Magdalena Bay Waves & Wildlife

The soul of an immense and beautiful landscape

This trip is tremendous in its scope and beauty and not done by any other outfitters. Magdalena Bay is dynamic and breathtaking, but it’s the expertise of our guide Marcos Simental, his deep local knowledge, and passion for sharing it that ultimately inspired us to put together one of the most rewarding trips we’ve ever done.

Fun paddling, rocky features, playful sea lion pups, thousands of migratory birds, grey whales and magnificent landscapes make this an amazing experience. Our route runs with the prevailing wind. Try out a sail! We plan 3 layover days, each with access to some exciting “park and play” paddling, in locations so remote that you will never see another kayaker. This is a motor-supported trip, for the fun of playing in lighter kayaks, the safety margin, and the ease of going to see whales on one of the days.

Magdalena Bay is the meeting place of two significant ocean currents—the cold California Current coming from Alaska, and the warm Equatorial Countercurrent from across the Pacific. This vortex creates a massive upwelling of nutrients, which supports astonishing biodiversity. It is one of the largest lagoon systems and richest estuarine waters in the world, inviting a tremendous variety of wildlife to the feast.

We will have a resupply of food and water about halfway through. On our resupply day, we will spend an hour or 2 in the motorboat watching gray whales which migrate from Alaskan waters each year to breed and calve in Pacific lagoons such as this one.

Remote logistics do make this an expensive trip, but it’s absolutely stunning and well worth what it takes to get there! We don’t do it every year, so catch it when you can.

Enjoy trip photos here:
January 2020 Photo Gallery
February 2022 Photo Gallery.