Marlin Adventures

We originally booked our trip through Mar Y Aventuras but they couldnt book the tour since they needed at least 4 people to go and my wife and I were the only ones that were willing. The company then asked us if we wanted to go snorkeling which we agreed to but little did we know that it was with another company. We later found out when a taxi arrived to take us to the pier which ended up being with Marlin Adventures. At first we were disappointed that we werent booked with our original operator but in hindsight we are so happy.
Th tour we got was to snorkel with sea lions.
First let us tell you that it didnt start out great. All but 2 of us on this tour were same day bookings. One of the groups was having breakfast and were told to take their time for breakfast. So our 9am departure became 10. We left with tensions high with the angst of losing an hour of our tour (which the company said wouldnt effect the tour and that the hour lost would be gained at the tail end).
All the tension was soon alleviated as we departed from the beach. As we are leaving to get our tour started there was pod of dolphins following our boat! The captain proceeded to drive in circles as he saw the delight of the passengers. Some of us went to the front to experience the dolphins jumping from the front and some of us stayed in the back to watch them follow and jump from the rear of the boat.
On our way to Espiritu Santo, Arturo, our tour guide came up to me and told me to keep an eye out for whales. Not 3 seconds go by and boom, Whale!!! We then proceeded to follow the whale for the next 20 minutes! Another bonus we got for leaving late!
It takes about 2 hours to get to the sea lion colony from La Paz and let me tell you that it was all worth it! The pups like to get up close and personal. They will swim right up to you. My wife later told me that there was one pup swimming and playing right around me constantly trying to stay out of my eyesight. He later jumped over my head and swam away and that was the time that I noticed it. Others will playfully bite your arm if you let it. The people that let the pups bite them told us that it didnt hurt at all, they were just curious. Since they have no hands, biting is how they explore.
If you are a diver and with a snorkeling companion, this is a great tour to do.
During the tour I also found out that the whale sharks are still there. The whale sharks are supposed to be gone, but they are still there. So after 5 years of trying to find them this was finally my chance. We booked a tour the following day to snorkel with them. The whale sharks are not located far from where we were. After about 20 minutes we found our first one. You see it from the boat and they tell you how big it is, but it doesnt prepare you for when you are in the water and face to face with this gentle giant. We spent maybe an hour with the whale sharks. It could have been longer but I was the only one jumping in at the end so I agreed to head back to town. I do have to tell you that I believe the last whale shark I jumped in with was very curious of me. I was the only on e in the water and I swear that the thing was following me. We just kept going in circles and circles.
For both tours we had Arturo. He is very knowledgeable about the area and about the sea life. We found out that his girlfriend is a marine biologist and this is where he gets all his information. He is a little crazy but in a good way.
Also before your tour, have breakfast in the place behind the tour office. Sebastian will tell you not to look at the menu and just ask you a bunch of questions to see what to cook. You want american or mexcican? Eggs or no eggs? Hungry or snacky? then he will whip up something for you. If you want he also has «happy butter» for those that need to ease some tension.