Sea of Cortez, Loreto, Baja California

[Magoi]

Just back from a family dive trip to Loreto with wife and 2 daughters. This was the first warm water trip for the girls. We did five days of really nice diving with the Dolphin Dive Center with Raphael as our dive master. We picked Loreto because it is easy to get to and is a nice family-oriented town. No dive resorts - you stay in a hotel or rental and you walk around town to get to food, beach, and the dive boat. Loreto was used to be the capital of the Californias during Spanish colonization, with a mission dating from 1697. People are very friendly and the food is great. Loreto is known mostly for sport fishing, but they have some nice diving in the marine park that encompasses the islands outside Loreto. My wife and I were in Roatan in April - we liked the diving in Loreto just as much as Roatan, and we like the town more.

Diving is from a Panga. Dolphin basically runs a 6-pack operation, but will add Pangas and dive masters for larger groups. Our dives were with the 4 of us and occasionally with one other diver. We had 10 great dives over 5 days. Visibility varied from about 30 ft to 80 ft; the lower viz was due to upwelling of cold water during this time of year. Most of the time the water was around 78 F, but the upwelling deep water did catch your attention. Raphael did his best to find warm water again when we ran into upwelling zones. The Baja dive season is about June to November, with the best time to dive being October-November. We saw an amazing number of moray, including green, jewel, zebra, and argus. Saw schools of mobula rays, spotted eagle rays, and bat rays. Did one dive with a bull sea lion within about 10 ft of us.

I am a beginner with my camera (a P & S with one strobe), but here are a few photos.

[nwbobber]

Nice report. We were there also 4 years ago in march. That is outside the prime diving time, but it was great diving anyway. I have to agree that the character of the town is just about as friendly as anyplace I have been. Glad you had a great trip. How big was the Octo?

[Magoi]

Thanks. The octo was good sized for down there - about 6-inch wide at the head and about a foot or so from his eyes to the bottom of the head. While we were watching, it went to the other side of the rock and huddled in a depression while it was attacked repeatedly by a sabertooth blenny until it had enough and swam away.

[Tom Nic]

Thanks for the report. This one's definitely on my list.

[Dogboy]

Where did you stay? My wife and I are going for 10 days in August, staying at La Mision and diving with Dolphin Dive Center. Glad to hear you had a good time with them, this will be our first trip to Loreto and the choices for dive shops are limited. Any recommendations for restaurants/excursions? We will have a couple of non-diving days available to fill and are interested in what else there is to do. Heard the quad/ORV trip through the desert is cool. Any recommendations?

[Magoi]

We took the cheap route and stayed at Desert Inn (formerly known as LaPinta). You will have a better location, which is good as it will be pretty warm in August. Dolphin was great - just drop your gear on the first day and they take care of it until you leave. We left our dive bags at the dive shop.

We have been in Loreto a few times, but this was our first multi-day stay. We did not find a bad restaurant during our trip. Islas is close to La Mision, and was good (and air conditioned). La Palapa was v. good, Papagayo was also very good and has a beautiful garden. We did not find a bad restaurant. There is an Americanized restaurant called Mediterano (sp?) that advertises Texas bbq that is overpriced. We ate at Tio Lupa for breakfast and it was v. good, but there are salespeople for condos lurking there (and elsewhere - be prepared). When you get there, also avoid the table right after you clear customs - just walk by and get to the cabs.

There is shopping - afternoons will be hot, as will trips to the desert. There is a tour to some cave paintings, but we have not done that. You can also take a trip across the peninsula to see the Pacific side. Email Raphael or Bruce at Dolphin - thye will be very helpful. Also, there are golf courses near by.

[Dogboy]

Thanks for the info- we will definatly take your recommendations for dining. As for the Time Share sales people, we are used to dealing with them on other trips to Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean, so they really don't bother me that much. On past trips, when we had a non-diving day to kill, we have even sat through their presentations just for the freebies- got paid $300 cash (U.S.) to attend one in Cabo! It is a little known fact (at least to me, until I found out on Tripadvisor), that you can negotiate cash $ from them instead of the usual free Jeep rental for a day, 2 for 1 excursions, etc. My wife hates sitting through them, however, and has made me promise never to sign up for another one.

[LadyGoDiver]

I've dived in Loreto with the guys from Dolphin, as well as Anna from Baja Dos Mundos. We spent two weeks there in April 2006 (Raphael taught me to snorkel then) and again in October 2010. Loreto is lovely, easy and safe.

[Tom Nic]

Hmmm... maybe a quick 3 or 4 days this Fall... Bassman? Come on, you know you want to!

[LadyGoDiver]

Contact my buddy Jill if you want a serene, quiet, jewel-like place to stay:

www.lascabanasdeloreto.com

[LadyGoDiver]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_eriuRM510

Check this video out -- We met up with a couple who are film makers. They shot this and sent it to us.