency to avoid scuba divers, snorkeling optimizes our encounters. The experience will be so magical, you’ll be glad for this emphasis. But the trip will include some scuba diving too. The Sea of Cortez hosts over 900 fish species—several of which are endemic—and nearly 35 marine mammal species. Diving highlights may include:

• Playful, friendly sea lions
• Huge jawfish
• Frogfish
• Nudibranchs
• Multiple kinds of eels
• Octopus
• Turtles
• Cortez Angelfish
• King Angelfish
• Sea horses
• And more

For a sample of both diving and snorkeling experiences, view this guest trip video from a previous Nautilus Mobulas and Orcas adventure:

https://youtu.be/SMeo4q6nioM?si=qukfHN9ZU-_5mLmf

More About Mobula Rays

Imagine descending beneath the ocean’s surface to find yourself surrounded by thousands of these graceful rays, moving together in mesmerizing harmony. Whether witnessing their astonishing aerial acrobatics as multiple mobulas leap from the water, or snorkeling above the synchronized flow of the schools gliding effortlessly below, it’s a lifetime experience to swim or snorkel with them and truly unforgettable.

But what are mobulas? They are rays, closely related to mantas but with these key differences:

• Size: Mantas are the giants, reaching up to 20+ feet wide; Mobulas are smaller, though some large species exist.
• Mouth: Mantas have a wide, forward-facing mouth; Mobulas have a mouth positioned underneath their body.
• Cephalic Fins: Manta's "horns" are longer and more distinct, while Mobulas' are shorter and less pronounced.
• Behavior: Mobulas are famous for jumps (breaching), while Mantas are usually slower, calmer filter feeders.

Scientists aren’t sure why mobulas exhibit their leaping behavior, though theories suggest courtship, parasite removal, or communication. While mobula rays inhabit various regions, the large-scale migration described is unique to the Sea of Cortez. Another migration season also occurs from mid-November to January, although aggregations during this period are smaller than those in spring and summer.

Orca Encounters

Unlike most other locations worldwide, orcas in the Sea of Cortez choose to interact with humans. Although commonly called killer whales, and related to whales, orcas are classified as dolphins. Find out more about them here, and why they are called killer whales:

https://nautilusliveaboards.com/2025/12/11/are-killer-whales-dolphins/