Trip Report Diving Cabo San Lucas The Next Couple Days

[Pipehorse]

My original plan was to do a four day LOB followed by a seven day LOB on a different ship. The four day LOB disappeared from the Nautilus schedule because the whole trip got booked out to one party (I think). Still getting on the Explorer in La Paz on Sunday Sept 21. So I figured I would just come down to Cabo a little early and get some local diving done here. I am using Seecreatures dive shop. Locally they offer 2 and 3 tank dives. Gordo Banks if the have enough bookings, and Cabo Plumo if they have enough bookings. Looking like Gordo Banks on Friday, and maybe Saturday. Yesterday was three dives close by in Cabo, and three dives close by today.

Yesterday went with Juan as the dive guide for the first dive, Armando the manager from SeeCreatures joining us for the second dive, and then Juan again on the third dive. The dive sites are so close its no problem for the boat to run in to pick up off drop off during surface intervals. Juan and Armando are great guides. Armando has been setting everything up for me before I got to Cabo, great guys!!

We did Pelican Rock for the first dive. Visibility in the shallows was maybe 20ft, and dropping down to 12ft the deeper we got. Surface temp of 87f, with a drop down to 74f in at 82ft the max depth of the dive. Apparently the water drops off into the deep fast here, like 5000ft within sight of shore.

As we dropped down on the sand slope we were greeted by friendly Balloonfish. Apparently they are attracted to divers because if the sand on the slope is disturbed it releases organic matter the Balloonfish eat. The rest of the dive I followed Juan, trying to remember the names of the Tropical Eastern Pacific I first started surveying last year. Did a REEF fish count of forty species. Dive was 49 minutes long, a sea lion put in an appearance but had not interest in frolicking the way sea lions have a tendency to do.

Second dive was Lands End, where Sea of Cortez meets Pacific Ocean, the southern most point in Baja, Mexico.. Lands End is just a little further out. Its where you see the stone arch and formations that are iconic for Cabo. There is a wreck there they call the Lindenberg scattered around. Its interesting the way that fish form schools here. Even snappers from these tight balls further up in the water column as opposed to the reefs in south Florida where they stick close to the Reef. Did another Reef survey for this dive. Visibility improved drastically from less than a quarter mile away.

Third dive we went back to Pelican Rock because based on the visibility at Pelican Rock the first dive, visibility on the "corridor" might be worse. We did get the White Tip Reef Sharks on this second dive.

Respectively Blunt Head Triggerfish, Amarillo Snappers, ToppGaffSail Pompano, Land's End, The Dive Boat.

 

[mattfish]

@Pipehorse we are going to be on the same ship!!!! My wife and I are here in San Jose del Cabo enjoying the town before we head over to Cabo San Lucas to meet up at See Creatures! That's super cool you'll be there too!

 

[Pipehorse]

@mattfish you might recall a trip report I dd last year about the Nautilus Undersea in the Sea of Cortez, it started with the quote below. I liked it so much, decided to do it again this year.

I did Costa Rica back in July (still have not finished that dive trip report). I wanted to do more REEF surveying in the Tropical Eastern Pacific. I was reading a dive report for the Sea of Cortez by @mattfish . This led me to check out the Nautilus website.

Yesterday did another three dive trip locally in Cabo San Lucas. We had Captain Ramon (it was his birthday), along with Juan, and Xochitl as dive guides aboard Amigos ll. Whales Head, Pelican Rock and Neptune's Finger. The day before I was the only customer diving. On this day there were four other divers on the boat as well.

Whales Head was the first dive. A rock formation with total rock bottom no break of sand at all. Hard corals and soft corals gowing on the rock substrate. 53ft max depth, 39ft average depth, sea temp 85f-83f, with 35ft of visibility. Completed a REEF survey for the 57 minute dive. Nothing out of the ordinary observed. All good, still trying to get a handle of TEP species of fish.

Next site was Pelican Rock. Pelican Rock is rock formation with sand slopes and sand slides on either side and in between. The way the rocks are piled on top of each other there is a lot of surface area. Lots of nooks and crannies to explore, as well as a "Shark House" a small area where a couple White Tip Sharks like to rest. Just off the rocks at about sixty feet there was a large thick school of Golden Snapper with Pacific Jack Crevalle occasionally shooting through, attempting to catch a meal. About half way through the dive Xochitl spotted a juvenile Whale Shark, naturally yours truly was not lucky enough to observe same. Nevertheless a good dive and another REEF survey of 43 species completed. The deeper we went the worse the visibility, but overall slightly better than the day before. Max depth was 71ft, with a thermocline to 78f at that depth, but 86f at the surface. Visibility ranged from 40ft to 12ft.

Amigos ll is a small panga, so after the second dive we returned to the dock to get rid of used tanks and pick up new tanks. First two dives were on air, the third dive I used nitrox. With a new set of tanks we returned to Cabo Marine Park to dive Neptune's Finger. Neptunes Finger is another stone formation. Less stone and more sand than Pelican Rock. Max depth of 86ft avg depth of 43 feet. With 78f thermocline at depth 86f closer to the surface. Of note was Peacock Razorfish, Golden Trevally, Skipjacks swimming through, Pacific Sierra, and 4 Devil Rays again spotted by Xochitl. Completed another REEF survey of 44 species.

Today we were at Cabo Pulmo a two hour ride from Cabo San Lucas, diving there was outstanding I will write it up tomorrow time permitting.

Respectively, Neptunes Finger, Pacific Fanged Blenny, Moorish Idol, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, and Giant Hawkfish.

 

[mattfish]

I do remember your report. It was one of the most detailed reports I've ever read here.

I've been looking at the location planner in Oceanic+ which has community conditions for the location you're looking at. Basically if anyone dove in the area with an Apple Watch in the past 4 days it will have the temps at depth. It looks like it may be a bit warmer than your last trip, I'm sure hoping so anyway.

 

[uncfnp]

Greetings @mattfish and @Pipehorse! We will be boarding as you come off.

If you will be around Cabo that Sunday we could meet for lunch if you don’t have other plans.

Does anyone know if Nautilus has updated to StarLink yet?

 

[mattfish]

Hi @uncfnp
We are getting dropped off in La Paz and will be spending a few days there after the LOB trip. So we won't be back in Cabo until it's time to go the the airport.

 

[Pipehorse]

@uncfnp I will be going to airport directly after getting off in La Paz, but thank you for the kind offer.

Yesterday (9/20) went diving locally again in Cabo San Lucas Marine Park. Was hoping for Gordo Banks but remants of a nearby storm maybe the trip to Gordo not doable. Apparently is common for Gordo trips to be cancelled. On 9/19 I did get to go to Cabo Pulmo. I will write that up in a separate report.

Juan from Seecreatures was the guide aboard Amigos ll dive boat. Seecreatures is a well run shop with great personnel, I will be diving with them again for sure. We did Pelican Rock and Lands End. These dives are right outside the marina in Cabo San Lucas. It was my fourth dive on Pelican Rock, second dive on Lands End. Given the proximity to open ocean, and 5000ft deep water, conditions and sealife can change rapidly if looking outward. If looking inward, one does become more familiar with the rock formation, for example the "shark house" and the sand slopes intwined between the rocks. Max depth on Pelican Rock of 91ft with an average depth of 50ft. 86F on top, with the thermocline somewhat abated, to 80f as opposed to 74f I got at depth on Wednesday. Visibility was slightly better than Wednesday, but like Wednesday diminishing with depth to about 15ft, 30ft in shallower water. More familiar with the fish, so easier to tell the ever present from the not so ever present. Did a REEF fish survey of 43 species.

Lands end is the area around the iconic arch in the stone seen in many "Cabo" images. There is a wreck there called the Lundeberg. I think I called it the Lindenberg last time. If you know anything about ships you can tell some parts from others. It is largely encrusted in a false sort of coral that made by Sand Castle Worms, i.e. it looks like it could possibly be coral but is just a structure of silica made by worms. There is some surge around the wreck. The depth varies from 65ft to 45ft. The ship sank in 1954, and was buried in sand until exposed by a hurricane in 2014. I snap a quick image of a fish I still have not been able to identify, in STRI, any book, on inaturalist. Visibility is normally better compared to Pelican Rock which is closer to the marina. Schools of grunts and snappers above the structure of the wreck, with jacks and tuna like fish making close passes, for a quick meal of grunt or snapper. Again, one should attempt to look upward throughtout the dive as this where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez, and YOU NEVER KNOW what lucky sighting you might have.

On Nautilus big bus to La Paz later this afternoon to board the Explorer a seven day loop around Sea of Cortez.

Respectively, Whitetip Reef Shark, Panamic Graysby, Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Convict Tang, and perhaps a blenny species, specific species unknown to me-mystery solved Juvenile Giant Hawkfish.