3 friends and I are planning to go to La Paz March 5 to 9. The itinerary would be:
March 6: Snorkel with whale sharks in La Paz in the morning and then scuba with the sea lions of Espiritu Santo in the afternoon (or vice versa).
March 7: More scuba
March 8: Gray whale watching to see mothers and calves and hopefully have a close encounter with them
I've done the whale sharks before, and I've also dived in Espiritu Santo before, both back in December 2021. I've never seen the gray whales, and it will be the first time for all these activities for the other guys. One other guy and I are avid divers--he's rescue, I'm AOW. One guy is OW certified but hasn't dived in 20 years, but can get a refresher course. The 4th guy has never dived before, but he and I are going to Moorea in early October and he's going to try a Discover Scuba there. If he likes it, the plan is to get him certified before this trip.
Looking at places to see the gray whales, it looks like our primary options are Puerto Chale and Puerto San Carlos. Puerto Chale is significantly closer and can be done as a day trip from La Paz. Puerto San Carlos would definitely require an overnight so less convenient. But it seems like Puerto San Carlos is the more "established" whale viewing spot. I know this is a diving site, but I wonder if anybody has experience with both locations and can weigh in on quality of each. If Puerto Chale is more or less "as good" as Puerto San Carlos, that would be an easy choice.
Secondarily, can anybody recommend a tour operator that combines whale shark snorkeling with Espiritu Santo diving in the same day? And if for some reason my buddy decides not to get certified, can he snorkel with the sea lions while the rest of us dive?
Finally, is there good diving that time of year outside of Espiritu Santo that's appropriate for new divers?
Thanks in advance for the input!
March 6: Snorkel with whale sharks in La Paz in the morning and then scuba with the sea lions of Espiritu Santo in the afternoon (or vice versa).
March 7: More scuba
March 8: Gray whale watching to see mothers and calves and hopefully have a close encounter with them
I've done the whale sharks before, and I've also dived in Espiritu Santo before, both back in December 2021. I've never seen the gray whales, and it will be the first time for all these activities for the other guys. One other guy and I are avid divers--he's rescue, I'm AOW. One guy is OW certified but hasn't dived in 20 years, but can get a refresher course. The 4th guy has never dived before, but he and I are going to Moorea in early October and he's going to try a Discover Scuba there. If he likes it, the plan is to get him certified before this trip.
Looking at places to see the gray whales, it looks like our primary options are Puerto Chale and Puerto San Carlos. Puerto Chale is significantly closer and can be done as a day trip from La Paz. Puerto San Carlos would definitely require an overnight so less convenient. But it seems like Puerto San Carlos is the more "established" whale viewing spot. I know this is a diving site, but I wonder if anybody has experience with both locations and can weigh in on quality of each. If Puerto Chale is more or less "as good" as Puerto San Carlos, that would be an easy choice.
Secondarily, can anybody recommend a tour operator that combines whale shark snorkeling with Espiritu Santo diving in the same day? And if for some reason my buddy decides not to get certified, can he snorkel with the sea lions while the rest of us dive?
Finally, is there good diving that time of year outside of Espiritu Santo that's appropriate for new divers?
Thanks in advance for the input!
