From the explosion of online videos that went viral of people snorkeling with Orcas (ours included), there was a sudden boom in snorkeling travel and anyone and everyone with a boat launching snorkeling tours near La Ventana, BCS. We observed this boom during our travels and noticed that some providers aren’t as strict or careful about not chasing sea life to make their guests and clients happy.
This means chasing down whales or orcas, blocking their paths and allowing guests to jump in near them. This all has an impact on the animals and breaks LNT principle # 6 of Respecting Wildlife.
This past year in 2024, we knew that there were a few providers that were working on getting permits in place to ensure that the boat captains were certified and trained in making sure that the sea life is not impacted or bothered by the tourism and snorkeling boom. It’s great to see that this initiative has passed and that Baja California Sur has put regulations in place to make sure that we don’t love our sea life to death.