La Paz in Jan/Feb

[Penopolypants]

I am heading to the Pacific (non-diving) side of the Baja at the end of the month, but will be an hour or so from La Paz. I am thinking about taking the gear and going over there for a bit. Unfortunately I will not be able to go elsewhere (Cabo Pulmo, Loreto, Cabo San Lucas, etc.).

I have heard that diving in La Paz is not that great unless you know what to ask for. So....what should I ask for? And from whom should I ask it?

I'm not fully convinced I will do this yet - temps are in the upper 60's, our trip is short, etc. But....whale sharks! Or the potential to see them anyway.

Any info would be much appreciated.

[Magoi]

It has been a few years since I have been to La Paz to dive, but I did a liveaboard last November that went the length of the Sea of Cortez. I recommend Los Islotes for a fun dive with a large number of curious and friendly sea lions. We did 3 dives at Los Islotes in November. There is a hammerhead dive (El Bajo), but that dive is largely hanging around in blue water at 100 ft. We saw some hammerheads in November - the other time I did that dive we saw none. There are several wrecks they do, most of which were sunk for diving. There is one, I think the Salvatierra, that is a real wreck (a loaded ferry Sunk after hitting a rock reef) that was a nice dive. The one time I dove from La Paz it was with Carey, back in 2008. I dove with them for 4 days - they did a good job.

Hope you enjoy it if you go diving.

[renoun]

What are your plans on the Pacific Side?

[KneeDeep]

Just got back... not many site options. I was underwhelmed... and it's way over priced.

[Penopolypants]

What are your plans on the Pacific Side?

Learning to surf again, but mostly just being a beach bum.

[John Rawlings]

It has been over ten years, but La Paz diving can be wonderful if you know what to ask for AND have an operator that will take you. My favorite dive operator was the Cortez Club at the La Concha resort, run by a Brit named James....whose last name escapes me right now.

Most sites are fairly mundane, and there is ZERO chance that you will be inspired by beautiful hard corals since there are NONE in the La Paz area and, in fact, in the Sea of Cortez itself, (with rare exceptions). However, if you absolutely INSIST to the point of making it a deal breaker if they won't take you, go to the El Bajo seamount. There are three underwater peaks that are SWARMING with Morays (I took a pic there once of 6 of them in one small hole!) and there is a chance of seeing Hammerheads, (if the shark fishing hasn't wiped them out), Giant Mantas, turtles and large pelagics. Another dealbreaker location is Cerralvo Island. The two best dive sites there are La Reina (the Queen) and La Reinita (the little queen). The former is a small seamount with lots of colores and critters, and the latter has always had Mantas when I've been there....sometimes over a dozen! Both El Bajo and Cerralvo Island are quite a distance from La Paz by boat and are heavily impacted by the wind and weather. The operators prefer the nearer sites, hence their resistance to going there....but it's worth it!

The Sea Lion colony at Los Islotes is pretty fun....at least once....and you can have a blast with the sea lions. Watch out for the big bulls, though, and pay attention to their body language. I made the mistake once of getting too near to a group of pups and failed to understand the "line" that a bull was drawing and telling me not to cross it. I still have bite marks in the left arm of my wetsuit!

There are a couple of small freighters sunk as artificial reefs that are interesting. They are on the lee side of Espiritu Santo Island and can be dived even when the wind is howling.

A "real" wreck, the Salvatierra, is a former WWII US Navy LST that was used as a ferry. It sank in 1976 after striking Swanee Rock. It was hauling a couple of semi trucks and other vehicles when it sank, and they are still there on the wreck and identifiable. Some BIG morays make their home on this wreck, plus (unless someone has since salvaged it!) the large propeller is still on the wreck and makes for a GREAT photo opportunity.

Swanee reef, right next to the ferry wreck, has a lot of little critters amongst its holes, nooks and crannies. I photographed snowflake morays there years ago and was able to thus prove their existance in the La Paz area, (they are a species normally found in the coral sea and off Australia. Probably arrived in La Paz as plankton in some ship's bilge water!). The sand surrounding Swanee reef is also full of Garden eels, and it's kinda fun to try to get close enough for a shot!

There are plenty of other dive sites beyond what I just mentioned, but most are kinda "meh".

[John Rawlings]

Oh....and I forgot the BIG draws - whales and whale sharks. You will either see them.....or you won't. It's all a matter of luck. Over the years down there I saw Pilot whales, humpbacks, greys, and even a HUGE mother Blue Whale and her calf (incredibly thrilling!). Some years we saw NO whale sharks at all, other years we saw several. One year we had 10 of them feeding just off the beach at the La Concha Resort....they were attracted by a HUGE plankton bloom and the visibility was almost nil, but you could snorkel from the beach right up to them. Other years....nothing. It's a roll of the dice.

[Penopolypants]

Thanks for the info! I love mantas, sharks, eels, and sea lions too. It looks like Cortez Club is still in business.....I will send them an email and ask about these sites. Thanks everyone!

[renoun]

What are your plans on the Pacific Side?

Learning to surf again, but mostly just being a beach bum.

Todos Santos I assume? Never made it out there myself but I understand it can be nice. An option that hasn't been presented but is worth considering is going to see the grey whale calves at Bahia Magdalena. It's going to be about four hours driving (and you won't drive at night down there) but I'd suggest considering it. I really enjoyed the experience I had with the whales further North at Laguna San Ignacio. You are going to be down there at a time that gets stead strong winds on the Sea of Cortez, having a backup plan would be worthwhile.

[renoun]

What are your plans on the Pacific Side?

Learning to surf again, but mostly just being a beach bum.

Todos Santos I assume? Never made it out there myself but I understand it can be nice. An option that hasn't been presented but is worth considering is going to see the grey whale calves at Bahia Magdalena. It's going to be about four hours driving (and you won't drive at night down there) but I'd suggest considering it. I really enjoyed the experience I had with the whales further North at Laguna San Ignacio. You are going to be down there at a time that gets stead strong winds on the Sea of Cortez, having a backup plan would be worthwhile.