Some dogs love a boat. Plenty do not, and a hot deck a mile offshore is a bad place to find out which one you have. We are happy to take dogs on the right kind of trip, on the right kind of day, with an owner who is honest about their animal. This page is mostly about how to decide.
The dogs that do well are the ones already comfortable with engine noise, moving surfaces, strangers and being clipped to something. If your dog panics at a vacuum cleaner or bolts at a firework, a boat will be worse. Age matters too. Old dogs with stiff hips struggle on a deck that will not hold still, and puppies have no judgement about edges. Dogs get seasick, and they cannot tell you they are about to. Drooling, yawning, pacing and a refusal to settle usually come before the vomiting. If you have never had your dog on the water, take the shortest trip we run first and find out cheaply.
This is the part that actually endangers dogs here. A fibreglass deck in Baja sun gets hot enough to burn paws, and there is far less shade on a boat than an owner imagines when the sun is overhead. Dark coated and flat faced breeds overheat fastest, and flat faced dogs cannot cool themselves well by panting in the first place. Sea water is not drinking water, and a thirsty dog will drink it and get sick. So the day has to be built around shade, fresh water offered constantly, and wetting the dog down before the dog looks like it needs it. In the hot months we would rather run early or not at all. What shade the boat carries is still being confirmed.
Hooks are the injury we worry about most on a fishing boat. A loose treble and a curious nose is a trip to a vet, and vets are ashore. If your dog is coming on a day that involves fishing, tell us, because it changes how the crew works the deck.
Reactive dogs. Dogs that are not reliable around strangers in a confined space. Dogs in season. Dogs recovering from surgery. Very old dogs and very young puppies. Flat faced breeds on a hot day. Dogs that cannot swim, unless they are jacketed and supervised throughout. And any dog whose owner intends to fish seriously and will not be watching it, because on a working deck the crew cannot be the dog's minder and do their job at the same time. Leaving your dog ashore for one morning is not a failure of love.
Tell us the breed, rough size and weight, the dog's age, whether it has been on a boat before, how it behaves around strangers, and anything medical. If the dog does not swim, say so. If it has ever bitten anyone, say so. Nothing you tell us gets you turned away automatically, but a surprise on the morning might.
One part of this is settled and it is not negotiable. No dogs on the Punta Lobos pangas, and no babies or infants on them either. That trip launches off the beach at Punta Lobos in Todos Santos, on the Pacific side close to our base in El Pescadero, straight out through Pacific surf, and a wet scramble through breaking waves is no place for an animal or a very small child. If your dog is coming, it will not be on that boat.
The rest is still being pinned down. Which boats take dogs at all is still being confirmed. Whether dogs are allowed on every other trip type or only on some, whether there is an extra charge, how many dogs we take on one boat, and what paperwork the marina requires for animals are all still being confirmed. Mexican and marina rules about animals on vessels are still being confirmed and we will confirm them before your trip rather than guess.
Where we leave from depends on the boat, and with a dog aboard that matters more than usual. We are based in El Pescadero, near Todos Santos on the Pacific side, but the dock boats are on the other coast. The 35 foot El Wahoo King leaves from Cabo San Lucas Marina and the 28 foot catamaran La Morita from San Jose del Cabo, both of them a step off a dock rather than a scramble off a beach. Departure points for the 27 foot super panga La Ruca and the 33 foot Don Pancho are still being confirmed, and departure times are still being confirmed. Factor the drive in, because a long hot car journey before a long hot boat is a lot to ask of an animal. We almost never run split charters, so your dog is not going to meet a boatload of strangers, which is the single thing that makes a dog aboard workable at all. Numbers run from two to six people depending on the boat, and a dog takes up more deck than people expect. A 50% deposit is normally required to hold a date, and cancellation, refund and rescheduling terms are still being confirmed.
A dog aboard changes the day. You will spend part of it managing your animal instead of watching the water, and the trip will likely be shorter and closer in than the same trip without a dog. Most people find that trade worth it, right up until their dog decides otherwise. If your dog is clearly unhappy, we will turn back, and we would rather do that early than watch a stressed animal endure a long morning.
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. Licences, 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, whale watching from mid December to April, and kayaking. Every trip is built around your group, your dates and the conditions rather than a fixed timetable, and almost 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 enquiry with who is coming, when you are here and what you want out of the day, and we will say which trip fits and which one does not.
No. Everyone fishing in Mexican waters needs a Mexican sportfishing licence, and each angler buys their own. We help you arrange it before the day so nobody is sorting paperwork on the dock. The same licence covers rod and spear.
Rarely. Almost every trip goes out as a private boat for you and your group. If a split makes sense for a small party we will say so when you enquire.
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 judgement 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, which is the only legal way to spearfish in Mexico. Water, ice and snacks are normally aboard.
