La Ventana, Baja California Sur · 28 June – 3 July 2027
I've spent three years in Mexico, and Baja is unmatched. Six days on the Sea of Cortez: safaris, desert walks, yoga, cacao ceremonies, and a hotel that's ours for the week. Join me.
Everything's taken care of
The number you see is the number you pay.
Your room, every meal cooked by our own chef, airport pickup and drop-off from Los Cabos or La Paz, three days on the water, all your freediving gear, yoga and coaching, and underwater photos of you every day: it's all in the price. No gear to rent, no activity fees, nothing to sort out along the way.
You bring yourself and a swimsuit.
You'll just need your flights and your travel insurance.
Most retreats quote a number and add the rest on top. Not this one. The price you see is the whole thing.
The invitation
You don't need to be brave or experienced. You only need to be able to swim, and to be curious.
Six days where the desert runs into the Sea of Cortez. Three of them on the water: sea safaris, out wide, looking for whatever the sea is doing that week. The rest is yoga, breathwork, desert walks, a cacao ceremony, long evenings together, and more.
I talk to every guest before they book, so the week is right for you and for the group.
Every photo on this page is the real thing: the place we take over, and the water we'll be out on. Nothing is stock, nothing is AI, and nothing is a picture of somewhere similar.
Where we'll be
A rooftop of hammocks facing the water, a kitchen that's ours, cactus out the front and the beach a two-minute walk away. A private chef cooking for us all week. Proper rooms, private bathrooms, air conditioning, and somewhere good to sit at every hour of the day.
One day from the week
| 06:30 | Breakfast before the sun gets going |
| 07:00 | Out on the boat |
| 07:30 | Sea safari — looking for mobulas, sea lions, dolphins, whatever the sea is doing that day |
| 13:00 | Lunch on board |
| 15:00 | Back in. Showers, food, and the rest of the afternoon is yours. |
| 18:00 | Yoga as it cools |
| 19:30 | Dinner, then a group activity. |
Times are a guide. The ocean sets the clock.
What the week is made of
Movement that opens the chest and ribs, breathwork that feeds straight back into your dives, and restorative work that lets the body absorb three days in the water.
We begin with an easy coached session in Bay of Dreams. Then we head out for two proper sea safaris, following what's moving through the Sea of Cortez. On the final boat day, we also spend time on the line before continuing the safari.
Life runs on it and almost nobody notices theirs. Freediving is the practice of noticing. We work on it underwater, where you can feel it happening. It doesn't stay there.
One day inland. A walk into the cactus forest before the heat, hours that belong to you, a guided ice bath in the afternoon, and a cacao ceremony in the evening.
Who we might meet
The Sea of Cortez was called the aquarium of the world. UNESCO counts 39% of all the world's marine mammal species here, and a third of its whales and dolphins.
The sea is at its busiest at this time of year. Big fish, turtles, whales, rays, and plenty more moving through on its way somewhere else.
Dolphins, often in numbers, and summer is the best of the year for them. Sea lions, here all summer, loud and completely unbothered by us. Whales are around at this time of year — sperm, Bryde's and pilot whales, with the odd humpback still moving through. Rays, often in schools. Turtles on the rocky reef.
The week
Fly in and we'll pick you up, and drive you to La Ventana. Check in and settle. Dinner together as it goes dark, and afterwards some easy freediving theory. How it actually works, and the breathing that goes with it.
An early breakfast, then down to the Bay of Dreams before the day heats up. Shallow water, coached line work, and a first proper look at the Sea of Cortez. Back by lunch. Yoga at sunset, then dinner.
Out early for a full day on the Sea of Cortez. We cover ground and follow what's moving. Lunch on board, back mid-afternoon. Yoga in the evening, then dinner out in town.
A rest day from the water. Out early to walk into the cactus forest while it's still cool, then back for breakfast. Guided ice baths around midday, and an afternoon that's yours. Dinner back at the house, and a cacao ceremony at night.
Early breakfast and out again, and by now you know the boat. Coached line training first while everyone's fresh, then safari and lunch on board. Sunset yoga, then a campfire dinner.
Morning yoga, breakfast, and goodbyes, then the shuttle to the airport.
These are the things we'll do, not an exact schedule. Enough going on, and plenty of time to yourself.
Why these dates
I chose late June and early July for warm water, visibility that runs from 50 to 100 feet, and fewer boats than during the busiest mobula weeks. It's the front end of the season divers rate highest here, when the water is warmest and the big animals are moving.
Hot on land, lovely at night, and you're in the water for most of it anyway.
Your hosts
Your host · Certified traveller · Molchanovs advanced freediving instructor
I've spent years following my curiosity around the world, often ending up somewhere I hadn't planned to go. The ocean has become a big part of that, and freediving is one of the ways I've learned to feel at home in it. In Baja, I'll teach you and dive alongside you, sharing the kind of travel I love: getting out there, staying open to what we find, and experiencing it together.
Co-host · To be announced
She's a highly qualified teacher with plenty of experience leading retreats, and someone I know and trust. I'll introduce her here once it's confirmed.
Up to ten guests · A small group, put together with care
Come on your own or bring someone. I talk with everyone before they book, so the group feels right for all of us. If you book the shared room on your own, I'll pair you with someone of the same gender, and you'll each have your own bed. If you're travelling together, just tell me.
Is this for you
This week is built for people who have never done it before, and it works just as well for divers who already have a certification. You need to be able to swim, and to be curious. Everything else is what we're here to teach you.
The rooms
Each room has its own private bathroom and air conditioning. There's only one shared room.
| Room | Early bird |
|---|---|
| Private king | $2,630then $2,780 |
| Private queen | $2,330then $2,480 |
| Shared queen (two beds) | $2,080then $2,230 |
Questions people ask
No. Come for the boat days, the yoga, the desert and the town. There's an intro to freediving for anyone who wants it, and one of the best places on earth to snorkel for anyone who doesn't.
Most people haven't. We start on land, then the shallow bay, then deeper water, at whatever pace suits you. And if you decide partway through that it isn't for you, snorkel alongside us and you'll see the same things from the surface.
Most people do. Most of the rooms are private, and you won't be on your own for long.
Yes — the shared room has two separate queen beds. Tell me when you apply and I'll put you together.
Ten people, most travelling on their own, all curious about the ocean. I talk to every one of them before they book.
Nothing in the ocean is promised. But I’ve never heard of a sea safari coming back having seen nothing. This is one of the busiest times of year out there, and we go for whatever the sea is doing that day.
Warm, around 80 to 85°F. Your wetsuit and all your gear are included.
However deep you want to. Whether it's one metre or ten, it's about how curious you get about yourself on the way down.
Hot in the day, into the nineties, and lovely at night. You're in the water for most of it anyway, there's shade everywhere, and every room has air conditioning.
This part of it, yes. La Ventana is a small, quiet town, and I'm with you the whole week.
We have a private chef with us all week, cooking every meal for the group. Fresh, local, plenty of it. We’ll talk before you book to make sure it works for you — gluten-free, vegan, whatever you need, we’ll make it happen.
Plenty. Afternoons are slow, and one whole day is yours apart from a morning walk, a yoga session and the evening together.
Yes, it's required, and it needs to cover snorkelling and freediving. Travel and medical cover too. Ask me and I'll point you at a couple of options.
Ten spots
Fill in the form I sent with this brochure. It tells me who you are and what you're after, so by the time we talk I already know.
I read every one myself and come back to you to set up a call. We'll see if it's a good fit for both of us, you can ask me anything, and you can tell me what room works for you.
A $500 deposit holds your spot, and it's fully refundable until the retreat is confirmed. Once enough people have booked for it, I'll lock in the accommodation, talk to the boat captains, and confirm the retreat. From then on deposits are non-refundable, and I'll let you know the moment it happens. If it isn't confirmed by the end of October 2026, I'll refund every deposit in full.
Please don't book flights or take time off work until the retreat is confirmed. If you can't make it after that, find someone to take your spot and you'll get your money back in full.
Every photo on this page was taken at the place we're staying in, on the beach below it, or out on the Sea of Cortez.
The ocean decides. We go where the conditions and the animals take us, and no encounter can be promised. Weather can move a day around.
Scheduled round-trip group transfers from Los Cabos (SJD) or La Paz (LAP) airports are included. Pickup times will be shared before guests book flights; travel outside those times is self-arranged.
Not included: flights, travel insurance, alcohol.