La Paz - Cabo Pulmo - Cabo San Lucas in early December

[morecowbells]

My husband and I have done several dives in the Caribbean. With the exception of Cozumel, I am somewhat discouraged by the lack of the larger, mature marine life coupled with the abundant effects of overfishing and lion fish. We decided to shake things up and try CSL. We were there in July and I will admit, the vis was poor and at times the water was soupy. I have never encountered thermoclines which ranged 23 degrees in one dive. As for colorful coral- forget it. However, the density and number of marine life was nothing short of amazing. It was refreshing to see large adult Angel fish, grouper and bump head parrot fish instead of small juvies. I absolutely love green morays. They were plentiful on every dive.

Cabo Pulmo is a definite must dive. That is where you will see colorful corals along with massive populations of fish. I have never seen such humungous grouper(in schools too!) in my life. I also enjoyed La Paz, although we only dove it as a day trip. Visibility was quite a bit better than CSL and the sea lion dive was unforgettable. However, I liked the shorter boat rides in the CSL harbor and spotted several more morays and schools of fish than we did in La Paz.

I am not sure what the diver in one of the pics above is holding in his hands. I hope it is not a puffer fish. Not to mention the stress it puts on the animal, isn't it against marine park rules to handle any marine life?

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

My tale of Cabo dates way back to 1972 and my land tour of the peninsula that retraced the route of the Baja 1000 off-road race. Of course I was much easier on my Ford Bronco than the racers of those years. But that trip some 40 years ago hooked me on what was then called "The Baja." Some years later I returned to Cabo as a certified diver and protector of sea turtles. I have a video taken of a dive at Gordo Banks around the sea mount being followed by a pod of whale sharks. At the time I had no idea how special that dive was. It was me, my buddy and DM and about 10 whale sharks, throw in a couple of seals and all the other sea life around the undersea mount....OMG. We also did Cabo Pulmo and I'd suggest you read up on that reef to learn how special it is. Do you have 100 foot vis in the bay at Cabo, of course not, but much like a muck dive in Indonesia, seek and you will find. But that kind of dive is not for everyone.

As for Cabo town, when I was first there it was nothing, dirt roads and a few shops. I stayed at the Mar de Cortez and that has been my favorite. I always ask for the "old" section which I prefer. I have stayed at the Hotel Palmilla so I do know and enjoy the nice places. I usually hook up with a dive shop at the harbor and find the walk around town fun. Not sure if it is still there but there was a Hard Rock Cafe at one point. Of course Cabo Wabo was the night spot.

For me, I never go to Cabo specifically for the diving. I enjoy the town, the people, the beer, the fish tacos, and maybe it is a virus of some sort that got in my blood 40 years ago. If you want to dive 5 dives a day, maybe Cabo is not for you. And yes, Jan Jose is a much quieter place.... Although Cabo has changed much in 40 years, it is still a bit like returning to simpler times in some ways.

Compared to La Paz...well La Paz is a big city. What more can I say. My first trip to La Paz I stayed at La Perla on the waterfront, looks to still be there but much improved. I have done no diving out of La Paz. There are some good liveaboards that cruise the Sea of Cortez and it is said that all 28 species of sharks inhabit that Sea.

I guess I got off subject a bit but going to Cabo is not like going to a dive resort on Roatan or Bonaire or Caymans. It's not all about diving, but more like a Hemmingway book....something you experience.

 

[beth_castroll]

My husband and I did the Baja Sur Loop in early October this year. We flew into Cabo San Lucas Airport and rented a car for the week from Cactus Rental. Because our credit card did third party insurance in Mexico we only paid 180 for the week. We drove about 1.5 hours to Cabo Pulmo after a stop at a huge super market for food and booze supplies. We stayed at Baja Bungalows for $85 a night. It was VERY hot and no AC but the fan kept us cool enough to sleep at night but during the day we were pretty uncomfortable. It also had a kitchenette which was a good thing since there was a death in town that week and all but 2 restaurants were open while we were there. The "town" had almost no vibe to it and too bucolic for my tastes. We did 4 dives in 2 days with Pilu at Cabo Pulmo divers. The dive sites are a short hop off shore. Easy diving. Lots of big fish and schools. Nice little coral heads and a few eel gardens. Weird to see so many green eels swimming free amongst big grouper. We met a fellow SB contributor named Paul from Arizona and shared a dive a meal and a few beers with him. Interesting to have gone, but we wouldn't go back. You don't need more than 48 hours there. Bring CASH! No ATM's in town and we didn't find a place that took credit card.

After diving on day 2 we drove 2.5 hours to La Paz and stayed for $65 a night at the LunaSol hotel. This place we a gem. Small communal kitchen. Nice staff. Great AC after 100 degree days in Cabo Pulmo. The hotel also has a nice upstairs with hammock and tables and a view. Don't expect 5 stars, but just a nice clean room and bathroom. It is 3 blocks from the Malecon. We ate at Rancho Viejo a few blocks away and had a great local steak dinner for about $20USD including beer. We had 6 dives over 2 days planned with Club Cantamar. They will pick you up at your hotel as part of your package. We got 3 dives each day for $110. It was a big cattle boat and the it was dominated by a group of 16 divers from Brazil and the 2 of us. They were great divers and it wasn't a problem to be with so many of them. The dive sites are 1.5 hours or longer which is why they do 3 dives. Its an all day trip 8-5. They provided nice snacks and a warm belly of burrito at lunch. We dove 2 dives at the Sea Lion Rookery. Very fun to have sealion pups tug at your fins! Best thing we saw was a bait ball of 500-700 barracuda. At one point they surrounded the divers and then took off in a tornado of fish. I'll never for get it. In general very shallow dives. One was 25 feel for 75 minutes. The 3rd dive was at a wreck. At the end of the day we decided we pushed our vacation too hard and cancelled the last day of diving. We spent the last day in La Paz at the Mercado Bravo eating Chili Rellenos and Pork Stew for about 4.50 and then dinner of some of the best scallop ceveche we ever ate at the Bismark restaurant that everyone raves about, but I found only so-so except for the scallops, which are a local favorite and can be had anywhere. I like La Paz but again, we wouldn't go back. The diving is too far away.

All in all I'm glad we checked out the area. We dove Cabo San Lucas the year before in July with zero viability so seeing the sea life was a huge plus this trip. However unlike Cozumel, and Play del Carmen, we won't be back to Baja.