Owner operator of LB Beachgear Rentals, Los Barilles
Rich diverse marine life in the Gulf of California formerly known as The Sea of Cortez
From Lands End in Cabo San Lucas to La Paz to the north, this area offers many amazing, world-class diving experiences. I have been diving in this area since 2009, often weekly, as part of my business takes visitors to these great local spots. I know it’s world-class here as I’ve dove much of the divers’ bucket list: Galapagos, Raja Ampat Indonesia, Palau Micronesia, Fiji, Tahiti, most of the Caribbean, etc. Baja California Sur is very different—not wildly colorful—but the density and diversity of the marine life is astounding.
Exploring the Rich Marine Life of Cabo Pulmo: A World-Class Diving Destination
Let’s start right in the middle with Cabo Pulmo and its national Marine Park. This small eco-village began serious reef protection in the early 1990s, and it shows. Offering many fairly shallow dive site options (30-60 ft depths), divers come from around the world to dive with the huge schools of swirling jacks in the late fall, whale watch during surface intervals through the winter months, and springtime into summer to see the thousands of mobula rays jumping high out of the water and darkening the sun above on a great dive. Sharks, turtles, huge groupers, rays, and eels make frequent thrilling appearances. Throw in dense schools of many types of fish, and there is something for everyone. From beginners to advanced divers, most surface with big smiles and lots to chat about while preparing for a second dive below the shiny surface. Here, small pangas are loaded with gear at the shop and then launched from the beach as soon as divers make the short walk to the shoreline and climb aboard. Back roll entries are the norm, and returns to shore involve hopping over the side to wade ashore and make the short stroll back to the shop.
La Paz is well known for its whale shark snorkel tours in winter months, but it also offers great nearby reef and wreck diving. Swanee Reef is so densely populated with fish it’s hard to see the reef while descending from above. You quickly realize it’s undulating with fish you can slowly join and then swim across the reef, eye to eye with the school. Both cormorant birds and sea lions hunt here, so it’s always a nature show. Two wrecks, the Fang Ming and El Salvatierra, offer very different experiences. The first lays on its side, fairly intact so you can swim through easily with a good local guide showing the way. We came upon a good-sized turtle sleeping on the top level. The other wreck is broken and scattered, with lots of marine life populating it. Nearby islands also offer sea lion diving and more shallow reefs. Water temps vary greatly from the mid-80s in summer to chilly 60s in the winter, with visibility crystal clear in the warmer months and milky looking in the winter, as the water then is nutrient-rich, drawing much pelagic marine life to these waters. Divers here range from new divers just certifying, advanced divers from all over the world come to see the amazing sights, to divers rediscovering this sport again after taking a gap for life. All skill levels can enjoy scuba diving in the Gulf of California, written about by John Steinbeck and called the Aquarium of the Pacific by Jacques Cousteau. Many local dive shops and tour operators can help you make your own plans for an epic adventure.
Dive Highlights in Cabo San Lucas and La Paz: From Whale Sharks to Shipwrecks
If you need something less physical, both Cabo San Lucas and La Paz offer marina-based diving where you step from the dock onto the dive boat. These locations both offer some great diving options.
Cabo San Lucas has Lands End for dramatic above and below views, complete with playful sea lions and the wall of a deep canyon. Once, I met a whale shark there at 40 ft depth who joined my dive, but that is a rare occurrence. What is normal, however, are tons of fish, eels, rays, and occasional sea horses. Pelican Rock offers shallow entry as boats anchor in a 20 ft sandy bottom, with cruise ships and tour boats buzzing about on the surface while you slowly drop over the rocky edge of a canyon that is 1200 ft deep. Check out the boulders for eels hiding, and then follow the sand falls down the cliff walls while you keep an eye on the deep for whatever might swim by, like a small school of eagle or cow nosed rays. The sea lion colony loves to drop in on divers and playfully chase each other past delighted divers, content to lay on the sandy bottom and just watch. Cabo also offers corridor diving just north up the coastline, or combinations of different dive spots, so there are lots of choices.