Magdalena Bay Dive Site: Mexico Liveaboard Travel Guide

Magdalena Bay is a dive site in Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.

See below for all liveaboards that dive Magdalena Bay.

The liveaboard shown opposite is the highest customer rated liveaboard diving Magdalena Bay, scoring 8.9/10. You can easily book the Nautilus Under Sea liveaboard using this link.

Magdalena Bay offers seasonal blue-water action associated with sardine schools, striped marlin and migrating whales. The best experience comes from matching the dive to current, season and exposure rather than relying on the name alone. Liveaboard access adds earlier entries, flexible timing and a practical way to combine this site with other remote Mexican reefs.

The liveaboard shown opposite is the second highest customer rated liveaboard diving Magdalena Bay, scoring 8.7/10. You can easily book the Nautilus Gallant Lady liveaboard using this link.

Mexico liveaboards that dive Magdalena Bay

Below are all the dive liveaboards currently found for Magdalena Bay in Mexico, sorted from highest to lowest customer liveaboard rating, with unrated liveaboards shown last.

Nautilus Under Sea

Mexico

Liveaboard Rated: 8.9/10

SDE Rating: 78%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Nautilus Under Sea Liveaboard: 78%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Nautilus Under Sea liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Nautilus Under Sea liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:6/10] + [Boat:9/10] + [Dining:8/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:5/10] = 38/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Nautilus Under Sea liveaboard is calculated as 38/60 = 78% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £124.00 GBP /day

Cabins:Bathrooms:Guests: 19

Length: 89 ft·Beam: 24 ft

Dive certification:Open Water Diver
Logged dives:No minimum number of logged dives

Nautilus Gallant Lady

Mexico

Liveaboard Rated: 8.7/10

SDE Rating: 83%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Nautilus Gallant Lady Liveaboard: 83%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Nautilus Gallant Lady liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Nautilus Gallant Lady liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:6/10] + [Boat:9/10] + [Dining:8/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:8/10] = 41/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Nautilus Gallant Lady liveaboard is calculated as 41/60 = 83% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £289.00 GBP /day

Cabins:Bathrooms:Guests: 16

Length: 166 ft·Beam: 22 ft

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives

MV Nautilus Belle Amie

Mexico

Liveaboard Rated: 9.3/10

SDE Rating: 75%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the MV Nautilus Belle Amie Liveaboard: 75%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the MV Nautilus Belle Amie liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the MV Nautilus Belle Amie liveaboard are ([Diving:8/10] + [Cabin:6/10] + [Boat:8/10] + [Dining:8/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:6/10] = 36/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the MV Nautilus Belle Amie liveaboard is calculated as 36/60 = 75% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £221.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 17·Bathrooms: 17·Guests: 32

Length: 147 ft·Beam: 33 ft

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives

Magdalena Bay Diver Details

Useful training for this site
Open Water Diver, Good buoyancy control skills, Drift Diver

Suggested equipment
5mm wetsuit, Dive computer, Surface marker buoy (SMB)

Dive type
Pelagic, Coastal reef, Drift

Entry
Boat, Zodiac/RIB

Minimum recommended experience
Intermediate

Mexico; Magdalena Bay Dive Site Details

Water type
Salt

Water temperature
18.0°C–27.0°C

Best time to dive Magdalena Bay
Highly seasonal: autumn sardine-run expeditions target striped marlin, while grey whales visit the lagoon in winter; exact in-water activity depends on wildlife rules.

Depth
5.0m–30.0m

Visibility
8.0m–25.0m

Current strength
Moderate

Location
24.62, -112.13

Mexico’s Magdalena Bay dive site map and location

The latitude and longitude for Mexico’s Magdalena Bay dive site are: 24.62, -112.13

Open in Google Maps

Magdalena Bay Liveaboard Dive Site

Magdalena Bay is known for seasonal blue-water action associated with sardine schools, striped marlin and migrating whales. It is not a guaranteed wildlife performance: water movement, visibility and encounters vary by season and from one dive to the next, which is why the guide’s local briefing matters as much as the published range.

The minimum experience level shown here reflects the wider site in normal liveaboard conditions. Divers should be comfortable with the listed entry method, maintain controlled buoyancy and carry an appropriate surface marker. If current, swell or depth is stronger than expected, the crew may change the route, move the entry point or choose a different site.

The scale of the bay and offshore wildlife grounds makes a liveaboard or expedition vessel valuable for following conditions rather than commuting from one harbour. Blue-water sessions occur in daylight; night diving is not the attraction here.

UNESCO’s Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaíno listing explains the environmental or management context for this part of Mexico. Follow all zoning, wildlife-distance and no-touch rules, and remember that coordinates on this page identify the general site rather than replacing the operator’s current entry position.

For a useful comparison on the same broader itinerary, see Margarita Island. Linking the sites makes it easier to understand how crews balance sheltered reefs, exposed pinnacles and seasonal wildlife during a voyage.

The Magdalena Bay dive site in Mexico is visited by three dive liveaboards. The highest customer-rated liveaboard scores 9.3 out of 10. Prices across these liveaboards start from £124.00.

If you want a more intimate experience, the smallest liveaboard in this selection of the Magdalena Bay dive liveaboards is Nautilus Gallant Lady, which has 6 cabins, accommodates up to 16 guests, and is 166 ft in length. If you prefer a larger boat, MV Nautilus Belle Amie, which is 147 ft in length, has 17 cabins, and accommodates up to 32 guests.

To dive the Magdalena Bay dive site, the minimum diver certification ranges from Open Water Diver to Advanced Open Water Diver, and logged dive requirements range from no minimum number of logged dives to minimum 50 logged dives. So be careful when you choose a liveaboard that has the Magdalena Bay dive site on its itinerary, to make sure both your dive certification and level of experience match its minimum levels.