Blue Water World Cup 2026
Blue Water World Cup 2026
Join us for the 20th Anniversary of the Blue Water World Cup, an elite international spearfishing event that combines world-class competition, Baja hospitality, sponsor exposure, and meaningful support for the local community.
This price includes your tournament stay, meals, fishing license, and three days of diving. With this price, you can also bring a non-diver to stay with you for $599 USD.
Welcome to the Blue Water World Cup
Founded in 1999 and hosted at Palapas Ventana since 2006, the Blue Water World Cup has become one of the most respected bluewater spearfishing competitions in the world. Divers come for the competition, the camaraderie, the boats and captains, the sponsor giveaways, and the chance to experience some of Baja’s most productive pelagic water.
Community Impact
Blue Water World Cup is about more than competition. A portion of tournament proceeds goes toward improving local parks and supporting projects that benefit the La Ventana community.
Over the years, tournament support has helped improve local public spaces, including “Los Buzos” Park. Our goal for 2026 is to contribute $3,000 USD back into our local community through this event.
Event Video
Event Gallery
Tournament Package
What’s Included
- 4 nights accommodation in ensuite A/C casitas
- All meals from the daily set menu
- Tournament entry fee
- Local fishing license included for contest dates
- 3 full days of diving with knowledgeable local captains
- Sport fishing pangas, weights, and tournament logistics
- Welcome dinner, farewell dinner, awards, and sponsor table festivities
- Up to $2500 USD in potential prize money
Additional Notes
- Non-diver add-on: bring a non-diver to stay with you for $599 USD
- Alcohol and gratuities are not included
- Airport shuttle service is available
- Boats are assigned by nightly lottery for fairness
- Each boat carries a maximum of 3 contestants
Schedule & Duration of Contest
- June 25–29, 2026: Official meet dates
- Competition dive days: June 26, 27, and 28, 2026
- June 25: Arrival shuttles, casita check-ins, welcome dinner, team/sponsor/rules strategy overview
- June 26: First competitive dive day starts early a.m.
- June 27: Second competitive dive day starts early a.m.
- June 28: Third competitive dive day starts early a.m., farewell dinner, final fish count, donations presented to local mayor for parks, winners announced with award checks, sponsor table giveaways and prizes
- June 29: Breakfast and departure shuttles to airport
Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsors are part of the event experience from the moment divers arrive through awards night. Your brand is featured not just on our social media channels, but on those of our divers as well, helping extend your reach organically through authentic event coverage, photos, stories, tags, and shared results.
We welcome brand partners who want to be part of the tournament through gear support, prize support, raffle items, cash sponsorship, or branded giveaways.
| Sponsor Level | Contribution | Support Ideas | Brand Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | $2,000 USD | Premium prize support, high-value gear, raffles, top-level branded giveaways | Largest logo placement, event mentions, digital promotion, 3 event lycra shirts |
| Silver | $1,000 USD | Category prizes, branded gear packages, swag, mid-tier giveaways | Strong logo placement, event mentions, 2 event lycra shirts |
| Bronze | $500 USD | Raffle items, gift cards, accessories, soft goods, product bundles | Logo placement on event materials, event mentions, 1 event lycra shirt |
| In-Kind / Featured Sponsor | Product or service support | Useful gear, apparel, travel support, media support, raffle support | Featured sponsor recognition based on contribution level and placement availability |
Interested in sponsoring?
Email: contact@palapasventana.com
Mailing address for sponsor prizes:
Tim Hatler / LV / BWWC
9785 Marconi Drive
Suite U
San Diego, CA 92154
The Rules
Diving Rules
- Divers must be freediving when they spear and land their catch. Artificial breathing devices must not be used to retrieve fish.
- All divers must carry valid local fishing licenses in the boat for the period of the contest. If spearfishing outside the dates of competition, an additional license is required.
- Divers must propel themselves unassisted and without motors.
- Diver must remain in the water and unassisted until the fish is subdued.
- Diver must pull the fish to the surface while remaining in the water. Once the fish is subdued and at the surface, someone may gaff it and bring it into the boat.
- Diver must remain in the water at all times while playing a fish. If contact is lost, contact must be re-established while remaining in the water.
- No assistance may be provided except by other divers or by persons out of the water to inform the diver of the location of the fish or float.
- Additional spear guns may be handed unloaded to the diver capturing the fish; they must then be loaded by that diver to place a second or third shot.
- Fish must be free swimming and unrestricted by nets, traps, fishing lines, or other devices.
- Fish must not be in an artificial environment such as penned bays or close proximity to fish nets.
- Fish mutilated by anything other than the spearfishing equipment of the applicant are not allowed.
Diving Rules Cont’d
- Scoring is on an individual basis. Trophies and prizes will be awarded to the top 3 plus biggest fish. Cash prizes for 1st and 2nd place individuals. Team scores may be announced, but prizes and cash go to individuals.
- Flashers and chum are permitted, but motorized or drone flashers are not allowed.
- Divers are prohibited from targeting fish on another team’s flashers or chum slick.
- Species that may be used for chum are sardines, anchovies, mackerel, ballyhoo, green jacks, pilot fish, and needle fish.
- Chum may be thrown by the diver or captain, purchased, captured with cast nets by captains, or speared by the diver.
- No team shall spend more than $45 USD per day on chum.
- Divers may not use any fish on the tournament species list for chum, and may not shoot any fish on the target species list for chum.
- Jack Crevalle, Milkfish, and Skipjack speared by divers must be entered in the tournament and, because they cannot be sold for charity, will be marked and may be chummed the following day.
- If you want a fish to count toward a world record, you must follow the rules of the sanctioning agency, including IBSRC and IUSA requirements.
- Loaded guns may not be kept in the boat — no exceptions.
- Pangas will cross between the start line buoys no earlier than 7am and must cross between the finish line buoys by 4pm. No fish on late boats will be weighed for competitors or captains.
- No boats shall leave the beach until all boats are present and capable of loading divers.
- Official time shall be by GPS and checked every morning at the divers meeting before loading.
Equipment
- Spear guns must be loaded by the contestant with muscle power only. No assistance, explosive, or compressed power is allowed.
- Terminal gear: reels, trail lines, and floats are allowed. Each diver must have a visible float.
- A float is to be towed by each competitor — no exceptions.
- A sheathed knife is to be carried by each competitor during competition hours.
- Each contestant’s float and knife must be presented at the signing-on area each morning before the day’s event if requested.
- Powerheads, and the importation of powerheads into Mexico, are strictly forbidden.
Locality
- The area covers from 5 miles north of La Reina to 5 miles south of Ensenada de Los Muertos, including the “88”.
- A map will be handed to all contestants and discussed on site at the pre-competition meeting.
- Any off-limits areas will be discussed during the pre-competition meeting.
- All boats available on meet dates will be sport fishing pangas with local fishing captains provided.
- Boats will be fairly comparable in speed and each boat carries a maximum of 3 contestants to maximize safe surface supervision.
- Each night a lottery will allocate boats and captains for the next day so there is no preference for boat or captain.
Fish Count Rules
- 5 total fish per day per diver
- You can only shoot 2 fish of a pelagic species per day — for example, if you shoot 2 wahoo, you are done with wahoo for that day
- You may only shoot one billfish for the entire tournament
- You may only shoot one reef fish for the entire tournament
Pelagic Species List
This meet targets pelagic fish generally abundant in less than 20 meters of water. Minimum length is 24 inches from longest part of fork to longest part of closed mouth for all eligible fish unless otherwise noted below. Each competitor may shoot no more than 1 of each listed species per day, while still observing the 5 fish total per day rule. Divers may take only one billfish during the entire tournament.
- Yellowfin Tuna / Atun de aleta amarilla (Thunnus albacares)
- Dolphinfish Mahi Mahi / Dorado (Coryphaena hippurus)
- Wahoo (Acanthocybium solanderi)
- Yellowtail / Jurel de aleta amarilla (Seriola lalandei)
- Striped Bonito / Bonita (Sarda orientalis)
- Black Skipjack / Barrilete (Euthynnus lineatus)
- AmberJack / Almaco Jack / Pez Fuerte (Seriola rivoliana)
- Pacific Sierra / Sierra (Scomberomorus sierra)
- Rooster Fish / Pez Gallo (Nematistius pectoralis)
- All billfish, marlin and sailfish (blue, black, striped, or sail)
- Milkfish / Lison (Chanos chanos)
- Jack Crevalle / Toro (Caranx hippos)
- Mexican Barracuda (Sphyraena ensis) — 20 inches
- Golden Trevally / Palometta (Gnathanodon speciosus) — 20 inches
- Big Eye Trevally / Bonito (Caranx sexfasciatus) — 20 inches
- Blue Trevally / Pompano Azul (Carangoides ferdau) — 20 inches
- Rainbow Runner / Anahi (Elagatis bipinnulata) — 20 inches
- African Pompano / Pompano Africano (Alectis ciliaris) — 20 inches
- Rainbow Chub / Chopa Castilla (Sectador ocyurus) — 14 inches
- Red Snapper / Huachinango (Lutjanus peru) — 14 inches
Past Champions
Additional board notes: 2024 Best Service – Yoni · 2025 Best Service – Juan Canchola
Why Divers and Sponsors Love This Event
International Divers Community Impact Local Captains Brand Exposure Cash & Gear Prizes Pelagic ActionBlue Water World Cup is more than a tournament. It is a full event experience with serious diving, a strong sponsor presence, meaningful local impact, and broad social visibility through Palapas Ventana and the participating divers themselves.
Registration & Contact
Entry: $1,800 USD per diver
Non-diver add-on: $599 USD
Email: contact@palapasventana.com
Call/Text: 310-594-DIVE
We are Baja’s Favorite Salt Water Adventure Resort!
For resort reservations and booking information, please email contact@palapasventana.com. We were featured on the BBC!
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