World’s Greatest Diving Spots

Los Islotes, La Paz, Mexico

Where It Is: At the northern end of the Espiritu Santos islands, a group of islands dotting the waters in the Bay of La Paz, Los Islotes is a pair of craggy islets home to a large colony of California sea lions. The Espiritu Santos Islands is a National Marine Park in the Sea of Cortez.

What to Look for: The main scuba objective at Los Islotes is a swim with the resident sea lions, which bark, lounge, and dwell in a gap between the rocky islets. The animals are accustomed enough to the presence of divers, says Luke Inman, a professional underwater cinematographer who regularly dives there, that they’ve become “almost domesticated.” Swimming among the playful and curious lions, Inman says, is “akin to jumping into a big bucket of Labrador puppies.”