cleung
Contributor
My main objective for this trip was to dive with the sea lions. This is why I chose La Paz in the first place. I did three days of diving with Baja Connections (formerly Solitude Diving) run by fellow Canadian Trevor Brown.
Pros:
- email communications in advance were great with Trevor
- free boat pick up/dropoff at dock right across from my hotel, Posada de la Mision (which I would also recommend staying at)
- my scuba gear was kept with Trevor for the three days as he rinses and delivers my gear back to the boat
- dives led by Trevor were great - he was attentive to our safety and pointed out interesting things to see both during the dives as well as land sights
- video service was available since I wanted memento of my sea lion dives
- also got in whale shark swim (my first ever), again video was done
- surface interval at isolated beaches with lunch provided was idea type of surface interval especially given that La Paz dive sites are at least a good hour boat ride from town
Cons:
- Baja Connections charters dive boats for now, one has a head and one does not - my first dive day was on the boat without head and the only day we did not have a beach surface interval so I had to pee in the water holding onto the ladder which is never pleasant - if they can get their own boat, with a head, this would really eliminate this negative - or at least include a beach surface interval for all dive days
- boats used also had uncomfortable ladders with skinny rungs making it hard on the feet
- so far, credit card payments not available except indirectly via PayPal - La Paz diving is not cheap and it would have been nice to use my credit cards to at least earn some airline points
The Sea Lions Dives
My sea lions dives did not disappoint. Did two dives at the main sea lions colony at Los Isolates plus a snorkel during the surface interval and another dive at the smaller colony at San Rafaelito. Both sites resulted in awesome close up encounters with the seas lions which were caught on video. All of these dives started out with time exploring the surrounding areas before moving to where the sea lions were. Instead of the 65-75% of the time spent on the surrounding areas and remaining time with the sea lions, I would have preferred a reallocation of the time in the water with at least 50 to 70% of the dives with the sea lions. After all, the sea lions are the stars of these dives and the main reason why divers go there.
If you want to dive with sea lions, then La Paz is the destination to go to. There are other decent marine life in these waters as well but just be prepared to pay for it. You can get affordable accommodations as well as eat cheap, authentic Mexican food. But the diving and the taxis are priced higher than most other dive destinations. But the sea lions are definitely worth it and they are around all year round.
The Whale Shark Swim
After doing two tanks on the first day, we went looking for whale sharks. It was in an area closer to town but with low visibility. Despite this, we managed to jump into the water three times to snorkel with a young whale shark which was my first time ever seeing one. We tried again the next day and failed to find any whale sharks after our diving. I don't know how La Paz compares with other places known for whale sharks but at least I got to finally see one (my April trip to Utila failed to see even a single one after three days of searching). I think the whale sharks here in La Paz should be considered a bonus since it's never guaranteed to see one but Baja Connections delivered in getting in my first sighting.
In addition to the sea lions, which are world class diving, my bonus encounters included the one whale shark I had, my best sea turtle encounter to date and the largest groupers and barracudas schools I have ever seen during diving. I knew this dive trip was going to be at a premium price as far as land based diving trip goes and I was prepared for it. With the awesome encounters I had, I came out of the trip quite happy.
As I write this, video files were downloaded at a Dropbox provided by Trevor. I have not done any colour correction yet but plan to. For a dive destination as special and unique as La Paz, I think video/photos should definitely be requested and Trevor provided this service very well.
For anyone planning to go to La Paz to get in the sea lions, I would recommend using Trevor and Baja Connections as dive operator and whale shark swims.
Pros:
- email communications in advance were great with Trevor
- free boat pick up/dropoff at dock right across from my hotel, Posada de la Mision (which I would also recommend staying at)
- my scuba gear was kept with Trevor for the three days as he rinses and delivers my gear back to the boat
- dives led by Trevor were great - he was attentive to our safety and pointed out interesting things to see both during the dives as well as land sights
- video service was available since I wanted memento of my sea lion dives
- also got in whale shark swim (my first ever), again video was done
- surface interval at isolated beaches with lunch provided was idea type of surface interval especially given that La Paz dive sites are at least a good hour boat ride from town
Cons:
- Baja Connections charters dive boats for now, one has a head and one does not - my first dive day was on the boat without head and the only day we did not have a beach surface interval so I had to pee in the water holding onto the ladder which is never pleasant - if they can get their own boat, with a head, this would really eliminate this negative - or at least include a beach surface interval for all dive days
- boats used also had uncomfortable ladders with skinny rungs making it hard on the feet
- so far, credit card payments not available except indirectly via PayPal - La Paz diving is not cheap and it would have been nice to use my credit cards to at least earn some airline points
The Sea Lions Dives
My sea lions dives did not disappoint. Did two dives at the main sea lions colony at Los Isolates plus a snorkel during the surface interval and another dive at the smaller colony at San Rafaelito. Both sites resulted in awesome close up encounters with the seas lions which were caught on video. All of these dives started out with time exploring the surrounding areas before moving to where the sea lions were. Instead of the 65-75% of the time spent on the surrounding areas and remaining time with the sea lions, I would have preferred a reallocation of the time in the water with at least 50 to 70% of the dives with the sea lions. After all, the sea lions are the stars of these dives and the main reason why divers go there.
If you want to dive with sea lions, then La Paz is the destination to go to. There are other decent marine life in these waters as well but just be prepared to pay for it. You can get affordable accommodations as well as eat cheap, authentic Mexican food. But the diving and the taxis are priced higher than most other dive destinations. But the sea lions are definitely worth it and they are around all year round.
The Whale Shark Swim
After doing two tanks on the first day, we went looking for whale sharks. It was in an area closer to town but with low visibility. Despite this, we managed to jump into the water three times to snorkel with a young whale shark which was my first time ever seeing one. We tried again the next day and failed to find any whale sharks after our diving. I don't know how La Paz compares with other places known for whale sharks but at least I got to finally see one (my April trip to Utila failed to see even a single one after three days of searching). I think the whale sharks here in La Paz should be considered a bonus since it's never guaranteed to see one but Baja Connections delivered in getting in my first sighting.
In addition to the sea lions, which are world class diving, my bonus encounters included the one whale shark I had, my best sea turtle encounter to date and the largest groupers and barracudas schools I have ever seen during diving. I knew this dive trip was going to be at a premium price as far as land based diving trip goes and I was prepared for it. With the awesome encounters I had, I came out of the trip quite happy.
As I write this, video files were downloaded at a Dropbox provided by Trevor. I have not done any colour correction yet but plan to. For a dive destination as special and unique as La Paz, I think video/photos should definitely be requested and Trevor provided this service very well.
For anyone planning to go to La Paz to get in the sea lions, I would recommend using Trevor and Baja Connections as dive operator and whale shark swims.
