La Bufadora, Baja CA, Mexico

[bmchugh]

Made the 90 mile trip down from San Diego for some good diving and camping at the La Bufadora. Water temp was about the same as San Diego in the high 50's and vis was about 30 feet. Seen it better there before but there was a bit of a swell going. Pictures posted at my Photobucket: bmchugh_photo/La Bufadora 9-27-08 - Page 1 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

If you dive with Dale, its probably the best deal in diving I've ever found, $30.00 for two tanks, you supply the gear from the panga. Gear rental available. We brought our inflatable down so we could go to some of the more remote sites but doesn't always seem worth it for the low price.

 

[scubabob08]

Diving with Dales la Bufadora Dive is about the most dangerous thing you can do.No Dive Masters no Co2 no Chamber.I went on a Dive there and a Diver died in 30 feet of water right under the Boat.With some checking around I learned that this was the 8th Death with this operation in as many years.

 

[bmchugh]

I've dove with Dale's several times before. Dale does keep O2 onsite, as for no divemasters, you need to keep in mind your level of skill, training, and dive within your limits. You are in Mexico and can't count on medical care you would receive in the States but there are medical services available about 20 miles away in Ensenada. You are diving in a remote site and need to have good diving skills and practice common sense and keep within your limits. I've dove with a dive master in Playa del Carman and they didn't even have a computer or tables and I was the only one on the boat that used one as I brought my own gear. Diving is not without risks, when you travel outside the US you may not have the same services available that you in California.

 

[scubabob08]

I am not worried about my Diving skills Im more concerned about a operation that does not check the divers skill level like a certified Dive Master does.
When you are an owner of a Dive operation you have certin responsabilities for the safty of your Divers. Buy the time you get back to San Diego to the Chamber its to late for this reason a operator that has no Dive Masters on board needs to be certin the Divers are not only certafied but qualified.

 

[bmchugh]

I guess I tend to think more towards self responsibility and value the freedom this affords me. I do most of my diving off my buddy's RIB and as such we have to rely on our own skills and judgement as to what safe conditions for us are. There are many great places to dive in Baja that are even more remote and if you rely on the locally available medical care you are probably in big trouble. At Dale's you are really renting a boat and operator with some local dive knowledge for a very reasonable price. If you have a serious accident diving related or not you are not going to have the emergency services available that we are fortunate to have here in the US. Is the risk too great, that is for each person to decide for themselves.

 

[Power Scuba]

At Dale's you are really renting a boat and operator with some local dive knowledge for a very reasonable price.

I think you've stated the salient point here. This operation of Dale's can BARELY be called a scuba operation. Yes, he has tanks and maybe some gear, but the reality is: It's a bare bones operation and one really should treat it as if they're simply renting the boat and an operator for a two tank dive.

That being said, I too have my reservations about the overall safety of Dale's operation... and just as big a gripe is the fact his showers at the bunkhouse have barely a TRICKLE of water coming out of the spigot. (I won't even get into the roaches or the structural integrity of the "house"... and I use the term loosely.)

Bill

 

[83aztec]

I will parrot what bmchugh says: When diving in certain parts of Baja you need to depend on your biggest computer. It's your brain. I bring my own Oxygen and do dives that we can handle. The dive operators I just consider guides who can fill a tank. I don't rely on them for much more. There is a risk because of remoteness and having to cross a border. If you are not comfortable with that then take a pass. Do what you are comfortable with. Measure the risk vs reward.

 

[michelleindallas]

I joined this site simply to post my experience with Dale's La Bufadora Dive Shop. I wish I'd read this thread before my trip, as I cannot agree more with scubabob08's comments that "diving with Dale's is about the most dangerous thing you can do".

I'm grateful that none in our group became another statistic; we all came back alive. Dale's is a completely bare-bones operation not meant for occasional divers like our group.

We had a group of five, from beginner to intermediate level experience. Dale was ready to send us out with the rental equipment and boat for a two-tank dive. However, we requested a divemaster to go with us, wanting more oversight given our experience. (While every diver holds ultimate responsibility for his/her diving,) I consider the primary function of a divemaster as the "safety lookout". In this case, our divemaster focused more on gathering scallops during the dives than watching his divers. As it turns out, we had a few scary incidents which could have been avoided with better safety checks, and which could have turned out badly. We were lucky, and we came back safely, but I will never dive with that operation again and wanted to share our experience as a caution to the "average" divers out there.

Do your research, check certifications, and remember that in general, you get what you pay for.

 

[emb145]

The problem with diving with Dale isn't simply the experience level of the diver. Inexperienced divers are going to make mistakes and my biggest one was trusting Dale. We wanted a dive master to help catch mistakes that I and other inexperienced divers may make. Dale doesn't know how to properly monitor inexperienced divers and should discourage them from using his services. By his own admission, he rarely dives, having only 8 divers over the July 4th weekend and very little business since then. (Now I know why) If he is going to advertise himself as a dive shop and offer the services of a dive master and guide then he is morally and professionally obligated to monitor inexperienced divers. From what I experienced, he should only offer air and a ride to the dive site and nothing else. The best thing I took from my experience with Dale's operation is that I learned what a poorly run, unprofessional dive shop looks like.

 

[bmchugh]

I've dove with Dale's a half dozen times or so, while bare bones, you aren't paying for a guided dive. I have never felt it was overly dangerous but I'm very comfortable with cold water diving in these type of conditions. To be honest the most dangerous dives I've made have been with my buddy off his boat which we have taken down to Bufadora as well. La Bufadora has some very unique sites and great diving but you must be a fairly advanced diver to safely enjoy the area. My biggest concern with going down there these days is the dangers in Tijuana, now that is dangerous in my book.