Trip Dates: August 2–9, 2026
MHT Ambassador: Clarence
Challenge Level: 🟠 Medium
Adventure Level: 🌴 Breezy Vacation
Dive Service Level: 👸 Concierge
Sea lions tugging on fins. Hammerheads disappearing into the blue. Whale sharks cruising at the surface.
Our 2026 Sea of Cortez liveaboard took us from the northern reaches of the Gulf of California through some of its most remote islands for six days of diving.
As always this trip was so much more than the diving. There were puzzles, salsa lessons, sunset cruises, milestone celebrations, incredible Mexican meals, and a group that made living together on a boat for a week ridiculously fun.
About our Liveaboard Charter
Our adventure started in Phoenix, Arizona, where the group met before travelling together across the Mexican border to Puerto Peñasco.
From there, we boarded our home for the week and headed south through the Sea of Cortez.
Over six diving days, the itinerary can include up to 21 dives around remote islands including Ángel de la Guarda, San Pedro Mártir, Salsipuedes, Las Ánimas, and Bahía de los Ángeles.
Dive. Eat. Relax. Repeat.
When we come back from a dive, meals and drinks were waiting for us onboard. The crew handled our gear, and surface intervals were spent relaxing, working on puzzles, learning fish ID, or watching the ocean go by.
We even had an in-house salsa instructor! Erica got the group moving between dives with a few salsa lessons.
Adventure Level: Breezy Vacation
Despite travelling through some incredibly remote parts of Mexico, this trip is very easy once you’re onboard.
Your room, meals, dive operation, and entertainment travel with you. There are no daily transfers, restaurants to organize, or bags to repack.
MHT also coordinates the group transfer and border crossing between Phoenix and Puerto Peñasco.
All you really have to worry about is whether you want dessert before or after sunset.
About Diving the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez)
Dive Challenge Level: Medium
The Sea of Cortez is famous for its biodiversity.
Rather than tropical coral reefs, expect rocky underwater landscapes packed with marine life. One dive might have you searching for nudibranchs, octopus, and jawfish, while the next has you looking into the blue for rays or hammerheads.
And then there were our stars of the week: sea lions!
Curious juveniles danced around our divers, played hide and seek, and occasionally gave an approving nibble to someone’s fins.
We also spotted juvenile king angelfish, giant jawfish, rays, nudibranchs, octopus, black coral, and even a hammerhead cruising through the blue for one lucky group.
Pacific diving can bring lower visibility, thermoclines, current, and changing conditions, which is why we rate this trip Medium.
During our August trip, however, the Sea of Cortez was feeling particularly friendly. We had warm water and mostly light currents, making for some wonderfully easy dives.
Water temperatures can range from approximately 75–85°F, so exposure protection depends on both the site and your personal cold tolerance. Thermoclines can also make one part of a dive feel considerably cooler than another.
Dive Service Level: Concierge
Our dives were conducted from small inflatable boats called dinghys, with divers divided into groups based on experience and accompanied by a dedicated divemaster.
The crew took care of the heavy lifting. After each dive, they handled our equipment while we climbed aboard from the dinghy’s, dried off, and got comfortable.
Then it was back to the liveaboard to eat, relax, and get ready to do it all again.
Special Moments with our Group
After a week packed with marine life, the Sea of Cortez had one more surprise waiting for us.
Whale sharks!
We spent an afternoon snorkeling with these gentle giants in Bahía de los Ángeles.
They weren’t shy either. The group watched as whale sharks cruised past at the surface, feeding while our travelers snorkelled alongside them.
After days of looking for everything from tiny nudibranchs to hammerheads, ending the adventure beside the biggest fish in the ocean felt pretty appropriate.
What a treat from mother nature!
On the boat, we had many milestones to share with our divers.
Teri turned 40… and apparently 45 on the same day.
Jane celebrated an incredible 45 years of diving.
Laura reached 50 dives.
Betsy and Lezlie celebrated 100 dives.
And Erica and Dawn joined the 200-dive club.
Between the birthdays, milestones, Mexican dinners, desserts, salsa, and evenings together, there was always something worth celebrating.
That’s part of what makes a group liveaboard so much fun. You’re not just sharing the dives. You’re sharing the whole experience.
Why Dive the Sea of Cortez with MHT?
Liveaboards are incredible, but joining one as a solo diver can feel intimidating. Who will you room with? Who will you dive with? Will everyone onboard already know each other?
That’s where an MHT group dive trip makes a big difference.
Solo travelers are matched with a compatible roommate and dive buddy, and we divide our dive groups based on experience. You arrive knowing you already have a community onboard.
MHT also handles one of the trickier parts of this particular itinerary: getting everyone from Phoenix, across the Mexican border, and onto the boat in Puerto Peñasco.
Once we’re onboard, our Trip Ambassador is there throughout the week while the professional dive crew handles the diving.
It’s an easy way to experience a remote part of Mexico without having to figure out all the logistics yourself.
How to Prepare for a Sea of Cortez Liveaboard
The Sea of Cortez is a great introduction to Pacific diving and liveaboard travel.
You should arrive comfortable with your basic dive skills, buddy checks, buoyancy, and monitoring your own air, depth, and no-decompression limits.
It’s also a great place to experience thermoclines, variable visibility, currents, small-boat diving, and multiple dives a day without jumping immediately into our most challenging destinations.
For divers hoping to eventually join MHT in places like Socorro or the Galápagos, the Sea of Cortez is a fantastic place to build experience.
And if you’ve never done a liveaboard before? Even better.
You’ll learn very quickly why divers love waking up, walking a few steps, and jumping straight into the ocean.
We loved this itinerary so much that we’re heading back to the Sea of Cortez in 2028.
More sea lions, more whale sharks, and hopefully many more milestones to celebrate!
