I separated this report from another I wrote "Diving Cabo San Lucas the Next Couple Days", because it is not the same place and it deserves its own attention. From the other report I arrived in Cabo San Lucas Sept 16, with intentions to dive locally, Gordo Banks, and Cabo Pulmo or with Seecreatures, same owner as Nautilus Liveaboards. Made arrangements with Armando the manager from Seecreatures for all of these dives. Unfortunately Gordo Banks dives were not completed, but Cabo Plumo did get accomplished.
Cabo Plumo is a Mexican National Marine Park, no take zone. Established in 1995, with all fishing completely banned in 2000. Estimates are biomass has increased 460% over the time it has become a no take zone. Truly a national treasure for Mexico.
Cabo Plumo is a two hour ride northeast of Cabo San Lucas. For the dives we did we left Cabo San Lucas at 0530 in the morning arrived at 0730 in the morning. There is not much to Cabo Plumo itself some dive shops, some restaurants, and some bungalows. The diving this time of year is awesome. However because of the threat of tropical storms and hurricanes it is the low season, or not visited that much this time of year. So fewer divers to deal with. There are popular dive sites and less popular dive sites. The Marine Park office does a lottery every morning. Dive boats are assigned a popular spot and less popular spot. I am not sure it actually worked that way for us, because there were not many dive boats going out.
There is not boat ramp or dock. Scuba gear is loaded into the panga and set up for diving by the diveguides, in our case Irene and Nallely. Divers walk to the boat launching area, a rock sand beach and climb aboard the panga. Panga is launched backwards into the surf. Coming back divers jump off the boat in the surf, leaving dive gear on the boat. Boat is hauled back out, and dive gear removed back at the shop.
First dive site we attended was El Bajo, or close to El Bajo where the "Fish Tornado" made up of a school Bigeye Trevally takes up residence. Max depth 60ft average depth 45ft, visibility about 100ft, temp a steady 86f through the water column. North current moved us along a rock formation with schools Golden Snappers and Yellow Snappers. In between were large Dog Snappers 3ft long and larger Gulf Groupers. About a half way through the dive, dive guide Nallely took east over the sand. A short swim and we were in the midst of the "Fish Tornado". As a bonus there was a Roosterfish swimming around the outskirts of the tornado. We spent twenty minutes on the "Fish Tornado" neither my images or videos can really do justice to that observation. Just an awesome sight.
Next dive was El Vencedor a wreck where the Bull Sharks are known to hangout. I asked Nallely about the number of Bull Sharks. Sometimes none, as many as 45. We had two which could be seen immediately from the surface. Current was relatively strong. Strategy is to stay put in the sand and allow the sharks to circle around. Which they did, but in our case only making a few close passes. The most biomass on this site was the Graybar Grunts, hundreds of them. We stayed in the vicinity of the wreck not moving too much for forty minutes. When it was clear the sharks were no longer in the vicinity we moved around the wreck a bit and surfaced.
Respectively, Bigeye Trevally, Fish Tornado, Graybar Grunts, Diveguide Irene behind a wall of Graybar Grunts, more Graybar Grunts.
Cabo Plumo is a Mexican National Marine Park, no take zone. Established in 1995, with all fishing completely banned in 2000. Estimates are biomass has increased 460% over the time it has become a no take zone. Truly a national treasure for Mexico.
Cabo Plumo is a two hour ride northeast of Cabo San Lucas. For the dives we did we left Cabo San Lucas at 0530 in the morning arrived at 0730 in the morning. There is not much to Cabo Plumo itself some dive shops, some restaurants, and some bungalows. The diving this time of year is awesome. However because of the threat of tropical storms and hurricanes it is the low season, or not visited that much this time of year. So fewer divers to deal with. There are popular dive sites and less popular dive sites. The Marine Park office does a lottery every morning. Dive boats are assigned a popular spot and less popular spot. I am not sure it actually worked that way for us, because there were not many dive boats going out.
There is not boat ramp or dock. Scuba gear is loaded into the panga and set up for diving by the diveguides, in our case Irene and Nallely. Divers walk to the boat launching area, a rock sand beach and climb aboard the panga. Panga is launched backwards into the surf. Coming back divers jump off the boat in the surf, leaving dive gear on the boat. Boat is hauled back out, and dive gear removed back at the shop.
First dive site we attended was El Bajo, or close to El Bajo where the "Fish Tornado" made up of a school Bigeye Trevally takes up residence. Max depth 60ft average depth 45ft, visibility about 100ft, temp a steady 86f through the water column. North current moved us along a rock formation with schools Golden Snappers and Yellow Snappers. In between were large Dog Snappers 3ft long and larger Gulf Groupers. About a half way through the dive, dive guide Nallely took east over the sand. A short swim and we were in the midst of the "Fish Tornado". As a bonus there was a Roosterfish swimming around the outskirts of the tornado. We spent twenty minutes on the "Fish Tornado" neither my images or videos can really do justice to that observation. Just an awesome sight.
Next dive was El Vencedor a wreck where the Bull Sharks are known to hangout. I asked Nallely about the number of Bull Sharks. Sometimes none, as many as 45. We had two which could be seen immediately from the surface. Current was relatively strong. Strategy is to stay put in the sand and allow the sharks to circle around. Which they did, but in our case only making a few close passes. The most biomass on this site was the Graybar Grunts, hundreds of them. We stayed in the vicinity of the wreck not moving too much for forty minutes. When it was clear the sharks were no longer in the vicinity we moved around the wreck a bit and surfaced.
Respectively, Bigeye Trevally, Fish Tornado, Graybar Grunts, Diveguide Irene behind a wall of Graybar Grunts, more Graybar Grunts.
