One boat, one day, two things. Usually a stretch of fishing and then a stop to get in the water. It works for mixed groups where not everyone wants to hold a rod all day. The trade is real and we would rather you knew it now. You will not fish as hard or dive as long as you would on a trip built around only one of them.
The usual shape is fishing while the fish are willing, then moving in to somewhere worth swimming once the bite slows and the sun is high. That order is not decorative. Fish generally feed better early, and the water inshore is usually calmer and clearer later in the morning. Some days we flip it because of wind. We decide on the water, not in advance.
Where we leave from depends on which boat you are on. The 35 foot El Wahoo King leaves from Cabo San Lucas Marina. The 28 foot catamaran La Morita leaves from San Jose del Cabo. We are based in El Pescadero, near Todos Santos on the Pacific side, so a combo day means driving down or across the cape to meet the boat, and the beach launch at Punta Lobos on our home water is a poor fit for a day with swimming and children in it. Every charter is private, so the boat belongs to your group for the day, which is the only reason a split day like this works at all. Numbers depend on the boat, three or four on La Morita, three to six on Don Pancho and up to six on El Wahoo King, with a little more room on the bigger boats on a day with no fishing in it. A 50% deposit is normally required to hold a date.
A combo gives up the best of both. Serious fishing means running out and staying out, which is exactly what we will not be doing. Serious diving means multiple stops and long in water time, which we will not have either. What you get instead is variety and a day that keeps a mixed group happy. If everyone in your party wants the same thing, book the dedicated trip and you will get more of it.
Think of it as two useful halves rather than two full trips squeezed together. People who come expecting the second version are the only ones who leave disappointed, and that is a booking problem rather than a boat problem. We would rather sort it out now.
Close in we troll and work the structure and drop offs near the point. Depending on the season that can mean dorado, sierra, bonito, skipjack, jacks, and sometimes a striped marlin. The crew rigs everything and will coach anyone who has never held a rod. If your group has one keen angler and four people who are not, that is fine and common. The keen one fishes while everyone else watches the coast go past.
Tackle is aboard and the crew handles it. If somebody wants to hold a rod for ten minutes and then hand it back, that is fine, and nobody is obliged to fish at all. On a combo we keep the spread simple, because setting and breaking down a full offshore pattern costs time we would rather spend in the water. Beginners are welcome and rod and reel rental is available if you want your own gear.
Anything we keep is yours to take home. The crew cleans and bags it, and expert filleting, vacuum sealing and freezing are available afterwards so it can travel. On the paperwork, everyone aboard a sportfishing vessel in Mexican waters needs a Mexican sportfishing license, whether they fish or not, and licenses are not included in the price. Everyone buys their own and we will help you get it.
For swimming and snorkeling we head for a bay with reef and structure where the water is normally calmer, or, on a day out of Cabo San Lucas, we look at the sea lion colony on the rocks at Land's End from the boat. Which spots we can use on a given day depends on swell, wind and how many other boats are there. If the water is stirred up we will tell you rather than putting you in it and hoping. Cabo Pulmo is a national marine park up the East Cape and no fishing happens there at all, so it is a snorkeling destination only.
Bring your own mask if you own one that seals to your face. Rental masks leak on bearded men and on small faces, and a leaking mask ruins a snorkel faster than cold water does.
Do not book a combo if catching a marlin is the point of your trip. Do not book it if you want a long, unhurried day underwater. Do not book it if nobody in the group is comfortable in open water, because half the day will be wasted. And it is not a party boat. We are happy to run a relaxed day, but there are hooks and gaffs aboard and we do not mix those with heavy drinking.
This is the trip most families end up on and it usually works. Children who get bored on a fishing boat get to swim. Adults who do not want to snorkel can stay dry. Tell us in advance who is nervous in the water, who cannot swim, and who is young, and we will plan around it.
Peak months in lagoon. Billfish are released; most of the rest goes in the box.
The short version of how a trip with Indigo Adventures works. Licenses, deposits, boats and what happens to your catch. The full FAQ has the rest.
Read the full FAQ→Indigo Adventures is based in El Pescadero, on the Pacific side of Baja California Sur, a few minutes south of Todos Santos. Boats launch from three points: Punta Lobos beach in Todos Santos, San Jose del Cabo, and the Cabo San Lucas Marina. Which boat runs your trip decides where you meet us.
Custom fishing and spearfishing charters, freediving excursions and whale watching from mid December to April. Every trip is built around your group, your dates and the conditions rather than a fixed schedule, and every one goes out private.
Book online on the Book Now page, where availability is live and a 50 percent deposit holds the date. If you would rather we picked the trip, send an inquiry with who is coming, when you are here and what you want out of the day, and we will tell you which trip fits.
No. Everyone fishing in Mexican waters needs a Mexican sportfishing license, and each angler buys their own. We help you arrange it before the day so nobody is sorting paperwork on the dock. The same license covers rod and spear.
Yes. Every charter is private: the whole boat is yours, with your group, your target species and your pace.
Three on the 24 foot Punta Lobos panga, up to four on La Ruca and La Morita, and up to six on Don Pancho and El Wahoo King. Whale watching numbers run a little higher because nobody is swinging a rod.
Yes. The catch goes home with you. Filleting at the dock, vacuum sealing and freezing are available, and most guests fly home with a cooler. Marlin are mostly released, with judgment on the day.
Yes, on fishing days. The crew rigs and handles the gear and hands you the rod when something eats. Guided spearfishing needs breath-hold experience and runs on a strict buddy system; breath hold is the only legal way to spearfish in Mexico. Water, ice and snacks are normally aboard.
