Cabo Pulmo - Warning about Pepe!

[colonelchuck]

Last summer my son and I dove with Pepe's "dive shop" in Cabo Pulmo. His web site suggests reservations which I made via the sites link. I paid $60 via pay pal and was surprised to find tha my reservations were off by a day when I got there. All worked out and we had 3 days of good diving with Roberto - who was running the shop in the absence of Pepe (he does not seem to really be there much).

Last week, I arrived back in Cabo Pulmo, having again made reservations, to find that I and 7 other folks had reservations and we were all going to get in the boat together. That was a tight fit, but we went out with the new divemaster - a young woman from Israel. She had been on scene for 6 days and seemed pretty unsure of what was going on. We spent much of the first dive sitting on the bottom waiting for her to get everybody organized. On the second dive she sent us up with over 1000 lbs of air, causing us to miss the passage of about 45 Sting Rays which passed below during our safety stop.

One fellow rented gear from Pepe's. His inflator stuck and he lost the first dive. On the second dive, the divemaster gave him her BC, but made no effort to make sure it fit or that he was fully checked out on using it. Several of us checked him out as best we could in a very crowded boat. Two other fellows reserved and were promised a three tank dive. It didn't happen - they were in the boat with the rest of us and the "shop" refused to return their deposit when they were unable to provide the 3 tank dive.

Bottom line:
* Don't expect to see old Pepe
* Don't expect your reservation to ensure a place on the boat or get you what you asked for.
* Don't expect your divemaster to show you the wonders of Cabo Pulmo until she learns them
* Don't expect first class equipment or much sympathy when what you have does not work.

 

[WaterWayne]

Gosh, Chuck, that's disheartening, and borderline dangerous, in addition to infuriating. Having thoroughly enjoyed my own dives through Pepe's this past Sep, I was looking forward to doing it again. The other local Cabo Pulmo operator prefers to cater to the CSL cruise-ship crowds, from what I heard, probably explaining why they didn't even bother to respond to an email query from a solo diver. Now it seems I'll have to fill in a crowd on a van coming up from CSL, probably through Land's End Divers. All the shops that make the van trip to Cabo Pulmo require a mininum number. That leaves a single traveler or couple subject to either a trip cancellation, or being part of a herd. Pity that Pepe's efforts to establish and maintain the marine park don't extend to maintaining a good dive operation. Primitive can be fun, unprofessional never is.

 

[Mo2vation]

Last summer my son and I dove with Pepe's "dive shop" in Cabo Pulmo. His web site suggests reservations which I made via the sites link. I paid $60 via pay pal and was surprised to find tha my reservations were off by a day when I got there. All worked out and we had 3 days of good diving with Roberto - who was running the shop in the absence of Pepe (he does not seem to really be there much).

Last week, I arrived back in Cabo Pulmo, having again made reservations, to find that I and 7 other folks had reservations and we were all going to get in the boat together. That was a tight fit, but we went out with the new divemaster - a young woman from Israel. She had been on scene for 6 days and seemed pretty unsure of what was going on. We spent much of the first dive sitting on the bottom waiting for her to get everybody organized. On the second dive she sent us up with over 1000 lbs of air, causing us to miss the passage of about 45 Sting Rays which passed below during our safety stop.

One fellow rented gear from Pepe's. His inflator stuck and he lost the first dive. On the second dive, the divemaster gave him her BC, but made no effort to make sure it fit or that he was fully checked out on using it. Several of us checked him out as best we could in a very crowded boat. Two other fellows reserved and were promised a three tank dive. It didn't happen - they were in the boat with the rest of us and the "shop" refused to return their deposit when they were unable to provide the 3 tank dive.

Bottom line:
* Don't expect to see old Pepe
* Don't expect your reservation to ensure a place on the boat or get you what you asked for.
* Don't expect your divemaster to show you the wonders of Cabo Pulmo until she learns them
* Don't expect first class equipment or much sympathy when what you have does not work.

I totally feel your pain.

Jaye and I did the same thing this summer. Rezzies on line, deposit, the whole 9. We got there (at the appointed time) and they had no idea who we were. Some half-asleep guy rolled out of the trailer in his undies, came to the table under the palapa and essentially told us it'll be awhile.

We picked up our stuff (a cab dropped us in this little town) and went across the street to CP Beach Resort (big blue-green building) and had THE BEST TIME. Our guides were locals - as in born, raised and lived in CP. We came back 2 days later and did it again. Excellent trip. Great Pangeros, excellent guide, great drift dives... we had the best time.

I cannot recommend them enough. Nuke Pepe and go here. These guys rocked.

Ken

 

[colonelchuck]

Gosh, Chuck, that's disheartening, and borderline dangerous, in addition to infuriating. Having thoroughly enjoyed my own dives through Pepe's this past Sep, I was looking forward to doing it again. The other local Cabo Pulmo operator prefers to cater to the CSL cruise-ship crowds.

Hi Wayne. I would give the folks at the beach resort a try. We snorkeled with them last December and have used their resort reservation service twice with considerable satisfaction. Recommend you try an email to the folks at http://www.cabopulmo.com/ and see what they say.

I joined the fellows I was diving with for a night dive at the dive shop down by the fish taco stand. The DM was a French fellow who led a good dive, checked C cards and provided good equipment. They go by the name Cabo Pulmo Divers and have a web page http://www.cabo-web.com/pulmo.htm I understand that their e-mail response capability is sketchy, but they do seem to run a pretty good operation.

I have heard lots of good things about Underwater Diversions if you decide to dive with a Cabo San Lucas shop. I dove with Amigos Del Mar and can recommend them as well.

Hope you have a good trip.

cheers

 

[RSdiver]

I totally feel your pain.

Jaye and I did the same thing this summer. Rezzies on line, deposit, the whole 9. We got there (at the appointed time) and they had no idea who we were. Some half-asleep guy rolled out of the trailer in his undies, came to the table under the palapa and essentially told us it'll be awhile.

We picked up our stuff (a cab dropped us in this little town) and went across the street to CP Beach Resort (big blue-green building) and had THE BEST TIME. Our guides were locals - as in born, raised and lived in CP. We came back 2 days later and did it again. Excellent trip. Great Pangeros, excellent guide, great drift dives... we had the best time.

I cannot recommend them enough. Nuke Pepe and go here. These guys rocked.

Ken

I'm going to be driving down the length of Baja and want to dive Cabo Pulmo. I'm an advanced diver and have read that it is possible to beach dive there - TRUE? Any good?

Were the rates at Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort the same as on their website or cheaper when you get there?
I plan on just showing up unless there is a deal...

 

[Mo2vation]

I'm going to be driving down the length of Baja and want to dive Cabo Pulmo. I'm an advanced diver and have read that it is possible to beach dive there - TRUE? Any good?

Were the rates at Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort the same as on their website or cheaper when you get there?
I plan on just showing up unless there is a deal...

The drifts were only aceessible by Panga. There may be some beach diving, but the reefs we dove (El Bajo and El Cantil) just rocked. I can't imagine the shore diving competing with what we saw out there.

BTW - we were staying up the road at Punta Colorada for a fishing week. We took a break and went diving at CP. So we grabbed a cab and got a ride to and from CP. We didn't stay there.

Make time for Fish Tacos at LaPalapa on the beach. Rockin!

---
Ken

 

[barbara ulbrich]

times new roman
I felt compelled to write after reading your warning. Wow! We just got back from nearly 10 days in Cabo Pulmo with Pepe and had a fabulous experience. We have traveled all over Mexico and have had the chance to dive in all the places that had diving. Pepe is one of the most generous dive operators we ever came across. Yes, things did not always work as one might expect and things may not have always gone smoothly but THAT IS MEXICO!!!! If you wanted all of the ammenties you seem to have thought you were going to get, you should have done a lot more research before traveling to Cabo Pulmo. There are maybe 40 people who live there year round and maybe another 150-200 people who have a second home or palapa there. Everything is solar powered so they are lucky if they have a good connection for the phone or the internet!!! What were you thinking??? Cabo Pulmo is a paradise just the way it is. It is when more and more people, perhaps like yourself, go there and expect everything to be "perfect" that they change these places to be not so perfect anymore. Sounds like you need to stick to the big, commercalized dive shops and leave the real, loving, quaint places to those who really appreciate them. Pepe may not have all of the modern conviences, (though he did have a flush toilet and a hot shower for anyone to use, which by the way is a biggie in Cabo Pulmo) but you won't find a more honest, conscienceous dive operator anywhere.

Last summer my son and I dove with Pepe's "dive shop" in Cabo Pulmo. His web site suggests reservations which I made via the sites link. I paid $60 via pay pal and was surprised to find tha my reservations were off by a day when I got there. All worked out and we had 3 days of good diving with Roberto - who was running the shop in the absence of Pepe (he does not seem to really be there much).

Last week, I arrived back in Cabo Pulmo, having again made reservations, to find that I and 7 other folks had reservations and we were all going to get in the boat together. That was a tight fit, but we went out with the new divemaster - a young woman from Israel. She had been on scene for 6 days and seemed pretty unsure of what was going on. We spent much of the first dive sitting on the bottom waiting for her to get everybody organized. On the second dive she sent us up with over 1000 lbs of air, causing us to miss the passage of about 45 Sting Rays which passed below during our safety stop.

One fellow rented gear from Pepe's. His inflator stuck and he lost the first dive. On the second dive, the divemaster gave him her BC, but made no effort to make sure it fit or that he was fully checked out on using it. Several of us checked him out as best we could in a very crowded boat. Two other fellows reserved and were promised a three tank dive. It didn't happen - they were in the boat with the rest of us and the "shop" refused to return their deposit when they were unable to provide the 3 tank dive.

Bottom line:
* Don't expect to see old Pepe
* Don't expect your reservation to ensure a place on the boat or get you what you asked for.
* Don't expect your divemaster to show you the wonders of Cabo Pulmo until she learns them
* Don't expect first class equipment or much sympathy when what you have does not work.

 

[detroit diver]

What were they thinking? You've got to be kidding.

Ol Pepe and "That is Mexico" just doesn't cut it in diving, sorry. Equipment that doesn't work, DM's that have no clue, and reservations that are messed up are just something that I wouldn't put up with. With those attitudes, I'm not sure I'd trust their air fills either.

I'll take the other's recommendations and go across the street if I get there....

times new roman
I felt compelled to write after reading your warning. Wow! We just got back from nearly 10 days in Cabo Pulmo with Pepe and had a fabulous experience. We have traveled all over Mexico and have had the chance to dive in all the places that had diving. Pepe is one of the most generous dive operators we ever came across. Yes, things did not always work as one might expect and things may not have always gone smoothly but THAT IS MEXICO!!!! If you wanted all of the ammenties you seem to have thought you were going to get, you should have done a lot more research before traveling to Cabo Pulmo. There are maybe 40 people who live there year round and maybe another 150-200 people who have a second home or palapa there. Everything is solar powered so they are lucky if they have a good connection for the phone or the internet!!! What were you thinking??? Cabo Pulmo is a paradise just the way it is. It is when more and more people, perhaps like yourself, go there and expect everything to be "perfect" that they change these places to be not so perfect anymore. Sounds like you need to stick to the big, commercalized dive shops and leave the real, loving, quaint places to those who really appreciate them. Pepe may not have all of the modern conviences, (though he did have a flush toilet and a hot shower for anyone to use, which by the way is a biggie in Cabo Pulmo) but you won't find a more honest, conscienceous dive operator anywhere.

 

[colonelchuck]

times new roman
I felt compelled to write after reading your warning. Wow! We just got back from nearly 10 days in Cabo Pulmo with Pepe and had a fabulous experience. We have traveled all over Mexico and have had the chance to dive in all the places that had diving. Pepe is one of the most generous dive operators we ever came across. Yes, things did not always work as one might expect and things may not have always gone smoothly but THAT IS MEXICO!!!! If you wanted all of the ammenties you seem to have thought you were going to get, you should have done a lot more research before traveling to Cabo Pulmo. There are maybe 40 people who live there year round and maybe another 150-200 people who have a second home or palapa there. Everything is solar powered so they are lucky if they have a good connection for the phone or the internet!!! What were you thinking??? Cabo Pulmo is a paradise just the way it is. It is when more and more people, perhaps like yourself, go there and expect everything to be "perfect" that they change these places to be not so perfect anymore. Sounds like you need to stick to the big, commercalized dive shops and leave the real, loving, quaint places to those who really appreciate them. Pepe may not have all of the modern conviences, (though he did have a flush toilet and a hot shower for anyone to use, which by the way is a biggie in Cabo Pulmo) but you won't find a more honest, conscienceous dive operator anywhere.

Barbara. Appreciate your discussion how things work in Mexico. I spend a fair amout of time there myself.

If you read my original post, you would realize that the warning was posted after my second stay in Cabo Pulmo and my second diving experience with Pepe. The theme was that things had really gone downhill and that there were more reliable dive shops in Cabo Pulmo.

 

[thymex01]

Hello
I am the French Instructor mentioned earlier in the messages , working for Cabo Pulmo divers in Cabo Pulmo, Baja California.
I remember you Colonelchuck and what you told me about your dive experience that day in Pulmo, thank you for recognizing our work to provide quality service in Cabo Pulmo.
If you have questions about the diving or other activities in Pulmo, don t hesitate to write to me., i can answer.
We have a new web site , cabopulmodivers.net
see you soon
PS the school of rays metioned are not sting rays but Mobula rays (similar shape as mantas), we dove with them all last week.....