Does anyone dive Baja?

[Hilto]

I've paged through all the threads here and it seems that everyone goes to Cozumel, a few go to Cancun, virtually no one goes to Baja. Are there any Baja advocates out there? Anyone been in late Summer or Fall? Particular recommendations?

Thanks.

 

[drbill]

I spent about three months aboard a small cruise ship in the Hulf of California and around to Mag Bay. I was their marine biologist- diving, taking underwater video and lecturing.

Most of the diving was around the offshore islands between Loreto and La Paz with a few dives at Cabo San Lucas as well. This was from Dec to Feb.

There were no true reff-building corals in the places I dove and no macroalgae like kelp, so it was quite different from my experiences here in California and in the tropics. However, I fully enjoyed learning new species and ecosystems.

You might look up Dolphin Dive Center in Loreto or the Cortez Club in La Paz.

Dr. Bill

 

[kelpmermaid]

See my Loreto report below. I have been to La Paz as well when it was clearer, and there is an amazing amount/variety of life down there.

 

[SeaFlea]

cold water and long expensive boat rides. Then go for it. We did La Paz in May a year or so back. Dove with The Cortez Club. Truth be told I enjoyed the evening meals and pool time much more than the diving. I won't return to Baja for diving but Cabo San Lucas has some great resorts (Fiesta Americana) that are absolutely awesome in the right time of the year.

 

[kelpmermaid]

Cold water? Timing is everything - it does get quite warm later in the summer. Yes, the boat rides are long our of La Paz -- not so in Loreto.

 

[Frank B.]

I went to Cabo in November and loved it. Water was relatively warm (for me anyway as I dive in California), and visibility was good. Dove with Amigos del Mar who were awesome

In general, I preferred it to Cozumel (diving wise).

 

[squarepants]

We dove Cabo in the end of May. I liked it pretty well. There were sea lions, lots of different fishes, a few types of eel, and more that I can't recall right now. We did the North Wall, South Wall, Land's End, Neptunes Finger. There are "sandfalls" at deeper (120' -ish) depths that I really would like to go back and see.
None of the boat rides were longer than 5-10 minutes, and the boats we went out on (through Cabo Acuadeportes, on the beach at Hacienda Beach Resort) were all six-pack types.

The water was nice, but I needed an extra 5mm jacket over the top of my full length 3mm (May-June 75-80 deg.). My hubby went with the rental 5mm and was comfortable. I understand the water gets much warmer at the end of the summer season.
The dive masters told us to come back in October. That it is best then.

I would go again easily. The town is fun, and the diving doesn't suck, and it's not as pricey as say Coz, or other Caribbean sites.

I hope this helps you.

 

[colonelchuck]

Like Squarepants, I dove Cabo San Lucas a few months ago and had an excellent time. Amigos Del Mar did a great job runing my son through AWO and I tagged along. The boat rides are short, but the standard dive sites can get a little croweded. If you dive Cabo, go "across the bay" with Amigos. It is really East along the coast and was great fun once we decided to do it as a drift dive and stop fighting the current. I used a 5mm jump suit in early May and was very comfortable.

The living coral reef in the area is at Cabo Pulmo which is at the East end of the tip of Baja. Check out:
http://www.cabopulmo.com.mx/

I have heard nothing but great stuff about the dives there and plant to visit there over the Labor Day weekend. Report will follow.

 

[leng]

I did two trips on Solmar V out of Cabo recently. Nice boat, good crew. Divemasters provided my Amigos Del Mar.

Solmar runs two itineraries. The northern trip into the Sea of Cortez is excellent. This is the summer itinerary and in October I was diving in a thick skin + 2mm shortie. We had giant manta, sealions. lots of fish and a nice variety of dive sites.

The southern (winter) itinerary is more problematic. The boat runs down to a group of three islands (name escapes me) more or less in the middle of nowhere. It was a 24hr run down and 32 back (seas were rougher). If you are lucky this can be a spectacular trip with lots of large sealife. If you are unlucky, especially if the weather is against you, it can be rough and you may have a very restricted set of dive locations in the lee of the largest island. One island, possibly the best from a diving viewpoint, can only be reached if the weather is very clement. In March I was using a 3mm one piece, 2mm shortie and hood and this was barely enough. We had a number of manta encounters but were SOL with hammerheads, whale sharks etc. To be fair we were right at the end of the season for such critters.

I would heartily recommend the summer itinerary. The winter trip is for big-creature enthusiasts who are willing to accept the risks for the chance of some spectacular encounters.

 

[diveatlas]

We have dived Cabo Pulmo twice in the fall. It's pretty good. I have a full report with pictures here.
Baja Trip Report