cabo

[divadiver]

I am thinking about heading down to Cabo later this spring...Does anyone have any experience with diving around San Jose Del Cabo or further north? Any suggestions on dive ops for this area?

 

[Hal Iotis]

I was in the East Cape area (about 50 mi. north of Cabo) in March. I signed up for a Cabo Pulmo snorkel tour (my wife is a nondiver) with Vista Sea Sports. They were very responsive in terms of booking and providing other info such as on whale watching. Ultimately, the trip was cancelled due to the high winds, which should be pretty much gone for the season by now. www.vistaseasport.com.

I also snorkeled at Los Isolotes from La Paz using Baja Expeditions. I would not recommend them due to their incredible disregard for standard safety procedures (VHF turned off, Kayak jackets instead of Type I PFD's, running the boat near bubbles from other divers, etc.). This wasn't a regular dive trip, but there were a couple of "casual" divers, who were treated...casually. No divemaster, no briefing, no buddy, no O2 on board.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi divadiver,

Gee, but that name sounds familiar.

Here's a piece it did for the "Dive Workshop" column of the Sep '00 issue of "Rodale's Scuba Diving:"

“Los Cabos is at the far southern tip of Baja California Sur, Mexico, and consists of Cabo San Lucas, the more developed, touristy city commonly referred to as just “Cabo,” and nearby, the much quieter, colonial San Jose del Cabo. Los Cabos is not dedicated to diving in the way that destinations such as Cozumel and Grand Cayman are. Rather, it attracts visitors who are looking for nice beaches (La Playita to La Ribera), excellent fishing (good chance to hook a marlin), golf (a Jack Nicklaus-designed 27-hole golf course), or heavy partying (don’t miss Squid Roe and Latitude 22).

The Diving
This is not Caribbean diving, so don’t expect bathtub-warm water, great vis and dense sponges or coral. Do expect diverse fish life, including a broader variety of butterflyfish and surgeonfish than in the Caribbean.

For a shallow and easy warm up dive, try Chileno Beach. Sites include Chileno Reef, a protected finger reef that starts at the beach and extends out about a half mile, and Santa Maria Cove. Somewhat deeper but easy and still close by are Sand Falls and The Abyss, where you can expect to see sea lions. At times, these sites can be crowded, and are popular with novice divers.

The big draws are Cabo Pulmo Marine Park and Gordo Banks, which are for at least moderately experienced divers due to depth and current. Boat rides to these sites are long, and dive operators charge a premium and require advance booking. You can drive to Cabo Pulmo in about two hours, or fly in on Aero California if you’ve got the bucks. There’s a dive operator that’ll pick you at the landing strip and whisk you off for a day of diving. Cabo Pulmo is a national marine park, and is the only true living coral reef in the area. Sites include El Cantil, The Rock, El Bajo and the more advanced abyssal Los Frailes Trench to the south. There’s a chance you’ll encounter whale sharks and mantas in this region in season. Plan on diving in the 90- to 100-foot range. At Gordo Banks, well off San Jose del Cabo, hammerheads hang out in season, and bull sharks and dolphin can occasionally be sighted. You can easily go to recreational limits and below.

Dive Conditions
January to May is the winter season. Look for air temps ranging between 70F and 80F, water temps between 65F and 75F, and vis between 30 and 60 feet. June to December is summer season, with air temps between 80F and 95F degrees, water temps between 80F and 85F, and vis between 50 and 100 feet.

Dive Operators
Dive ops in Cabo San Lucas include Amigos del Mar, Cabo Diving Services, Cabo Acuadeportes and Land’s End. You may stay at or dive Cabo Pulmo from the Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort, or go with an independent shop such as Pepe's Dive Center.

Where to Stay
There are plenty of accommodations in a variety of price ranges. Plaza Las Glorias is a nice resort right in town on the marina in Cabo San Lucas. The resort has a ferry to Playa Medano, where it has a hotel beach club. Those preferring to avoid the noise, bustle and incessant time-share sales pitches of downtown Cabo San Lucas will want to stay outside of town at places like the mega-resort Westin, all-suites Solmar, or a personal favorite, the small, intimate and not inexpensive Twin Dolphins."

Best regards.

DocVikingo