I just got back a few days ago from a great trip from Mexico. The purpose of the trip was not for diving, more just relaxing with family. However, my girlfriend and I did take a day to do a couple of dives in Cabo San Lucas. I thought I'd post a report about our experience. I spent hours on Scubaboard before making reservations, trying to decide which dive operator was the best. Thanks to everyone else who has taken the time to post their past experiences, the input really helped.
I unintentionally waited until just a few days before we left for the trip to make reservations. On account of numerous positive reviews, I decided to give Amigos Del Mar a call. I called on New Years day, the day before we left, hoping it was not too late to get reservations. Turns out it was no problem. Not only were they open on new years, but I was able to quickly schedule a two tank local dive for Sunday morning, Jan 6.
On the day of the dives we arrived at the shop about 45 mins ahead of departure time to get fitted for gear. Since we were only diving one day, we had decided only to bring our own masks, fins, and booties, and to rent everything else (BTW they were nice enough to cut the rental fee from $25 to $15 since we brought these items.) Anyway, we were quickly and easily fitted for wetsuits and BCs, and it was off to the boat. On this Sunday the group was small. There were 5 divers total and two snorkelers on the boat. They took us out on their smaller boat, which was not only comfortable but fast and nimble.
The first dive was Pelican Rock. Max depth was around 80 feet and was pretty relaxed. The DM guiding the group did a good job of keeping a slow and easy pace, pointing things out here and there. Overall the dive was pretty well executed and it was back on the boat for the surface interval.
During our SI, the captain took the boat around Lands End on a short little sight-seeing circuit, I would assume to entertain us. Bottled water was provided for anyone who wanted it. The little cruise was a good chance for us to scope out our next dive spot- the sea lion colony and Lands End.
This dive involved us jumping off the boat and holding tight to a huge rock before descending and circumnavigating the base of the rock. Anyone who knows Cabo knows this spot, from what I've gathered from other posts I've read. Anyway I actually really enjoyed this dive. It was an interesting experience jumping off a boat into water surging around this huge rock. We descended down to the base of the rock, then swam through the surgy channel between the rocks to get around to the other side. Here we found the remnants of a shipwreck, from which came by-far the largest pufferfish we saw the whole day.
All in all it was a great morning of diving. the whole excursion took only about 4 hours from the time we arrived at the shop until the time we left. The boat rides were 5-10 minutes as the dive spots are nearby.
The equipment they provide for rent isn't brand new but works fine nonetheless. My girlfriend's BC has a small pinhole leak in the bladder at the shoulder, but it didn't cause any problems. The regs were in good shape, breathed dry, and provided consistent service for the duration of each dive. They provided us with 5 to 7 mm fullsuits, and those were fine for the dives. Something like an additional 3mm vest would have provided a little bit extra warmth, but it wasn't totally necessary. All in all, all of the gear, while a bit aged, seemed properly maintained and in working order.
At times boat traffic can get pretty bad at these dive spots, as we saw the afternoon prior to diving. Numerous dive boats and a plethora of glass-bottom tour boats congest some of these areas daily. Diving on a Sunday morning turned out to be a great way to go. We didn't run into any other dive groups on either of the dives, and boat traffic in our immediate area was light, although the sound of boats making runs into and out of the harbor were ever-present.
I would recommended Amigos Del Mar to anyone wanting to dive in Cabo. The service was excellent, everyone was friendly, and the DM who guided us was professional as was the captain. All in all it was just what I was looking for.
I unintentionally waited until just a few days before we left for the trip to make reservations. On account of numerous positive reviews, I decided to give Amigos Del Mar a call. I called on New Years day, the day before we left, hoping it was not too late to get reservations. Turns out it was no problem. Not only were they open on new years, but I was able to quickly schedule a two tank local dive for Sunday morning, Jan 6.
On the day of the dives we arrived at the shop about 45 mins ahead of departure time to get fitted for gear. Since we were only diving one day, we had decided only to bring our own masks, fins, and booties, and to rent everything else (BTW they were nice enough to cut the rental fee from $25 to $15 since we brought these items.) Anyway, we were quickly and easily fitted for wetsuits and BCs, and it was off to the boat. On this Sunday the group was small. There were 5 divers total and two snorkelers on the boat. They took us out on their smaller boat, which was not only comfortable but fast and nimble.
The first dive was Pelican Rock. Max depth was around 80 feet and was pretty relaxed. The DM guiding the group did a good job of keeping a slow and easy pace, pointing things out here and there. Overall the dive was pretty well executed and it was back on the boat for the surface interval.
During our SI, the captain took the boat around Lands End on a short little sight-seeing circuit, I would assume to entertain us. Bottled water was provided for anyone who wanted it. The little cruise was a good chance for us to scope out our next dive spot- the sea lion colony and Lands End.
This dive involved us jumping off the boat and holding tight to a huge rock before descending and circumnavigating the base of the rock. Anyone who knows Cabo knows this spot, from what I've gathered from other posts I've read. Anyway I actually really enjoyed this dive. It was an interesting experience jumping off a boat into water surging around this huge rock. We descended down to the base of the rock, then swam through the surgy channel between the rocks to get around to the other side. Here we found the remnants of a shipwreck, from which came by-far the largest pufferfish we saw the whole day.
All in all it was a great morning of diving. the whole excursion took only about 4 hours from the time we arrived at the shop until the time we left. The boat rides were 5-10 minutes as the dive spots are nearby.
The equipment they provide for rent isn't brand new but works fine nonetheless. My girlfriend's BC has a small pinhole leak in the bladder at the shoulder, but it didn't cause any problems. The regs were in good shape, breathed dry, and provided consistent service for the duration of each dive. They provided us with 5 to 7 mm fullsuits, and those were fine for the dives. Something like an additional 3mm vest would have provided a little bit extra warmth, but it wasn't totally necessary. All in all, all of the gear, while a bit aged, seemed properly maintained and in working order.
At times boat traffic can get pretty bad at these dive spots, as we saw the afternoon prior to diving. Numerous dive boats and a plethora of glass-bottom tour boats congest some of these areas daily. Diving on a Sunday morning turned out to be a great way to go. We didn't run into any other dive groups on either of the dives, and boat traffic in our immediate area was light, although the sound of boats making runs into and out of the harbor were ever-present.
I would recommended Amigos Del Mar to anyone wanting to dive in Cabo. The service was excellent, everyone was friendly, and the DM who guided us was professional as was the captain. All in all it was just what I was looking for.
