evilclown
Contributor
Thanks to all who posted will be heading there in a few weeks.
Best Resort and Dive Operator in "La Paz"
- Thread starter Roddenberry
- Start date
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Just returned from diving with Club Cantamar and I found it a mixed lot. I stayed on site with them. Rooms were basic and clean. That's all I look for in dive lodging. It is most certainy NOT a resort.
Food - Not a stong point. I found it poorly prepared for the most part on land but the lunches on the boats were very good. Perhaps the captains, Jorje in particular, could help out the restaurant staff?? The club is a good 15-20 minutes from La Paz. There is a shuttle that will take you into town in the evenings, but that sets your schedule as well. There is good food available in La Paz, but watch your pockets. The hands in them may not be yours.
The boats were large and reasonably fast. The water was fairly flat, so motion was not an issue. The few times there was some wave action, the boats did move but there were no cases of calling for cars. They seat divers side by side, one tank right next to the other. This is much different from the usual every other tank you may be used to. It makes for a very crowded gearing up time. CF is the term you most often heard with regards to that. They will put 25 - 30 divers on the boat which can lead to a better understanding of the term "cattle boat", although they let you dive your dive with no real limitations.
The Captains were good and very capable; the dive masters were uneven . One, Chu Cho (sp) was very capable and took care of the 25+ divers on the boat. Others were barely competent. They might - or might not - hand you your camera, return your gear to the proper place, rinse camera, and so on. I can, and usually do, take care of my stuff after a dive, but it's nice to know what to expect. No soup for them.
Diving - Not great vis, sometimes down to 20-30 ft. This is, as always the function of weather and I have seen it much better. Luck of the draw. No whale sharks or hammer heads but did have 2 surface encounters with fin whales which was super neat. The sea lions kick ass. Be ready to change your dive plan as the current can come up and can be very tough to swim in. Some very good sized schools of fish, nice diversity, not a lot of coral and certainly different than Caribbean diving.
As for La Paz vs. Cozumel...I'd tell most folks to go Cozumel. Much better vis and San Miguel is a great town to walk around in with good eats. Not as inexpensive as it once was (cruise ships, you know). I have been in the Sea of Cortez before on the Salomar 5 before it changed owners but I doubt I'll go back a 3rd time. Lotsa ocean and so little time.
I have an album of photos posted here as well. click on photos at left and you can see what I found that caught my eye diving there.
Food - Not a stong point. I found it poorly prepared for the most part on land but the lunches on the boats were very good. Perhaps the captains, Jorje in particular, could help out the restaurant staff?? The club is a good 15-20 minutes from La Paz. There is a shuttle that will take you into town in the evenings, but that sets your schedule as well. There is good food available in La Paz, but watch your pockets. The hands in them may not be yours.
The boats were large and reasonably fast. The water was fairly flat, so motion was not an issue. The few times there was some wave action, the boats did move but there were no cases of calling for cars. They seat divers side by side, one tank right next to the other. This is much different from the usual every other tank you may be used to. It makes for a very crowded gearing up time. CF is the term you most often heard with regards to that. They will put 25 - 30 divers on the boat which can lead to a better understanding of the term "cattle boat", although they let you dive your dive with no real limitations.
The Captains were good and very capable; the dive masters were uneven . One, Chu Cho (sp) was very capable and took care of the 25+ divers on the boat. Others were barely competent. They might - or might not - hand you your camera, return your gear to the proper place, rinse camera, and so on. I can, and usually do, take care of my stuff after a dive, but it's nice to know what to expect. No soup for them.
Diving - Not great vis, sometimes down to 20-30 ft. This is, as always the function of weather and I have seen it much better. Luck of the draw. No whale sharks or hammer heads but did have 2 surface encounters with fin whales which was super neat. The sea lions kick ass. Be ready to change your dive plan as the current can come up and can be very tough to swim in. Some very good sized schools of fish, nice diversity, not a lot of coral and certainly different than Caribbean diving.
As for La Paz vs. Cozumel...I'd tell most folks to go Cozumel. Much better vis and San Miguel is a great town to walk around in with good eats. Not as inexpensive as it once was (cruise ships, you know). I have been in the Sea of Cortez before on the Salomar 5 before it changed owners but I doubt I'll go back a 3rd time. Lotsa ocean and so little time.
I have an album of photos posted here as well. click on photos at left and you can see what I found that caught my eye diving there.
bc1954
Registered
Was there in May 0f 08 stayed at Club el Moro had a two bedroom suite even though I was there by myself. It was a timeshare exchange. Was there for a week and dove 2 to 3 dives a day with the Cortez Club. Had a great time the dive masters were very good and I was the only diver with the exception of another couple dove for one day. I stayed away from Cantamar due to the reviews that I read on various websites. I cannot remember what these websites are. It took quite a while to find these websites you really have to do some digging. Back to Club el Moro, it was a nice place with a small outside bar and a restaurant that was open for breakfast and I believe lunch. There are various places to eat in town that are quite good. The dive masters recommended numerous restaurants. If you need specific info leave me a message.
A group of about 6 of us will be heading to La Paz this November. We're all experienced divers. Personally I want the opportunity to do some great diving but I also want to relax and have some good food too. So I'm thinking I want to go with "Cortez Club" for a dive operator and take advantage of one of their package deals.
The two packages differ by only $100 so I'm thinking of going with the "Marina Costa Baja Package" but I wanted to hear from anyone else familiar with that hotel and the other offering: "La Concha Beach Resort".
The other thought is to dive/stay at Club Cantamar. However, I've heard you need to schlep your gear around and take taxis to where the restaurants are.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks.
The two packages differ by only $100 so I'm thinking of going with the "Marina Costa Baja Package" but I wanted to hear from anyone else familiar with that hotel and the other offering: "La Concha Beach Resort".
The other thought is to dive/stay at Club Cantamar. However, I've heard you need to schlep your gear around and take taxis to where the restaurants are.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks.
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