Driving to Mexico [HD Video]

[ligersandtions]

For the money (and possibly just in general), I'm pretty sure La Bufadora boasts the best diving on the west coast. It's very similar to Monterey, but quite a bit cheaper (and with exponentially better food options!). I absolutely love the diving in La Bufadora. It is, however, quite a bit of work -- between helping with launching the pangas, being able to fling your body back into a panga post-dive without a ladder, and dealing with the swell/surge/cold water of LB diving, you really have to want it. But if you want it and are willing to put in the work, you will be rewarded with simply breath-taking diving.

Thanks so much for posting the video, Chris! And I agree with his sentiment, driving down to Mexico from San Diego can be safe as long as you aren't flashy about things and keep to the main roads. In fact, all of the people we met while we were down in the area were amazingly friendly and helpful (and made some seriously delicious food....with tamales off the side of the road being a new favorite of mine!).

 

[Rainer]

Heading down there is a nice mix of exceptional diving and good eating/drinking. Hitting the various stands (taco, churro, chips, etc) really is a lot of fun (and I think Jen's favorite part!).

For the money (and possibly just in general), I'm pretty sure La Bufadora boasts the best diving on the west coast. It's very similar to Monterey, but quite a bit cheaper (and with exponentially better food options!). I absolutely love the diving in La Bufadora. It is, however, quite a bit of work -- between helping with launching the pangas, being able to fling your body back into a panga post-dive without a ladder, and dealing with the swell/surge/cold water of LB diving, you really have to want it. But if you want it and are willing to put in the work, you will be rewarded with simply breath-taking diving.

Thanks so much for posting the video, Chris! And I agree with his sentiment, driving down to Mexico from San Diego can be safe as long as you aren't flashy about things and keep to the main roads. In fact, all of the people we met while we were down in the area were amazingly friendly and helpful (and made some seriously delicious food....with tamales off the side of the road being a new favorite of mine!).

 

[bperc]

Thanks so much for the video and report. It looks and sounds like a fantastic place to dive. It reminds me of my dives at Big Sur last May.
Do you think they would let you bring your own ladder for the boat? They sell ladders that hook over the side of a boat that fold to make them very compact. Just a thought.

 

[ligersandtions]

Thanks so much for the video and report. It looks and sounds like a fantastic place to dive. It reminds me of my dives at Big Sur last May.
Do you think they would let you bring your own ladder for the boat? They sell ladders that hook over the side of a boat that fold to make them very compact. Just a thought.

You could definitely do that. We saw some people who had one the first time we were down there. However, we never had too many issues with it. One person in our group was pretty bad at getting back in...we just made sure someone else was already in the boat to help

 

[Rainer]

Honestly, it's not *that* big of a deal getting back into the pangas. You ditch your gear in the water, hand it up, then kick really hard while trying to haul yourself over the side. Friends can help or laugh. A ladder *would* be a nice addition, but it's certainly not a deal breaker. The real work is just getting the pangas loaded and launched (and the reverse at the end of the day). Again, a big factor is just how much gear we had to move (cylinders for three dives each, the scooters, cameras, spares, etc). We never seem to travel light...

Thanks so much for the video and report. It looks and sounds like a fantastic place to dive. It reminds me of my dives at Big Sur last May.
Do you think they would let you bring your own ladder for the boat? They sell ladders that hook over the side of a boat that fold to make them very compact. Just a thought.

 

[Leejnd]

I don't recall having any trouble getting back into the Pangas...and if I can do it, pretty much anybody can do it!

 

[sffrenchman]

What an amazing video and dive location. it does indeed remind me of Monterey/Carmel but I don't think that I have experienced such a great visibility in my 4 years of diving the area. I wonder if some dive club/ops in SoCal organize dives trips there including dives, lodging and transportation. I would definitely be up to it!

 

[Randynfla]

That was a great video, everytime I see videos like that I get homesick for SoCal and trips into mexico like the Coronados, La Bufadora and La Paz

 

[Rainer]

Lol, someone should let Jen know...

I don't recall having any trouble getting back into the Pangas...and if I can do it, pretty much anybody can do it!

---------- Post Merged at 07:03 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:02 PM ----------

Thanks! It is indeed pretty awesome.

I've had slightly better visibility at Point Lobos outside of the cove there (Three Sisters, Twin Peaks, and Montana), but we also had some 80-100' days in La Bufadora last year.

I don't know of any shops that are planning trips down there these days, but I do know we ran into a group from Pacific Wilderness (SoCal shop) last year. You might want to drop them a line and see if they have anything planned. Hope you can get down there and enjoy the nice diving!

What an amazing video and dive location. it does indeed remind me of Monterey/Carmel but I don't think that I have experienced such a great visibility in my 4 years of diving the area. I wonder if some dive club/ops in SoCal organize dives trips there including dives, lodging and transportation. I would definitely be up to it!

---------- Post Merged at 07:12 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:02 PM ----------

Really appreciate it! La Paz is definitely on my to-do list!

That was a great video, everytime I see videos like that I get homesick for SoCal and trips into mexico like the Coronados, La Bufadora and La Paz

 

[geoff w]

Great video! Looks like a blast. Did you take all your tanks, or get fills down there?

We used to race Hobie Cats down there and the water this time of year in Todos Santos Bay was always nice and warm. I'm surprised the water was so cold now, given that La Bufadora is just on the other side of Punta Banda. The beer was always cold, fish tacos with all the toppings were delicious, and we often stopped at Puerto Nuevo for lobster on the way back to the border