First trip to Baja: Sea of Cortez liveaboard or Cabo Pulmo land-based?

[anchochile]

I'm planning my first dive trip to the Sea of Cortez for next October or November - as a Bay Area diver, it's my closest warm-water destination, and it sounds like it offers some incredible and unique diving.

I'm trying to decide between a liveaboard or a land-based trip to Cabo Pulmo (which from what I understand offers the best overall diving vs. La Paz and Los Cabos, with shorter boat rides to boot).

I'm an enthusiastic beginner photographer and am most excited about the big stuff the area has to offer - bull sharks, large schools of jacks and other fish, mantas, etc. Sea lions are less of a draw, since I can dive with them any time I want in Monterey.

With a full-time job and a family, time is the limiting factor, so a 6 day/5 night liveaboard on the Valentina or Nautilus is appealing as it would let me fit in up to 17 or so dives in a 7-day trip (including flight days). In the same-length land based trip, I would get 5 diving days. Seems like the Cabo Pulmo operators all do 2-tank morning trips, so that's just 10 dives for the same amount of time away.

However, it seems like the liveaboards will just spend one day diving Cabo Pulmo. Given the Pulmo restrictions on dive site access, it seems like it could be hit and miss whether I get to dive any of the best Pulmo sites, and I'd certainly miss out on many of them.

Given all this, do you think I'd have a better week of diving in Cabo Pulmo, doing 10 dives but making sure to see all the best sites there, or doing a 6-day liveaboard and doing 17 dives all around the southern Sea of Cortez, with only one day in Cabo Pulmo area?

 

[Trailboss123]

Curious as to what @Azur Salino might recommend to you.

 

[diversteve]

October will be warmer.

 

[moorish8idol]

The one thing to be aware of with Cabo Pulmo in October (high season) is that there are limited places at each dive site in the park so you aren't guaranteed to go where you want when you want (though if you will do land-based, check with the operators in town to see if you can reserve places already - I imagine you have a better shot of getting to the better sights more regularly during your 6 days there than your 1 day with Nautilus). I went in low season in March which was great because I did not have to compete with many other people and we got to see the bull sharks every day at El Vencedor. You aren't necessarily limited to 2 dives a day in the morning. It does depend on demand though. I saw operators taking people out in the afternoons (even in low season) and managed to get a 3-dive day in because there was a small group of French people (5 in total) that wanted that many dives and I was able to tag-along.

Hopefully the Lady Gallant has improved since earlier this year. The reason the French group was in Cabo Pulmo with me in March is because their charter to Socorro with the Gallant had been cancelled last minute (after they had traveled to Mexico from France) due to mechanical issues. Hopefully it was a one-off or at least the issues are now fixed, but maybe something to be aware of!

Not sure exactly where else the Gallant would go but I wasn't too impressed with the diving elsewhere in Cortes. I did 2 dives at Gordo Banks and we saw absolutely nothing. Barely even a fish. I knew that going in as it tends to be an all or nothing type of place but what I was hearing is that they are not seeing the hammerheads there very often (that was in December so not sure how October fares). The stuff around Cabo San Lucas I found quite boring though its always great to see sealions bounding around on a dive.

I love liveaboards but in this case I think you may be better off renting a jeep and a villa in Pulmo and really enjoying that little town. I liked having afternoons free to enjoy some tacos and beer at my fave place, you guessed it, "Tacos & Beer", a beachfront shack with delicious fresh food and reasonable prices. My rustic villa rental place had beach gear/portable chairs etc so I took that down to the gorgeous main beach and enjoyed the sun, read my book and snuck a few extra drinks I had picked up at a convenience store on the way in. Having a jeep was nice for touring around a few other villages and beaches during my free afternoons.

 

[Trailboss123]

Personally, I would choose Loreto over Cabo Pulmo for an overall dive vacation. Easier to get to (Alaska Airlines through LAX) right into Loreto.
Incredible and varied diving and excellent topside activities and restaurants. Check out:
Blue Nation - Diving & Snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez
Blue Nation

 

[Gano Lemoine]

Planning a trip to Loreto in March.

Trailboss, I assume your recommendation for a dive shop would be Blue Nation?

Any recommendations for lodging? We would prefer NOT staying in a normal hotel, but more of a Baja situation - a room or casita in a small place. Kitchen would be a big bonus.

 

[Trailboss123]

Planning a trip to Loreto in March.

Trailboss, I assume your recommendation for a dive shop would be Blue Nation?

Any recommendations for lodging? We would prefer NOT staying in a normal hotel, but more of a Baja situation - a room or casita in a small place. Kitchen would be a big bonus.

Yes, I would recommend Blue Nation and you might want to check into one of these vacation rentals close to downtown ,so you can walk to nearby restaurants, etc-- Vacation Rentals – RentalsLoreto.com

 

[kumimonster]

I am a cabo pulmo fan.
Just going to get that out of the way.
I've been coming here for almost 10 years - 1x or 2x a year.
Also, I'm currently here - but flying home tomorrow :-( BOOOOO!!!!

For flights, SJD is the easiest airport to get to. From SFO or SJC you have multiple airlines flying into SJD.
Just make sure you land around 1pm at the latest. This will give you time to get to CP before dark with time to grocery shop and/or pick up rental car. (Grocery shopping can also be done if you end up taking a shuttle to CP).

CP divesites are limited per day/week. You cannot reserve spots in advance. Nowadays operators are even stricter with reporting other companies that exceed their time limits, dive before their appointed time, or even dive a site they did not sign up for.

2 tanks per day is what most people do here, but I have been able to do more without any issue when I really wanted to.
If no one else wanted to go with me, then it was still possible - however I'd have to pay for it ;-)

You won't run out of things to photograph. I enjoy diving here much more than Cabo San Lucas. However I can't compare to other places in BCS.
Today, for my last dive, we went to visit the ball of jacks and as we watched them swirl around in their giant ball of scales and fish poop, we were rudely interrupted by a dolphin swooping through for its lunch. :-D

If you want to dive in Cabo Pulmo, then it's best to stay in Cabo Pulmo. From here you can just get used to the slower pace and enjoy the local vibe - very quiet and relaxed. Put your money back into the community that helps to keep this place what it is.

 

[Azur Salino]

I'm planning my first dive trip to the Sea of Cortez for next October or November - as a Bay Area diver, it's my closest warm-water destination, and it sounds like it offers some incredible and unique diving.

I'm trying to decide between a liveaboard or a land-based trip to Cabo Pulmo (which from what I understand offers the best overall diving vs. La Paz and Los Cabos, with shorter boat rides to boot).

I'm an enthusiastic beginner photographer and am most excited about the big stuff the area has to offer - bull sharks, large schools of jacks and other fish, mantas, etc. Sea lions are less of a draw, since I can dive with them any time I want in Monterey.

With a full-time job and a family, time is the limiting factor, so a 6 day/5 night liveaboard on the Valentina or Nautilus is appealing as it would let me fit in up to 17 or so dives in a 7-day trip (including flight days). In the same-length land based trip, I would get 5 diving days. Seems like the Cabo Pulmo operators all do 2-tank morning trips, so that's just 10 dives for the same amount of time away.

However, it seems like the liveaboards will just spend one day diving Cabo Pulmo. Given the Pulmo restrictions on dive site access, it seems like it could be hit and miss whether I get to dive any of the best Pulmo sites, and I'd certainly miss out on many of them.

Given all this, do you think I'd have a better week of diving in Cabo Pulmo, doing 10 dives but making sure to see all the best sites there, or doing a 6-day liveaboard and doing 17 dives all around the southern Sea of Cortez, with only one day in Cabo Pulmo area?

October -November is a great time to visit the Cortez all around. Great viz, warm mater, low winds!
Cabo Pulmo is great at that time of the year, but as somebody mentioned, it would be busy then and spots are limited on divesites. You must plan this with time ahead and make sure you ask whether you will be taken to the spots where you will see the stuff you are seeking. I've met a lot of people that were really disappointed because they couldnt dive with the bull sharks or the schools of jacks. Having said that, and this is just my personal opinion, I wouldn't dive more than 2 days in Cabo Pulmo. The place is great, the marine park and example to us all, but dive sites are limited in amount and variety. Most people go there to see the bulls sharks and the schools, which are incredible but besides them, there is not much else to see in those spots, as it's just sand and some scrap metal from old wrecks.
Liveaboards are a great thing as you would visit some of the most emblematic spots in Baja Sur, and some other sites that you won't be able to visit otherwise. The downside is, and this is my personal experience about what I see when they dive where we are diving at the time, is that the groups are big, messy, and sometimes the guides do not know the sites well and dives result into a drop-me-off, glide-quick-along-the-reef and pick-me-up-randomly. But I'm sure it is not always the case.

In my opinion, I would take the liveabord or do a road trip so you can visit the main diving hubs in Baja Sur with local experts.
Cabo Pulmo is great but diving is not necesserily better than La Paz or Loreto, as a matter of fact, there is a plethora of incredible diving in those other places and you will find formations and pinnacles, black coral forests, wrecks, deep mounts etc. that you hardly will find in Pulmo. From the 2 choices you offer, I'd take the liveaboard. Baja is too magnificent to limit your visit to one place only.

Seasonal note: October-November is good for schools of jacks, dorados, good water conditions and viz and MAYBE some mobula rays. Bad for sharks (with the exception of the bull shark that sometimes lingers, but still more likely to be seen in the colder months) and not the best for nudibranchs.

If going to PULMO please bear in mind that there are some formalities to go thru if you carry a big UW camera and strobs! Ask your dive shop as there are many divers having issues lately

PS: Thanks @Trailboss123 always for your kind words!

 

[Azur Salino]

Planning a trip to Loreto in March.

Trailboss, I assume your recommendation for a dive shop would be Blue Nation?

Any recommendations for lodging? We would prefer NOT staying in a normal hotel, but more of a Baja situation - a room or casita in a small place. Kitchen would be a big bonus.

You can e-mail us at info@bluenationbaja.com and we can put you in the right direction accommodation wise. If you eventually dive with us, we also have some preferential rates with lodging options