Swimming With Orcas in Mexico: Why the La Ventana Pilot Ended

Short version: for one season, from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026, a government plan allowed limited orca swims at La Ventana. That season is over, we have found no official plan for a new one, and we stay in the boat. Here is the story of the gap, of the experiment that tried to close it, and of why.

A gap in the whale rules

Whale watching in Mexico follows an official standard called NOM-131-SEMARNAT-2010. During whale watching, it forbids fishing, diving and swimming.

But the standard defines “whales” as all baleen whales plus the sperm whale, the only toothed whale on its list. Orcas are toothed whales, the largest members of the dolphin family. So they are not covered.

Journalists called this a loophole. In May 2025, IFLScience reported that tourists were swimming with orcas at La Ventana because the standard names specific species, and orcas are not among them. The same article asked a professor of wildlife conservation who specialises in killer whales for his view. He said: “I have never been in the water with killer whales and would not recommend it.” He added that orcas are unlikely to be openly aggressive to people, but they are big, powerful animals that can cause injury, even by accident, if disturbed.

A gap in the law is not the same as permission.

One season, many careful rules

In August 2025, Mexico’s environment ministry, SEMARNAT, published a model management plan for watching and swimming with orcas in the La Ventana region. The official notice says these activities could happen inside a defined area from 1 August 2025 until 31 July 2026.

It calls the plan “a first exercise” to regulate activities with orcas. It was requested by the communities of La Ventana, El Sargento and Agua Amarga, the state and municipal governments, researchers and the ministry itself.

The rules were detailed. The plan calculated a maximum of 24 permitted boats in one day. Only two boats could stay with the same orca group at a time, for 30 minutes at most. Each boat could send one guide and up to four swimmers into the water.

People had to enter quietly, at least 20 metres from the orcas, and stay together at the surface near the boat. Never diving under the animals, never touching them. Only adults could swim.

Most of the time, the answer was no

Before anyone went in, the guide had to read the group’s behaviour, using a table in the plan. Swimming was not allowed when the orcas were resting, travelling or hunting. It was not allowed with signs of courtship, or if the group showed evasive behaviour, like sudden changes of direction, speed or dive time.

Feeding was a special case. If the orcas were feeding on fish, rays, mobulas or turtles, swimming could be allowed at the guide’s judgement. With prey larger than 2 metres, like dolphins, sea lions or whale sharks, it was not. And if the orcas were hunting dolphins or whales, boats could not even stay to watch.

So even on paper, most situations were a no. A swim was only possible in a narrow moment of calm social behaviour, or of feeding on small prey.

Why did the La Ventana orca pilot end?

The simple answer: it was written with an end date. The plan and its notice give the same dates, for one season only. The plan also asks permit holders to send an annual activity report after the season, so an official review is part of the design.

What happens next is less clear, and the reports do not fully agree. The magazine Scuba Diving added a note saying that from 1 August 2026, swimming with orcas is officially suspended until further notice, pending a government review, but it does not name the official source. Mares de México, writing on the last day of the season, describes the framework as something that should continue and adapt. We have not found an official statement from SEMARNAT that gives a reason, or a published plan for a new season. So we will not guess.

What we can share is what was reported during that first season. Mares de México wrote about videos and images showing up to 35 boats around groups of seven to nine orcas. It also described people trying to touch orcas, swimming to cut across their path, or placing themselves in front of them. The plan allowed two boats per group.

Protected, and still little known

On the IUCN Red List, orcas are listed as Data Deficient. That does not mean they are safe. It means there is not enough information to judge their risk of extinction, and the La Ventana plan notes that this includes the orcas in Mexico.

In Mexico, orcas are also listed under NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 as a species under special protection. Among the main threats, the plan names noise from human activities such as boat traffic. You can learn more on our orca page in the Ocean Atlas.

So what do we do at La Ventana?

Our position is simple. Ocean Calling does not sell, offer or promote swimming with orcas in Mexico, and that includes our La Ventana retreat. If a new official plan appears one day, we will read it carefully, and the rules around resting groups and mothers with calves would have to stay.

For me, the resting formation says everything. When a family puts its calves in the middle, it shows what it needs: quiet, space and time.

What stays open is watching from a boat, at a respectful distance, with a permitted operator. The plan itself is a good guide: slow speeds near the animals, engine in neutral if orcas come close, and leaving the moment they change direction, speed up or dive for longer. I keep my phone in a small roll-top dry bag on these boats, so my hands stay free and my attention stays on the water.

If you see orca swims advertised at La Ventana, ask the operator to show you the current official plan and their permit. If there is none, there is no plan behind that promise. And if you are still looking for the ocean that fits you, our Ocean Match is a gentle place to start.

Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Orca watching should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.

If this made you curious to meet the ocean this way, you can explore our upcoming retreats.

Questions people ask

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.