A guided day of freedive spearfishing off Baja California Sur, run on a strict buddy system. We hunt on one breath, because breath hold is the only legal way to spearfish in Mexico. This trip is for divers who already have breath hold experience and want someone who knows which reefs and ledges hold fish in the conditions on the day.
We are based in El Pescadero, near Todos Santos on the Pacific side, and we dive both coasts, so where we leave from depends on the boat. Which boat runs a guided day is still being confirmed. The 24 foot Punta Lobos panga launches off the beach at Punta Lobos in Todos Santos, out through Pacific surf. The 28 foot catamaran La Morita leaves from San Jose del Cabo and the 35 foot El Wahoo King from Cabo San Lucas Marina. Departure points for the 27 foot super panga La Ruca and the 33 foot Don Pancho are still being confirmed. From wherever we start, we run to the ground that suits the wind and the water clarity, and dive in pairs. One diver down, one diver on the surface watching. We move between spots rather than sitting on one all day, because reefs and structure hold different fish than the blue water outside, and clarity changes hour to hour here. We pick according to what you want and what the ocean is willing to give. Trip length and departure time are still being confirmed.
We almost never run split charters, so the boat is yours and the ground we dive is picked for your group rather than for a mixed load of strangers. Numbers are small by nature, three on the Punta Lobos panga, two to four on La Ruca, three or four on La Morita, three to six on Don Pancho and up to six on El Wahoo King. Diving works better at the lower end of those numbers, because every diver in the water needs somebody on the surface watching them.
Shallow water blackout is what kills freedivers. It is not dramatic. A diver on the way up simply stops, usually in the last few metres, and if nobody is there they drown quietly. So we run one up and one down on every single dive. Your buddy meets you partway up and watches you on the surface after you breathe. Weight belts have a quick release and you know how to use it before you get in the water. We use a float and a dive flag. Nobody hyperventilates before a dive. Nobody dives alone, including us. If you push past your limits or ignore your buddy, your day ends early. That is not a threat, it is the arrangement.
The usual targets here are reef and structure fish such as pargo and cabrilla, jacks and amberjack, and pelagic fish such as dorado, wahoo and tuna when they are in and the water is clean. Some species are protected and some grounds are closed. Cabo Pulmo up the East Cape is a national marine park and fishing and spearfishing are prohibited there, without exception. We do not shoot anything we are not going to eat, we do not shoot billfish, and we do not take shots we cannot cleanly land. Bag limits are set by Mexican regulation and the current numbers are still being confirmed. What you do shoot is yours to take home, and expert filleting, vacuum sealing and freezing are available once we are back in.
This is not a learn to freedive day. If you have never done breath hold diving, book the beginner trip instead and come back to this one. If you have not dived in years, treat yourself as a beginner. Do not book it if you have a heart or lung condition, if you have a current ear or sinus problem, or if you are pregnant. Do not book it for the day you fly, and do not freedive after scuba diving. If your idea of a good day involves beer on the boat, this is the wrong trip.
Equalise comfortably on the way down. Hold a relaxed breath and know your working limit rather than your best ever number. Recover properly on the surface. Handle a speargun safely, including loading and unloading it out of the water, and never point it at a person or the boat. Swim confidently in open water with current and chop. If any of that is shaky, tell us before we get out there and we will scale the day to fit you.
Guests normally bring their own gear and that is how we prefer it, because kit that fits you is safer than kit that nearly fits. Bring your mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit and your own gun if you have one you shoot well. We do carry some rental gear, so tell us what you are short of when you book rather than when you arrive. What we always provide is the lead and the floats. That is worth knowing when you pack, because nobody wants to fly with a weight belt or a float in a bag, and it is the part of the kit people most often cannot bring. Water temperature here swings a long way through the year, cool in the winter months and warm in late summer, and the Pacific side runs colder than the Cortez side, so ask us what suit thickness makes sense for your dates rather than guessing from a photo.
Spearfishing in Mexico is legal on breath hold only. Using scuba or any compressed air supply to spearfish is prohibited. Everyone aboard a sportfishing vessel needs a Mexican sportfishing licence, and a speargun counts as fishing gear. Licences are not included in the trip. Everyone buys their own and we will help you get it. What a licence costs is still being confirmed. Marine park boundaries, closed seasons and protected species lists change, and we follow the current rules rather than what was true a few years ago.
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.
