Cabo Pulmo - dive site restrictions/limitations.

[kumimonster]

I'm writing this as my bag is half-packed and almost ready for the drive back to the airport after week of diving in Cabo Pulmo again. I'm not pleased about it but I gotta get back to the grind so I can come back!

Since my last visit in January, a new system has been implemented to limit divers and boats on each of the dive sites here. I believe it started a month ago or so.

Each day, DMs put in their reservation requests to visit particular sites in the park and around which time they plan on diving. There's a set number of divers allowed at a single dive site (not including the DM) and this count is reset each week. The week starts on Tuesday. And of course, there's a time limit set for each dive.

So for example if you fly/drive/paddle/crawl in on Monday and dive on Tuesday you will probably have a nice selection of sites to choose from. However if you arrive on Saturday and dive on Sunday then you won't have much of a selection. It seems at this point many boats end up heading to Los Frailes for the sites just outside of park boundaries where there are no limitations (but a further boat ride).

Also, if you go out for a two tank morning, then only one of the more popular sites in the park can be visited (ie. Los Morros, El Bajo, El Barco, etc.) and then you have to dive a "lesser" option (La Esperanza, Casitas, Islote).

 

[elgoog]

The weekly reset sounds like a good change. When we were there last year in October, it was monthly.
Did they mention how the reservations are handled to ensure "fairness"? I recall that dive boats hitting the same site had to be staggered by 15-20min - did you ever see a case where a desired site was off limits for the entire day?

 

[kumimonster]

Howdy!

I think they all decided that weekly is a lot more fair than monthly.
The dive boats that can go to the major sites are limited to 2 or 3 but I know on one of my last days there the captain called in about 3-4 boats that were circling around the ball of jacks and only 2 boats had reservations that were fast approaching descent time. (Some of these boats were snorkelers and some included divers). I think the reservations are usually set a bit closer to the 45 or 50 minute dive time limit. We definitely did not go into the water too early if we got to a site a little ahead of time.


I know on our little panga there were questions concerning liveaboards and how they usually promise 4-5 dives for their guests which means they end up taking a LOT of spots in a single day. Obviously they don't cruise into the marine park itself but use smaller zodiac type vessels. Some of the shops seem to think they deserve preferential bookings and I think I side with them as well.

On Sunday I ended up taking the last single spot at the wreck for a late afternoon dive. It was pretty much closed because the chances some idiot would end up paying for 2 divers just to do a single tank dive would be close to nothing. *cough*
So yeah, this idiot ended up diving the wreck since no one in my group did all week and I just *had* to go.
I've got to say, the late afternoon quickly turned into evening and it was pretty much turned into a night dive and really a nice albeit pricier experience

On Monday we headed to Los Frailes because all of the major sites were closed - El Barco, Los Morros, El Bajo - I think these were pretty much closed by Saturday afternoon actually. The only ones really open were La Esperanza and the smaller snorkeling sites and the Sea Lion colony.

*edited cuz grammar stuffs

 

[elgoog]

The dive boats that can go to the major sites are limited to 2 or 3

2 or 3 a day? That sounds super limiting. I remember they told us it being 2 per hour.

I know on one of my last days there the captain called in about 3-4 boats that were circling around the ball of jacks and only 2 boats had reservations that were fast approaching descent time.

Interesting. I'd imagined with the reservation system you would know before hand which sites you would be going to. Almost sounds like you can try to swap on the fly with other boats.

We definitely did not go into the water too early if we got to a site a little ahead of time.

This may be a good thing for the 2nd dive since I felt like we were rushed into the water without a great SI when we were there. I figured it was because they were trying to get back in time for the afternoon dive.

Eh, I guess I'll find out later this year

 

[kumimonster]

2 or 3 a day? That sounds super limiting. I remember they told us it being 2 per hour.


Interesting. I'd imagined with the reservation system you would know before hand which sites you would be going to. Almost sounds like you can try to swap on the fly with other boats.


This may be a good thing for the 2nd dive since I felt like we were rushed into the water without a great SI when we were there. I figured it was because they were trying to get back in time for the afternoon dive.

Eh, I guess I'll find out later this year

I could really be mistaken about the 2 or 3 a day. But I know it didn't seem like a larger figure.

With making reservations, the DM would head over to the hut and put in their request that morning before heading out. They also have to state how many divers are on the boat and which time slot they'd prefer. The reason why they were so many boats at the one site is because they were simply not following the rules - hence the captain reporting them (and taking photos too).

I'm certainly jealous. I want to go back! Now!!!

 

[itziar]

This october was a monthly reset.

 

[kumimonster]

This october was a monthly reset.

Yes, I heard that it started monthly but then the local shops complained that it wasn't very fair so it moved to a weekly system.

I guess it's all about protecting what's there though!

 

[Drewpy]

How was the diving outside of the park? Notice a drop in life?
I went for the first time last year...so much cheaper and convenient from the BA than Yucatan.The 3hr ns flight can't be beat, we had a great time and then did a day of diving in La Paz ( looong boat ride) and got to swim (snorkel)with the whale sharks which was epic!

 

[kumimonster]

How was the diving outside of the park? Notice a drop in life?
I went for the first time last year...so much cheaper and convenient from the BA than Yucatan.The 3hr ns flight can't be beat, we had a great time and then did a day of diving in La Paz ( looong boat ride) and got to swim (snorkel)with the whale sharks which was epic!

When we went to dive in Los Frailes for the day there was a difference in life, but not that much. We saw a reef shark and a turtle on the canyon dive but there was nothing like the giant tornado of jacks we saw the day before. That canyon dive that goes well over 100 feet is going to be a short one however we dove this other site and it was gorgeous, shallow, and lasted close to over an hour if i recall. And that's the one where I started to spot nudies too. Being out of the park removes the time restrictions! But still, the area is really nice, and just a little bit further south than the sea lion colony!

I hope to head up to La Paz for a try on my next visit. Also, if you head over to Cabo San Lucas, the dive sites there have changed quite a bit since the hurricane hit over a couple of years ago. (The wreck near the arches has really been uncovered quite a bit!)

 

[Drewpy]

Excellent! That canyon sounds pretty cool.
I agree those Jacks are a mind bender..never have seen anything like it!

LP diving was just ok..it seemed devoid of life compared to CP. The island of Espiritu Santo is beautiful though and worth a trip (next time we will stay and camp overnight) but the snorkeling with the whale sharks was incredible. If you ever go I highly recommend this outfit-he is a Marine Biologist from the UK and is involved in tracking/identifying them.He might have you take pics as they try to identify and log them by their spot patterns
whalesharkdiaries@gmail.com 612-197-5824 local cell

Just curious..where in the BA are you? (I'm in the Walnut Creek area)