The island of Cerralvo, located in the Sea of Cortez, has been renamed Jacques Cousteau island.

The Sea of Cortez (also known as the Gulf of California), which separates the Baja Peninsula from the Mexican mainland, is a unique corner of the Pacific Ocean. Five million years ago, the Sea of Cortez did not exist. How did it form? The answer lies in the piece of the Mid-Ocean Ridge called the East Pacific Rise. The northernmost part of the East Pacific Rise runs along the Mexican coast. About five million years ago, this segment of the East Pacific Rise began to spread. As a result, a thin sliver of continental crust in western Mexico started to rift apart. The shallow sea that formed is now the Gulf of California. It is now home to nearly 900 species of fish and the widest variety of whales and dolphins found anywhere on earth. Jacques Cousteau spent many years exploring these incredible waters.

The Sea of Cortez can be explored from Loreto, La Paz or Los Cabos.
Loreto is home to Baja’s marine national park, Parque Marino Nacional Bahia de Loreto. Its 2065sq kms of shoreline, ocean and offshore islands in the Sea of Cortez are home to dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles, blue whales, humpback whales and other marine animals.
La Paz, located on the largest bay of the Sea of Cortez, ows its foundation, by the conquistador Hernan Cortes, to the abundance of pearls in nearby waters. Nowadays La Paz is a peaceful place with beautiful beaches, a palm-lined malecon, some colonial buildings, and spectacular sunsets over the bay. A boat excursion to the island of Espiritu Santo – its desert landscape and reddish limestone cliffs contrasting with a turquoise blue sea – is home to playful sea lions one can snorkel with.