Backed by funding giant Citigroup Property Investors, the company aimed to convert a 3200-acre property on the Sea of Cortez into 6, 000 sustainable residences.

FORBES: Will Loreto, Mexico Be One Of The World's Most Sustainable Urban Destinations?

The same boats also compete to bring tourists out to the famous natural stone arch where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez meet.

BBC: Driving from the top to the tip of Baja California

The ZSL work is being undertaken in the Sea of Cortez (also known as the Gulf of California), where sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) gather in large numbers.

BBC: How do you breathalyse a whale?

About 275km further south, after Highway 1 swings east towards the Sea of Cortez, the road reaches the town of Loreto, home to some of the most beautiful and unspoilt beaches in Baja.

BBC: Driving from the top to the tip of Baja California

Most visitors venture out with operators like Baja Paradise to see the whale sharks who live in the Sea of Cortez year round, or travel to the pink cliffs on the nearby island of Espiritu Santo, home to a colony of sea lions.

BBC: Driving from the top to the tip of Baja California