Sea of Cortez instead of Coz?

[LimitedSlip7]

That Nautilus Gallant Lady looks really nice but it's a bit out of our budget at over $6k for the two of us.

 

[cephalopod2]

LimitedSlip7 from what you wrote my ordering of your options would be Red Sea first followed by Pacific Mexico.

I haven't dove from Sharm, but have dove a liveaboard from Hurgahada and land-based from Marsa Shagra. Red Sea land based or LOB should offer very good vis, nice coral and fish life. Lots of different species from the Caribbean. You would get loads of dive time from a LOB.

Pacific side Mexico is very different. First check the water temps for Sep. It should be warmer than when I was there (Dec) but if it's high season in Pulmo you may struggle to find accommodation. @kumimonster is the one for all Pulmo intel. I loved Cabo Pulmo topside - beautiful and peaceful. You can hike, bike or snorkel in your time off and there's a beautiful hot springs close enough for a day trip. No shore diving from Pulmo - you must have a Pulmo marine park certified guide for all Pulmo diving.

If the jacks and bull sharks are in Pulmo in Sep, you'd be looking at larger fish than Coz, Bonaire and Red Sea. There is coral but Cabo Pulmo is more rocky reef diving IMO (not the coral reefscapes of the Caribbean), as are La Paz and Loreto from everything I've read. That said I prefer Pacific diving to Caribbean diving now - loads of interesting creatures and far greater possibility of surprises. Both the diversity and size of fish at Pulmo were great - it's a longstanding marine reserve.

Boat rides from Pulmo are short but so are the dives - strict 45 min dive time limit and several of our dives were significantly shorter than that as you only have 1 DM so the first low on air diver calls the dive (the dives are not deep, but there are often less experienced divers on the boat). Small dive groups (max 6). Possibility of current, but the DMs choose sites carefully based on the dive group. You may not be able to get more than 2 dives per day in at Pulmo - there's a minimum number of divers required to run an afternoon trip.

I've looked several times at La Paz and Loreto but haven't been yet. From what I've researched I believe water temps at both will be lower than at Cabo Pulmo. With La Paz you may have the chance to snorkel with whale sharks and/or snorkel or dive with sea lions (check seasonality) - both are special experiences and I would factor that into your location choice if you are interested. While there is a sea lion colony at Pulmo, the one out of La Paz is supposed to be the largest and most interactive in the region. I've heard great things about Blue Nation in Loreto - that and the topside would be the main plus of diving there. Not sure if there are any shore diving options in either place outside of training dives; I haven't seen any mentioned.

Hope that helps.

The fiance now has a week of vacation available in Sept, from the 21st-29th. We've been to Cozumel twice last year and spent a week in Bonaire this year. She kind of wants to go back to Coz but I wouldn't mind trying something different.

I'm thinking maybe either Cabo Pulmo, La Paz, or Loreto. We aren't really night life people so that's not important but we do like trying out different restaurants instead of eating the same food at a resort every day. I guess what's holding me back from trying out the West coast is the water visibility, long boat rides, and cost of diving. Is there any decent shore diving available at those locations? I was thinking of maybe trying two locations in a week but the SO doesn't like packing up and changing locations in the middle of a relatively short trip.

Also considering a short Red Sea trip to Sharm as the flights from Cleveland aren't too hateful (~23 hours). Fly out Friday night, come back Sunday. Maybe do Camel Divers or try to talk the SO into a liveaboard. Chances of this are fairly low though. How would the Sharm diving compare to Cortez?

Thanks!

 

[AZTinman]

That Nautilus Gallant Lady looks really nice but it's a bit out of our budget at over $6k for the two of us.

Yep, Nautilus is pricy and even more so when you factor in your airfare to and from San Diego. There's probably a reason that the lower priced berths are already booked.

I suspect travel from Ohio to locations in Baja would eat-up a significant amount of your travel budget. It might be more practical to simply do another Cozumel trip in September and start planning a trip to a different location for a future trip.

Personally, I really enjoy diving in Cozumel. We'll be going back there in December. Diving in a 3mm suit in Cozumel beats the heck out of cold water diving in the Sea of Cortez in December.

There is a relatively new live aboard operating out of La Paz. El Duque used to be in San Carlos, Sonora, but is now operating in La Paz. The operators have done considerable work on upgrading and remodeling the boat. I've been told it's nice. It's a reasonably priced live aboard. You might want to research it and consider it a future option. The most practical way to get to La Paz from Ohio would be to fly into the Cabo San Lucas area and use one of the transportation services to get to La Paz (a couple hour ride).

-AZTinman

 

[horn34]

The fiance now has a week of vacation available in Sept, from the 21st-29th. We've been to Cozumel twice last year and spent a week in Bonaire this year. She kind of wants to go back to Coz but I wouldn't mind trying something different.
Thanks!

I'm kind of in the same boat. My problem is finding other people who want to dive Sea of Cortez, since they all like Coz a lot. I'll be in Coz around the same time in September and my compromise will be to do 4 days in Coz then 3 days in Xcalak with XTC. It's a 3.5 hour drive south and a great spot to get away from crowds.

XTC Dive Center

I am planning a Sea of Cortez trip in November, which is when a couple of my friends will be willing to go. Fly into SJD, then Cabo Pulmo and La Paz, maybe Loreto.

Liveaboards are great, but for $4k, I can dive for 3-4 weeks all over Mexico.

 

[AdivingBel]

Liveaboards are great, but for $4k, I can dive for 3-4 weeks all over Mexico.

Hey, diving around Mexico is fun, but a Sea of Cortez liveaboard is a completely different experience. Doesn't have to be 4K either. Watch for specials...better yet pick the right boat and find a group that buys out the boat and spreads around the perks (savings). It takes a bit of planning, but if you're an avid dive traveler, keep your eyes open, the opportunities are out there. All IMHO, YMMV.

 

[horn34]

Hey, diving around Mexico is fun, but a Sea of Cortez liveaboard is a completely different experience. Doesn't have to be 4K either. Watch for specials...better yet pick the right boat and find a group that buys out the boat and spreads around the perks (savings). It takes a bit of planning, but if you're an avid dive traveler, keep your eyes open, the opportunities are out there. All IMHO, YMMV.

It's definitely on my list. I've got a buddy that works on the Vortex doing Socorro trips and he's pointed me towards some good deals.

The problem is finding friends that wants to go. I've been stuck on some long boat rides with annoying people and the thought of spending $2-4k for that experience is a big drawback.

 

[scubadada]

I take all my liveaboards by myself, my wife is not so adventuresome and has no inclination to do liveaboards. I had a cabin by myself for two weeks on the Red Sea, had a roommate for Cocos, Galapagos and the Caymans, and had a private cabin for Los Revillagigedos. Though I prefer the private cabin, I had no problems with a roommate. You should not let that dissuade you from taking a good liveaboard. You are mostly in your room to sleep.

 

[scubadada]

I'm going to spend some time at Blue Nation in Loreto one of these days relatively soon.

 

[AdivingBel]

I've been stuck on some long boat rides with annoying people and the thought of spending $2-4k for that experience is a big drawback.

LOL...I understand your concern...my experience is liveaboards are a totally different vibe than day boats. I do prefer going with a boat full of folks I know, but I've also met some wonderful people traveling on my own (wife & I) on liveaboards. All IMHO, YMMV.

 

[LimitedSlip7]

Yep, Nautilus is pricy and even more so when you factor in your airfare to and from San Diego. There's probably a reason that the lower priced berths are already booked.

I suspect travel from Ohio to locations in Baja would eat-up a significant amount of your travel budget. It might be more practical to simply do another Cozumel trip in September and start planning a trip to a different location for a future trip.

Personally, I really enjoy diving in Cozumel. We'll be going back there in December. Diving in a 3mm suit in Cozumel beats the heck out of cold water diving in the Sea of Cortez in December.

There is a relatively new live aboard operating out of La Paz. El Duque used to be in San Carlos, Sonora, but is now operating in La Paz. The operators have done considerable work on upgrading and remodeling the boat. I've been told it's nice. It's a reasonably priced live aboard. You might want to research it and consider it a future option. The most practical way to get to La Paz from Ohio would be to fly into the Cabo San Lucas area and use one of the transportation services to get to La Paz (a couple hour ride).

-AZTinman

I checked with the owners of El Duque. They don't have any trips right now for our week but if we wanted to hit the minimum of 4 people ($1500 each) or we can book a private trip for just the two of us for $2250 each... Very little privacy in the boat cabins but it looks pretty cool! Probably doable if I could find two more people to go...