Travel Alert! Swimming With Sea Lions In Los Cabos Restricted Due To Tourist Attacks

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Last Updated 4 months ago

Los Cabos is popular with visitors from around the world in part due to its bounty of sea life and the unique opportunities travelers have to interact with them on tours.

While you may take this opportunity to enjoy a very special one-of-a-kind adventure on your trip, there are risks involved with wild animal tours.

After all, wild animals are in fact wild and subject to dangerous actions which they consider normal. Especially during the mating season.

Sea Lion Swimming Tour Suspension

A restriction on swimming with sea lions was put into effect at the start of the month and will run through the end of August against swimming, snorkeling and diving with sea lions near Espiritu Santo Island.

This rule is due to the mating season and the dangers of interacting with unpredictable wild animals.

According to Irma González López, leader of the Maritime Zone National Park of the Espiritu Santo Archipelago and the Flora and Fauna Protection Area Islands of the Gulf of California, the animals are more aggressive during this season.

“The reproductive season, which runs from the beginning of June until the end of August, is the most important time of year for sea lions since births, suckling of pups, and mating occurs during this period,” said González López in a published report on the topic.

It makes it especially dangerous for those who want to enjoy the special opportunity to swim with these animals.

One tour guide described how his guest was warned about this activity and still decided to take the risk.

After being attacked, a tourniquet was applied to his leg, which was the only method to save his life.

Still Plenty of Sea Lion Adventures

There are still plenty of ways you can enjoy a fun day out on the waters of Los Cabos, learning more about these fascinating creatures.

Boat tours out to the rocks and islands where they hang out still occur. However, they are done at a distance to avoid disturbing the animals and putting tourists at risk.

In fact, observing sea lions from a distance during this time period will make it an even more special Los Cabos boat tour adventure, as you can enjoy the sea lions during their mating period and even delight in the fun interactions of the new pups.

The National Commission of Protected Natural Areas has approved tour boat providers to take their guests out on boat tours with the animals as long as they only offer them the opportunity to admire the sea lions and warn visitors about approaching them.

What You Need to Know

You can still head to Espiritu Santo Island and enjoy a boat tour observing and learning more about these curious, playful and very interesting animals.

However, for your safety you will want to do this from a distance.

Be sure to choose a boat tour operator that keeps the concern of these animals and your safety in mind.

If a day spent snorkeling, swimming and interacting with sea lions is part of your adventure plans, you may want to delay your trip to Los Cabos until the start of September, at the earliest.

That is to protect yourself from the risk of injury from these unpredictable animals during their traditional mating season and ensure that you enjoy your fun wildlife adventure safely and securely while visiting Los Cabos.

It will also allow these special creatures of the sea to have less stress during their important reproductive season so that they and their pups will have a successful season to carry on the swimming with sea lion tradition for many more Los Cabos visitors to come.