Chris Walrod
Contributor
- Messages
- 112
- Reaction score
- 0
- # of dives
- 50 - 99
Just returned from four days in Cabo. We moved our trip back three days due to Hurricane John. Wife and I stayed at the Riu Palace once again.
Arrived Wednesday afternoon. Light rain and a cloudy sky, but nothing terrible. I noticed many of the streets were covered in mud, presumably from storm runoff.
Arrived at the dive shop Manta Divers Thursday am. Was greeted by the usual friendly staff. I asked how the diving had been, and was told improving each day.
Instead of diving The Corridor, we ended-up in the bay very close to the dive shop. At first I was a little disappointed, but in the end I was really pleased given the conditions.
Thursday we dove Pelican Rock first, then The Point or Lands End as some call it.
--Pelican Rock was great! Vis was down around 35, water temps also down around 78F. Splashed by 9am and enjoyed sand falls (just West of PR) and eventually doing laps around PR. Deepest at about 100. We spiraled up throughout the dive, seeing all kinds of cool stuff. I took as many pictures as my batteries allowed.
-- After an hour on top, we headed to our second dive site, the point, the Southern most tip of Baja. On the way, we noticed a school of Manta Rays jumping out of the water! So we hung-out there a little (near Lovers Beach) and enjoyed the show. I managed to capture a few decent shots. Anyhow, we splashed at around 11am near the Sea Lion hangout, hoping to see some in the water. Waited at 30 for 5 minutes, no Sea Lions. We headed South towards Lands End. Water was a bit clearer, but very surgy and thermoclines all over the place. Massive schools of small grunts would block the sunlight. Lots of sea life.
Saturday AM, back at Manta Divers for my second day of diving. I decided to wait a day in between my two days of diving in efforts to allow the water conditions to improve. Again, we planned to dive the bay.
--First dive, Neptunes Finger. Splashed, again at around 9am. Vis improved to around 50 and water temps up to 82-84F! Good dive, but short at 30minutes. Not sure why we surfaced do early as we all had over 1200 psi remaining.??? Saw lots of the usual stuff including some not so usual sitings (at least for me), a large Octopus. He was scurrying around for cover in the rock cracks. Pretty large one. Also saw sea horse, striped sea snake of some sort, but failed to get any real picture of it. It was yellow and black banded.
--Second dive, back to Pelican Rock, which by this point, I really really enjoyed! Water conditions that much better by this point. Longer dive this time, but only 45 minutes. Still dont know why we surfaced so early?? Oh well. At least the water conditions were getting better by the day. Bummer part, we were leaving the next day. Next time!!
A side note I asked to be put on the waiting list for diving the Gordo Banks. Shop needed at least 4 divers to make the trip out. I understand the HammerHeads are in, along with the large Tuna!! Never did go. Again, next time
Pictures to follow, but be kind as I am really new at photography and contiue to learn my camera as well as techniques.
Arrived Wednesday afternoon. Light rain and a cloudy sky, but nothing terrible. I noticed many of the streets were covered in mud, presumably from storm runoff.
Arrived at the dive shop Manta Divers Thursday am. Was greeted by the usual friendly staff. I asked how the diving had been, and was told improving each day.
Instead of diving The Corridor, we ended-up in the bay very close to the dive shop. At first I was a little disappointed, but in the end I was really pleased given the conditions.
Thursday we dove Pelican Rock first, then The Point or Lands End as some call it.
--Pelican Rock was great! Vis was down around 35, water temps also down around 78F. Splashed by 9am and enjoyed sand falls (just West of PR) and eventually doing laps around PR. Deepest at about 100. We spiraled up throughout the dive, seeing all kinds of cool stuff. I took as many pictures as my batteries allowed.
-- After an hour on top, we headed to our second dive site, the point, the Southern most tip of Baja. On the way, we noticed a school of Manta Rays jumping out of the water! So we hung-out there a little (near Lovers Beach) and enjoyed the show. I managed to capture a few decent shots. Anyhow, we splashed at around 11am near the Sea Lion hangout, hoping to see some in the water. Waited at 30 for 5 minutes, no Sea Lions. We headed South towards Lands End. Water was a bit clearer, but very surgy and thermoclines all over the place. Massive schools of small grunts would block the sunlight. Lots of sea life.
Saturday AM, back at Manta Divers for my second day of diving. I decided to wait a day in between my two days of diving in efforts to allow the water conditions to improve. Again, we planned to dive the bay.
--First dive, Neptunes Finger. Splashed, again at around 9am. Vis improved to around 50 and water temps up to 82-84F! Good dive, but short at 30minutes. Not sure why we surfaced do early as we all had over 1200 psi remaining.??? Saw lots of the usual stuff including some not so usual sitings (at least for me), a large Octopus. He was scurrying around for cover in the rock cracks. Pretty large one. Also saw sea horse, striped sea snake of some sort, but failed to get any real picture of it. It was yellow and black banded.
--Second dive, back to Pelican Rock, which by this point, I really really enjoyed! Water conditions that much better by this point. Longer dive this time, but only 45 minutes. Still dont know why we surfaced so early?? Oh well. At least the water conditions were getting better by the day. Bummer part, we were leaving the next day. Next time!!
A side note I asked to be put on the waiting list for diving the Gordo Banks. Shop needed at least 4 divers to make the trip out. I understand the HammerHeads are in, along with the large Tuna!! Never did go. Again, next time
Pictures to follow, but be kind as I am really new at photography and contiue to learn my camera as well as techniques.
