Finding a ride to the 2024 Solar Eclipse

[WhereToNext]

Hello!

I should start by saying that I barely know what I am asking for, but this seemed like a place to start to learn.

The short version is, there is a solar eclipse coming up in April of 2024, and given average global cloud cover, the best place to see it may be somewhere off the coast of Mazatlan, Mexico. My wife and I, and another couple we like to travel with hit on the idea of trying to find a way to be out there to see it.

We're U.S. citizens, we have small families of (so far) courteous, well mannered, and adventurous kids that will mostly be in the 8 - 13 range. We're not rich by any stretch, but we're flexible, and we have started saving up already.

My first question is, are we out of our minds? Do people even do this? Might we find someone who'd like to take us on for a little while (hours? days? maybe a little more?) to go see the eclipse from the pacific, in exchange for any expenses plus enough to make it worth putting up with us?

My next question is something like what are the questions we should be asking, where, and of whom? We're all divers, so we have some comfort with the ocean, but we know very little of what it takes to captain a boat safely, legally, internationally, etc..

Maybe the answer is 'think of something else'

Thank you!

[ChrisJHC]

5 seconds on Google throws up lots of commercial tour boats operating out of Mazatlan.

I’m sure there would be at least some that would be very happy to take you out for a trip to view the eclipse.

The other options are to undertake sufficient training to go offshore yourselves (you didn’t mention how far offshore you would have to go) and then either buy a suitable boat or hire one.
Probably not a workable solution for a one-off trip.

[WhereToNext]

Yes! I've got emails out to a handful of them already.

Most aren't booking that far out yet on their online calendars.

Totality runs from a thousand miles southwest of Mazatlan up to the great lakes in the U.S., and the very low chance of cloud cover runs through Mexico and out off the coast a few hundred miles maybe, so to be honest, being offshore is a bit of a stunt more than a necessity. Combining a cruise of some kind seemed like a fun way to experience the eclipse.

[japawil]

Originally Posted by WhereToNext

Hello!



I should start by saying that I barely know what I am asking for, but this seemed like a place to start to learn.



The short version is, there is a solar eclipse coming up in April of 2024, and given average global cloud cover, the best place to see it may be somewhere off the coast of Mazatlan, Mexico. My wife and I, and another couple we like to travel with hit on the idea of trying to find a way to be out there to see it.



We're U.S. citizens, we have small families of (so far) courteous, well mannered, and adventurous kids that will mostly be in the 8 - 13 range. We're not rich by any stretch, but we're flexible, and we have started saving up already.



My first question is, are we out of our minds? Do people even do this? Might we find someone who'd like to take us on for a little while (hours? days? maybe a little more?) to go see the eclipse from the pacific, in exchange for any expenses plus enough to make it worth putting up with us?



My next question is something like what are the questions we should be asking, where, and of whom? We're all divers, so we have some comfort with the ocean, but we know very little of what it takes to captain a boat safely, legally, internationally, etc..



Maybe the answer is 'think of something else'



Thank you!

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2024-april-8


Yes, people do this; lots of people.
It’s good that you’re thinking ahead.
Check the above link out, it has a map that shows local times ( very important depending on geography), length of totality at each location and includes historical data of cloud coverage for that day for the last 20 years.

Mazatlan will be an excellent location.
28% chance of clouds historically for that day; off the cost....more like 40% chance.

While you’re jumping the gun a bit (as you’ve found out) concerning reservations this far out, be sure to have things lined up say 6 months in advance at least.

If you are unable to book a cruise, I would suggest getting down there a day or two early, scope out a good place to view it and get to that spot very early and plan on spending the day there.
Then plan on any other activities (diving etc.) either on the days before or after.

We went to see the eclipse in 2017 in Grand Teton NP, the closest place I could find to stay was about 2 hours and 45 min. away in Yellowstone NP.
We left about 3:30 in the morning and it took us about 5 hours with traffic to get to were we parked to see it.

Don’t forget to get your solar eclipse glasses well ahead of time too....they get mighty scarce and pricy months ahead of time.[emoji6]

[NorthCoastJoe]

We went to La Serena Chile to see the eclipse in 2019. It was a big deal there, should be no problem getting on a boat to see it in 2024. It was a state-sponsored national event. Well worth doing, we watched from the beach. People from around the globe there.

Plan early for everything, just renting a car might be difficult due to demand. We got a car because most people could not drive a stick and the reserved car we had was not available, like a reservation canceled without telling us.

We might be out there watching in 2024 too, talk to me then.

[WhereToNext]

Very cool!

We got to see the 2017 eclipse from the middle of nowhere in Wyoming. We started looking for lodging 18 months early and everything was already booked up or 5x normal price. Ended up finding a little church through a friend of a friend that let us park our pop up camper in their parking lot for a couple of nights. I'm not the type to get too worked up about things, but it was absolutely magical. I'm totally hooked.

Thanks very much for all the tips! Looks like I'm pretty early, but I'll keep an eye on the calendar.