Trip Report Diving Baja Sur in January

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VcRossi

Registered
Messages
16
Reaction score
16
Location
Vancouver, Canada
# of dives
50 - 99
Just came back from a 2 week trip to Baja Sur. Got only a few dives in (this was not primarily a diving trip). Here is my report:

LA PAZ
- Sea lions dive (Los Islotes, Espiritu Santo) + whale shark snorkel
- Dive shop: Sea Lions Dive Center
I did this dive and snorkel 2 days in a row. We left at 8am and came back around 3:30pm. The boat ride to the sea lion colony is 1.5h. Then I think it was another hour to the whale shark area. Sea Lions Dive Center operation was very good. Nice and fast boat, all equipment in great shape. Thorough briefing of the dive and snorkel. Tasty lunch. Wore a hooded 7mm wetsuit. We saw dolphins on both days, and the captain approached them for us to enjoy. Overall loved the experience and would repeat, but in october/november, when the water isn't as cold.
- Sea lion dives: on both days we had about 10-12m visibility, 20°C (68°F) water temp. About half dozen sea lions showed up on the 1st day. They were in the water with us for the majority of the dive. 3 or 4 showed up on the 2nd day, we had about 10 min in the water with them as they took a while to appear. The dives were timed to 45 min, or 1st person to reach 1000psi. We were a group of 5 divers on the 1st day, and 4 divers on the 2nd day.
- Whale shark snorkel: I was happy to see the boat captain and divemaster following all the rules and regulations on the whale shark protected area. Visibility was about 5m on both days (lots of plankton in the water). Each boat is allowed to stay for up to 2 hours. We were a group of 5 on the 1st day, and a maximum of 5 snorkelers are allowed to jump at a time, so we all jumped every time we found a shark. We found 5 in the 2 hours we were there. If you have really good fins, I recommend taking them. They are fast and it's really hard to keep up with them. You have to swim very fast. Also, because of the low viz, you only see the shark if you're very close to it. But obviously you don't wanna get too close. It's a tricky kind of snorkel. The divemaster was excellent in keeping up with them (he had good fins), and was always swimming with one arm out, pointing to where the shark was. On the 1st day all the sharks we saw were just passing by, and I only got a good view of a couple of them. On the 2nd day we were a group of 7, and were divided into 2 groups. We were lucky enough to find some sharks that were feeding, and therefore swimming slowly, in circles. Both groups ended up spending more time with them in the water and got a much better view than the day before. It was amazing.

LORETO
- 2 tank dive at Isla del Carmen
- Dive shop: Blue Nation
Had 2 days of diving booked, but one got cancelled due to strong winds. Viz was about 10-12m, 18°C (64°F) water temp. Group of 5 divers. We left at 8am and came back around 12:30pm. Half hour ride each way. Wore a full 5mm + 2.5mm shortie + hood. All equipment in great shape. I loved Blue Nation operation. The boat was small and fast. Good lunch. Our DM Nico was beyond nice. Chatty, enthusiastic, gave detailed briefings. He was excellent underwater. The dives were not timed. On both dives my tank was still half full when everybody else was reaching 1000psi. We headed to the boat and Nico watched the other divers go up, and me and him stayed down for another 10-15 min. The reef is in great shape and there was a lot of marine life. These were by far my best dives in Baja Sur. We also saw dolphins on the surface interval and spent some time with them. I want to go back to Loreto for a full week of diving in summer or fall, when visibility and water temperatures are a lot more appealing.

CABO SAN LUCAS
- 2 tank dive at the Marine Park (Pelican Rock and Land's End)
- Dive shop: Dive Cabo
These dives were far less exciting than the previous ones. Viz was about 10m. Water at 20°C (68°F). We left around 8:30am and were back by 12pm. 5-10 min boat ride. The boat was a bit bigger than the other shops I used, but it goes slowly due to the boat traffic, and its size didn't matter. There were 3 other diving boats in the surface, but the sites were not crowded. Group of 4 divers with one DM, and 3 divers with the other one. My DM Lerroux was super nice, and also great underwater. Detailed briefing and great skills refresher for the 2 divers onboard who hadn't been in the water for a while. Wore a 7mm wetsuit + hood. The suit was pretty worn out, but still in good working condition. The hood was also worn out and lose, but I think it did its job. Dives were timed to 45 min max. Pelican Rock was a bit of a boring dive. Land's End was a lot more interesting, but less than the Loreto sites. I did not have the chance to dive the corridor, but next time I'd skip the marine park and try the corridor instead. Or just skip Cabo altogether and dive more in Loreto.
 
Nice report and thanks for taking the time to write it and post it. I would also like to spend a week diving in Loreto with Blue Nation. Like you, I'd like to go in late summer/early fall.
 
Where did you stay in La Paz? How did you move around?
We flew to SJD and had a rental car the entire time. Rented from MexCar. Car rental companies love their hidden fees, and I read MexCar didn't do that. And it worked for me. The price I was showed at the reservation is the price I was charged in the end. In La Paz I stayed at Hotel Catedral.
 
I also stayed at Hotel Catedral while in La Paz and I thought it was a good value - less than $100/night. Good breakfasts. Good location. I walked to alot of places, but also used Uber & Didi for rides (was told Didi was more popular, I couldnt really tell if so). Taxis are also around. I recall that I did have to wait around a bit to get a ride/taxi, compared to the US.
 

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