Swimming with killer whales

A sperm whale prepares to dive deep into the open ocean near Skjervoy, Norway, Jan. 20, 2026. Only two places in the world allow tourists to enter the water with the ocean’s apex predator. But the safety of both species is a growing concern. (Meghan Dhaliwal/The New York Times)

IN the turquoise waters off La Ventana, a sleepy coastal town on Mexico’s Baja peninsula, Claudio Rios, 41, monitored the radio of a fishing boat. It was late March.

His eyes scanned the horizon, one hand loose on the wheel as the Sea of Cortez swayed beneath him.