Cabo San Lucas... Been there?

[Digger54]

Just got back from Cabo San Lucas. Did one day, two dives. Both wall dives. Pelican rock was the first site, down to 81 feet. Lots of sea life, decent visibility. I was a little disappointed in not seeing any mammals or any rays. Sea lions were sunning on the rocks nearby, but none in the water. Second site was at Land's End. Plenty of surge and current there. Very near the often photographed Los Arcos. Not a bit cold in a shorty.

 

[PriusDrIVER]

I leave for CSL on Tuesday, there are 6 of us going. We are looking forward to some low time just relaxing, but 3 of us are divers and are looking to get some bottom time. I am newly certified (5 logged dives), the other 2 divers are also pretty new (~5-10 dives?). I am looking forward to getting more use of my gear, but not so much looking to be wet. I certified warm and dry in 52-degree water.

We are still trying to select dive sites to go for and an operator to dive with. Any recommendations? We are staying in Pedregal, but will have a van...is it best just to trek to La Paz? Would the non-divers be able to relax on the beach there or find something to do (snorkel?)?

*any* input would be great.

 

[Jsh]

I just find it funny that you're used to warm and dry at 52 degrees... I love the warm water diving... There are lots of places to dive in Ontario, but god only knows why people actually choose to do it...

As I started this post, you can tell I have not been there, but I really like the promo video at this place...

http://www.clubcantamar.com/english/rates/index.html

I have no idea if they're any good though.

 

[buffa2]

The diving with Club Cantamar is fantastic. We were there in October and it was unbelievable--interact with the sea lions, whale sharks, hammerheads, etc. The only problem was STAYING AT CLUB CANTAMAR!!
IT IS TRULY A DUMP--NO DRINKING WATER, NO WATER FOR SHOWERS FOR TWO DAYS, THEY RAN OUT OF FOOD !! Check all of the reviews on Trip Advisor and you will see what I mean ! It's not just MY opinion !

 

[Fish Wrangler]

I was also at Cantamar in October (21 - 29). Buffa's right, you get your drinking water from coolers located outside the rooms, and keep it in a pitcher on the bathroom counter. But my understanding is that's the way it is in Mexico. Our building ran out of water for about 15 minutes one day after all the diver boats came in at the same time. A minor inconvenience. If my building was out for two days, I would have been upset, too. I didn't hear of that happening when we were there.

The resort was full, but I had no problems getting enough food. The rooms are basic, but nice, and cleaned every day by staff. But it's not Little Cayman Beach Resort, which (in my limited experience) is the gold standard for all-inclusive resorts. We had a room with a balconey with a great view overlooking the bay (if you make reservations there, you may wish to make sure that you are not overlooking the truck ferry -- Club Cantamar is located next to a very noisy port).

Also, I think they close down for a while after Thanksgiving, but you would need to check with them.

And the diving was fantastic. We plan to go back.

 

[cowjazz]

I was at Club Cantamar from 10/7/06 to 10/14/06.

Cantamar is definitely a "dive camp", and calling it a resort is being very generous.

We had a standard room, and had no problems with that. It was kept clean by the staff. The bed was not the best, and the pillows could be replaced with a sack of bricks as an upgrade.

There were several maintenance problems around the camp ground:
1: No fresh water to rinse gear one day.
2: No hot water for one day.
3: The septic system had a conniption fit, and filled the bar with sewage. The bar tender, Luis, was a trooper, and he kept slinging drinks as long as you could stand the aroma.

The food:
Breakfast: Okay. They do run out of food around 7:15am, so get there early.
Lunch: Good, served on the boats. Tasty sandwiches and tacos.
Dinner: The buffet was dreadful. Do the half board, rent a car for the week, and eat in La Paz.

The diving:
Made up for everything else. I was skeptical, but the whale sharks are a sure thing. Playful sea lions, so many eels they become boring, mobula rays, jaw fish, tons of colorful starfish, huge schools of fish, etc...makes up for the less than spectacular lodging.

You can dive by yourself, and are not reuired to use a DM as a guide. Just do your own thing, and be back in the boat after 50 minutes.

My wife and I do not expect much when we go to dive camp, and will probably return to Cantamar. The diving is just too damn good.

If you require higher maintenance, you can stay at some of the higher end resorts in La Paz, and dive through Club Cantamar.

 

[suedownunder1]

We have dovewith Baja dive our last two times in Cabo. On our last Dive with memo we saw Mantas , eagle rays and a baby whale Shark at the point.We stay at the seista suites just across the street from The Tesoro That is where the dive shop is. Very nice place with kitchens cost $60.00 per nite.we have rented 5mm two piece suits with the full gear package for $20.00.I have never seen more tropical fish anywhere that i dove yet as in cabo.
See ya there maby
Sue.

 

[suedownunder1]

Hello : its a little late to Dive La Paz the Winds have started blowing about the only thing you do there now is wind surfing.We will be in cabo for New Years diving with Baja Dive. See ya maby.

 

[Rickg]

Sue is correct in that the winds have already or will be soon picking up and the water starting to cool off. We were on an LOB out of La Paz 14-20 OCT and had some wind but not enough to prevent diving and the water was ~83F. DM did say they dive all year long (weather permitting) but frequently can't get to some of the best sites like El Bajo, Las Animas, etc some times for several days because of the wind.

You can fly into La Paz but it was quite a bit cheaper for us to fly into Cabo and take a shuttle ($70) to La Paz or Club Cantamar outside of La Paz. The shuttle takes between 2-3 hours depending upon the traffic.

Club Cantamar is about 15 mins outside of La Paz. We met people there that loved resort and had been there umpteen times and other folks that didn't like the resort but did like the diving. There isn't any nightlife per se at the resort unless you bring your own It is not a luxury resort but was comfortable and we would go back there again if we make a similar trip. They do provide a shuttle every evening to La Paz but you need to sign up early because it is a large van and fills up early. A taxi will cost you between $15-$20 one way between the resort and town.

If you should decide you would prefer to stay in a hotel in town you can arrange to be picked up and dropped off every morning by Club Cantamar. They do have the largest dive op in the area but there are also other options available.

If you should decide to go to Cantamar you just need to keep in mind that this is Mexico and sometimes things don't 100% according to plan or schedule but the shore and dive staff always worked hard to make it a good trip. And yes, Luis the bartender is a real trooper and makes a very good margarita from scratch.

Rickg

 

[racerfern]

I just got back yesterday from CSL area and had a great time. Coolest water I had was at 124 ft at Gorda Banks with a school of hammerheads. The water there was 79 at depth and 82 at the surface.
Gorda Banks is about 10 miles SSE of San Jose. I used Amigos Del Mar. They have a boat that took me to Gorda Banks in a little over one hour.

I also took a van with Amigos Del Mar to Cabo Pulmo. That's a two hour ride, then a two tank dive. Cabo Pulmo is a must see protected marine park. Excellent coral growth, lots of fish.

Land's End Divers is also an excellent shop in CSL. The advantage that Amigos had is that they have set days for trips and it seems you always 4-6 people signed up. There was never a last minute cancellation for lack of divers.

I did all my dives with a lycra skin only and was very comfortable. 3 mil is all you should need for December.