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Thanks for the comments, especially those about the sea life in different months. Perhaps we'll come back in late spring too, in addition to coming back in Sept or October. We're quite taken with the place.
I've dove the 1st 3 of those; never been to Hawaii or Baja California. From the past reports I've seen, it's my understanding Baja California is about schools of medium fish (e.g.: grunts and jacks), and sea lions, but is not known for lush coral reefs. Is that accurate in your experience?
Did you mean scorpionfish? I ask because true stonefish aren't found in the Caribbean, but scorpionfish are mistaken for them. I'm aware Baja California is Pacific Ocean, not Caribbean Sea, and I'm curious as to what they have.
How many dives could you do per day? Destinations and operators where people can do 3 or 4 dives/day may not need much topside (unless one is taking along pesky non-divers), but if you're limited to 2, topside diversions become more important.
2 dives per day were all we did. I think their website says they offer night dives & afternoon dives but we didn't look into it and honestly, we were the only divers going out the last few days so I'm not sure they have requests for more.
Besides places like Loreto there are some other places in the Sea of Cortez that merit considering. La Paz ... roughly 200 miles south of Loreto is one such place. Also, during the summer months, Mexico Liveaboards offers a liveaboard experience, both of the northern Sea of Cortez (beginning in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora) and a longer excursion that hits both La Paz and Loreto, as well as those northern sites. I've done three liveaboard experiences with them, and they're excellent.
The Sea of Cortez, in general, is not famous for corals ... and most of the corals you'll see there are hard corals ... which, yes, can be mistaken at times for rocks. But there are some really colorful places. In Loreto, my favorite place for those is at the sea lion rookery, right out on the point, at 70 feet and below. The currents pushing around this point have created a colorful coral garden that would rival many places in the Caribbean that are famous for such things. And also, just off the south coast of Carmen Island, a site we call "The Abyss", which (again due to currents) has a lot of corals. And, as Hiker11 said, the black corals are ubiquitous at depths below 70 feet or so.
Yes ... scorpionfish. Also, to point out, although they're attached, the Sea of Cortez is quite different in many aspects from the Pacific Ocean in terms of sea life.
When the liveaboards pass through, they usually offer four dives per day. Otherwise, 2 dives in the morning is typical ... 3 if the guests on board want, but that's often dependent on what the wind does. Wind is a concern for the land-based operations primarily because it typically comes up in the afternoon and the diving is done by panga ... and you always have to consider the ride back to the marina after your dives. I've been on some wild rides when we pushed for that third dive ... or when the wind picks up earlier than usual. Dive boats are real basic in this part of the world ... and that needs to be taken into account.
La Paz has some pretty good diving that time of year. Again, though, it ain't warm water diving. It's not bad, but you'll be wearing at least a 5 mil.
We've not done diving in La Paz, Cabo Pulmo or Cabo-- how do they compare with Loreto in terms of crowds and sea life? I heard that a few sites are extraordinary at Cabo Pulmo (Bull Sharks, bait balls) but that other than those, it's not that special. And the marine park is not as big as Loreto's--Although maybe that doesn't matter?. We love the lack of crowds in Loreto so we've avoided LP and CSL-- but maybe those aren't as bad as we imagine they are? Your thoughts?
I really like diving in La Paz ... and have done it fairly often, as I have friends down there, including one particular dive operator. The diving's a bit more expensive than Loreto because the sites are further away ... and one has to cover the costs of getting to and from the diving. And in winter, La Paz has the whale sharks ... you snorkel with those, as they're mostly on the surface. Of all the places in the world I've swam with whale sharks, I like La Paz the best because of how they regulate boat and human interactions to protect the animals.
Thanks for your helpful comments. Makes me more convinced than ever that Loreto is a gem.
