Guinea fowl puffer

Several Guitarfish were sighted and also a brief engagement with a squadron of Cownosed Rays.

Yesterday morning our pangas headed in separate directions, I went north to Punta Perico whilst Diego made his way south to Cabo Pulmo Marine Park. After a pleasant saunter following the coastline up, we arrived at Perico to find smooth, easy conditions, very little current and a clear view to the rocks 30 feet below. Yellow tailed Surgeonfish, Moorish Idols, Parrotfish and Guinea Fowl Puffer were immediately within view as we submerged, a wide easy swim through was a nice way to help us fine tune our buoyancy, then we continued and leveled off at forty feet, conveniently the depth of the next swim through I hoped to encounter. With the wall to our left and the open sea to our right we lazily finned our way along, making sure to cover all angles so as not to miss out on a thing. Several Sedna Nudibranchs were dotted around, their brilliant white body and delicate gold and magenta frill making them an easy to spot. Peering into nooks we saw Green Morays as thick as my thigh staring out at us, mouths agape, their bodies recoiled at our unwelcome intrusion. We found a swim through that snaked it's way through the wall, maybe thirty feet long, wide and well lit; I scanned for Stone Scorpionfish and sure enough one had concealed itself behind a rock, only it's gun turret eyes swivelled as I moved my hand in front of it, I wonder how many I missed? 70 feet was our deepest depth and here the bottom temperature was 68' Fahrenheit, whilst above 40 feet it was a more comfortable 72' F. Visibility varied, ranging from 30 - 45 feet, reports from fishing boats confirm that blue water is just a couple of miles offshore and moving closer every day.

Diego took similar recordings for bottom temperature and visibility in the marine park and enthused about how many Leopard Grouper he had seen along with schools of Snapper, Grunts and Panamic Porkfish. Several Guitarfish were sighted and also a brief engagement with a squadron of Cownosed Rays.

Guitarfish

I felt like I was in a beautiful dream

The sea was flat and our passage was smooth as we headed south to Cabo Pulmo this week, our guests eagerly anticipating their first dives in the marine park. We started our dive at the southern end of the site and desended through a large crowd of Pacific Creolefish, a great introduction. With visibility of 30-40 feet and bottom temperatures ranging from 70' - 72' Fahrenheit, we made our way along the reef; I was having to shoo the Balloonfish away with my hands to make headway, they were everywhere! Lots of Guitarfish were found as we peered under ledges, and several large Diamond Stingrays were resting out in the sand. Leopard and Golden Grouper had congregated in their hundreds, this dive just kept getting better and better. Plumes of Yellow Snapper gleamed from afar, beckoning us towards them whilst high above a solitary Golden Cownosed Ray almost managed to stealthily pass by unnoticed. Finally time to ascend, as luck would have it, straight into a huge swirling mass of Big Eyed Jacks. They totally enveloped us, " I felt like I was in a beautiful dream. The movement of the fish was like silver mercury, with big kind eyes! ", enthused one contented diver back on the boat.

Vista Sea Sport SCUBA Certification

One SCUBA student’s accounting

The first lucky thing we saw was a 4-foot guitarfish – I could tell by the excited pointing and the underwater air guitar being played by my 24-year-old son Luke. Simon, Vista Sea Sport Dive Instructor and our Maestro-of-the-Sea extraordinaire, musically mimicked back his own version of an underwater Elvis, so we knew the find was confirmed! The two of us had just accomplished our first backward tank splash down from the dive boat above and began following Simon into the crystal waters on the reef off Cardonal. We easily found ourselves 40 feet down and scheduled for 40 minutes on our first ever descent. ‘Awesome’ was playing on the reel in my mind, and we soon realized the ‘lucky’ sightings were just beginning. The undersea 'sky' was filled with starfish, in an abundance and variety I had never imagined. Now my favorite, the green and yellow Chocolate Chip Starfish, a uniquely beautiful yet pillowy star appears to have plumped up by eating marshmallows with those chocolate chips! My girly interest in starfish waned as Simon found his coveted and seldom seen Zebra Moray Eel and we immediately began tracking it’s gorgeous ribbon-glide from one hiding place to another. With 13 years and 1000’s of dives under his ‘weight’ belt, Simon’s comfort and knowledge are inspiring and we were in awe while he continued to find Green Moray Eels, Jewel Moray Eels, and seemed to be a friend to each as we passed. The long pointers attached to a huge lobster were competing for our attention when something cast a shadow while passing above, and we caught site of a beautiful Hawksbill Turtle. Glide, stroke, glide, stroke, it propelled past and we did our best to keep up with our landlubber fins. Cumbersome though they are on the sand, turtles are graceful and fast and we watched it dance away into the blue. Not to be outdone and with a celebratory note to mark our exceptional and effortless first dive, Simon grabbed my hand for a little gliding ourselves, and I found I was being swirled in a remarkable underwater dance, the music being made by our bubbles!

The endless stream of brilliant reef fish almost overshadowed the myriad coral around which they live, but the specimens big and small were beautiful. And speaking of small, some of the coolest fish finds are the smallest, expertly found and pointed out for our pleasure. The nature of sea slugs, huge shells and clams strewn with sea algae, tube worms that double as undersea flowers, and almost imperceptible krill were subtle in their ability to grab our attention, but were still contribute to the layers of wonder we were discovering below.

Luke and I were grateful that our SCUBA diving bookwork, our pool work, our DVD watching work, were all paying dividends down below. However, I was apprehensive on the second day as we began our first dive, which is to 60 feet. My apprehension translated to too much breathing, my already abnormal buoyancy keeping me from descending. With his calm underwater ways of controlling the student environment, Simon managed to get me to the sea floor along with Luke, when within minutes a school of our Sea of Cortez Mobula Manta Rays came winging by like an orchestrated school of underwater butterflies. I kept remembering my constant quote that Jacques Cousteau calls the Sea of Cortez the world’s aquarium. I absolutely can’t wait to spend more time in it now, not just cruising and fishing on the top of it!

This is a remarkably great area to learn to dive, with a remarkably talented and highly professional team run by Mark Rayor owner of Vista Sea Sport and lead by Simon Cazaly, a British compatriot who has literally dived all over the world. If you’re certified now and haven’t been down for a while, treat yourself and remember again the incredible sights and freedom of the water. If like me you’ve wanted to do it for years but haven’t carved out the time, perhaps this slightly slower season, will provide you the time to relax and enjoy the 'sea' life. Take the chance now to really mine the depths and beauty offered by the Sea of Cortez. I feel fortunate to have shared the experience with my son and can’t encourage you enough to contact Mark at 14-10031 or check his website at www.vistaseasport.com . If you’re going for a dive…call me! Theresa Comber, Awesome Sportfishing and East Cape RV Resort, combertheresa@hotmail.com.

Whale Shark

Whale sharks arrive at Pulmo on Que!

This week several days in a row 2 whale sharks were sighted by divers at Cabo Pulmo. Last year at this same date renowned under water photographer and marine biologist Bill Boyce came out to dive with us for a day. Above is one of the images he captured. That is me (Mark Rayor) on the left. Below is a piece he wrote about this encounter for an Australian sport fishing magazine.

Marine Parks… Keep Em ??? Or “Bleep” Em…???

In the last several years, many “green” groups have rallied long hours to place pristine marine environments into jurisdiction as Marine Parks or Marine Sanctuaries. Though these efforts seem gallant to many, to others they represent nothing but un-justified restrictions. We as anglers, and people who cherish the fish we pursue, need to take a serious look into such management legislation, to see if it warrants retaining such protection. I am versed in the protection under which these premises have been intended in Australian waters and we in California are facing similar, if not more restrictive rules

in areas where some of our finest inshore fishing takes place along our coast. I have been a strong advocate to denounce these areas, and feel it is the commercial industry that has done the most serious damage to our fish stocks. Thinking they are the ones that should be facing thoughtful, well researched management schemes…… That is until last month.

I was in the middle of a photo shoot for the Van Wormer Resorts in East Cape, Baja Mexico when the need to fulfill some underwater image requirements came to be. Having dove the area many times in the last 15 years, my favorite dive site in all of Baja is the Cabo Pulmo Reef (the only living coral reef in the Sea of Cortez). My favorite dive charter operator is Mark Rayor of Vista Sea Sport in Buena Vista, www.vistaseasport.com . Not only is Mark a first class fisherman / dive master with an acute knowledge of the reef and it’s up to the minute conditions. He is also a friggin’ “Lucky Charm” when it comes to seeing some awesome stuff in a timely manner. This trip was to be no exception. In the last 15 years on the reef, its National Park status has made a virtual underwater zoo of epic proportions. Every year I dive it, it truly gets better and better. No only in the quantity of fish and the diversity of species, but also the overall size of the critters that call the Pulmo Reef their home.

Years ago it was the impressive schools of horse eyed jacks that would mesmerize me to a trance. Then a few years ago it was the new found aggregation of groupers which had me spellbound. In fact, my last dive there two years ago, Mark and I dropped in and were immediately surrounded by huge shoals of sardines being pushed past us at furious speeds by dozens of 5 – 15kg groupers corralling them into a frenzy. Not a bad way to start a dive !!! Well this May, the action made this pale in comparison. First, you don’t have to meter the reef to find it. You simply look for the breezer of jacks and the dark, amoeboid mass that they create. Once in their vicinity it is merely a quick flip or two to get below them, and you are instantly in a dark world. One where the bright rays of the sun search hard just to penetrate the depths below. In waters only 15 – 20 meters, the column of fish that school here are well represented in layers. On top, as mentioned, the horse eyed jacks, impossible to count but my estimation of these fish from years of diving tuna schools on the purse seiners, I would guess-timate to be around 40 -50 tons..!!! Below them near the bottom, huge schools of yellow tailed grunts, porgies, and Jordan snappers. Numbers that literally carpet the rocky outcropping of the reef. But between these two layers is what really blew my mind, groupers, groupers, and more groupers. Leopard groupers in spectacular numbers that went from 5 – 15 kgs, broomtail groupers from 10 – 30 kgs., and gulf grouper that easily scaled 50 kg. All swimming so close, you could pet them. Roving the reef at this same level, as though on patrol, were the “mean machines”, dog toothed snappers to 30 kg. All over the reef were tropical aquarium species, moray eels, and vibrant outcroppings of hard and soft coral patches. I found it difficult to even focus on finding worthy photo compositions, because basically any direction you pointed the camera, was an amazing image to capture. I have had the blessing of diving all over the world and seeing some of the most pristine fisheries known to man, but this dive site, gave me a new pinnacle to achieve in the pursuit of the ultimate dive location. If that wasn’t enough to convince me of such hype, the whale shark we dove with for 10 minutes on the second dive surely did.. !!!

If any of you are falling asleep while reading this essay, then you are brain dead.. !!! The whole point of my explaining this phenomenon is this. If the area wasn’t protected in this manner, it would be a biological desert, over fished, and then over looked. Any logical mind can argue that a congregation of fish density as found here, surely involves reproductive activity. Thus one can only assume their larvae and offspring are finding themselves in surrounding areas which are in fact open to sport fishing. And the local economy benefits by having a diving adventure of this caliber for all to enjoy. It is basically a fish hatchery, without the hassle of human personnel to maintain it, except to patrol it.

Am I saying “let’s go out and create a huge chain of marine parks ??” Hell no.. !! What I am saying is that we do need to look into the positive attributes of such areas and find a happy medium with the groups that advocate ONLY the establishment of these areas. If we can get together with them with a common goal in mind, to create MORE fish in surrounding areas, then we may find more rational compromise thru communication.

Bill Boyce

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Golden Cownose Rays

It always amazes me how 45 minutes can pass by in what only seems like a moment

Fingers have been firmly crossed this week as we've headed to Cabo Pulmo with high hopes of maybe spotting a Whale Shark, what with the sighting last week by Mark Rayor on the Jen Wren. Descending on to El Bajo I figured we may have a good chance as the 25 -30 foot visibility would easily be sufficient to see one of these gentle giants approach. All thoughts of Whale Sharks disappeared five minutes into the dive when we looked up and saw a formation of Golden Cownose Rays pass by overhead. As they swam by we joined onto the tail end of the group and followed in their slipstream for a good few minutes, I counted 85, twice, which should give you an idea of how long we were able to stay with them. As they slowly faded away into the distance we adjusted our gaze and focused on the Yellow Snapper that had come into view, then the Burrito Grunts and then the Leopard Grouper, by which time we had blown through our air and it was time to come up. It always amazes me how 45 minutes can pass by in what only seems like a moment, and this was confirmed by our guests, non of whom believed me when I said how long we were down and had to show them my dive computer as proof.

Diving on El Cantil for our second dive that day was also special. The first quarter of an hour went rapidly by as we came across first Grunts, then free swimming Panamic Green Morays interspersed with yet more Leopard Grouper and a couple of Guitarfish. Then a dark cloud appeared above and I felt that tingle of excitement rush down my spine as I knew what lay in store. We ascended into the throng, what seemed like ten thousand pairs of eyes came moving towards us as the writhing mass of Big Eyed Jacks engulfed our senses. For the rest of the dive we stayed with them, every time I suggested that we moved on I was met with a firm response, we would stay where we were, no problem for me. Back on the panga our excited guests couldn't believe what they had seen, "I never new fish amassed in such numbers!" was one comment, "more fish than you could shake a stick at!", was another. Maybe we'll see that elusive Whale Shark next week, fingers crossed...

Whale Shark

Special report

Yesterday we had our first whale shark sighting of the season. My best guess of size was about 30 feet long. The shark was very docile and having the boat near by didn’t seem to bother or spook it. Our sighting was in the early afternoon just south of Punta Pescadero

Thursday, April 30, 2009

This last week was all about Leopard Grouper in the Marine Park, I say this because it proved to be very difficult to find an area of the dive sites which weren't completely inundated with them. When leading a group of divers it can be difficult to point out the smaller, macro life when surrounded by hundreds of pounds of big fish whichever way you turn. At times I got the impression that it would be easier to just sit still in one place rather than try and fight my way through all the fish, not really a bad predicament to be in I might add! With reduced visibility of 25 - 30 feet (that's without all the grouper obscuring the view) and bottom temperatures of 72' Fahrenheit, we kept snug in our 5mm full wetsuits and warmed up whilst languishing in the sun on our surface interval. Our guests were blown away by all the life on offer and in particular the free swimming Panamic Green Morays, as thick as my thigh, that were snaking their way through the rocks and gullies. Guitar fish, Cortez and Diamond Stingrays were all sighted as well as several colourful Nudibranchs but unfortunately the Whale Shark that was sighted by my boss, Mark Rayor, proved elusive.....fingers crossed maybe this week!

Burrito Grunts

It really looks like it's going to be another fantastic year

Heading south onboard our super panga our Skipper, Juan Diego Romero, and I had a wager as to whether we would see any Humpbacks. In my mind it's a little late in the year for seeing them, especially with it being so warm....no prizes for guessing who lost then! We had barely arrived in the marine park when one of our eagle eyed guests excitedly pointed out two Humpbacks cruising around at the surface, lesson learnt once again then....never bet against local knowledge!

It really looks like it's going to be another fantastic year for diving at Cabo Pulmo. Already the temperature at depth is 73' Fahrenheit and with 60+ feet of visibilty the conditions are the best that I have seen them in April. Large Diamond Stingrays are resting out on the sand, we saw one that appeared to be feeding so we hovered close by, fascinated! We headed out to the north eastern point of the dive site to check out the legions of Yellow and Dog Snapper that can normally be found there, fortunately we remembered to keep glancing up or otherwise we would have missed the 100 or so Smoothtail Mobular Mantas that ghosted by overhead. As usual the place was teeming with Leopard Grouper, one of which was sitting menacingly amidst a school of Burrito Grunts. We watched as several times he unsuccessfully attempted to catch one for his dinner, each time the group split in half and went in different directions and he was left with an empty mouthful. Further south on the reef we saw a Guitar fish hanging out under a ledge, then two more swimming over the rocks, their shark like tails swishing from side to side. Also seen on these dives were Bumphead Parrotfish, Cortez and King Angel Fish, Panamic Green Morays and two different types of Nudibranch along with the usual colourful assortment of reef fish.

Sea Turtle

Good vis and warming weather

This Easter the weather has worked in our favour and another great week of diving has finished with three newly certified divers. Making our first training dives north of Buena Vista at Punta Pescadero and Cerro Verde we were spoilt with excellent conditions, water temperatures of 73° Fahrenheit were recorded along with impressive visibility of 60 - 80 feet. Huge plumes of Burrito and Graybar Grunts clouded the waters all around us, juvenile Bumphead Parrotfish and Yellowtail Surgeonfish were also prominent. A Spotted Eagle Ray crossed our path someway ahead of me, it tipped slightly to afford itself a better view of us as it gracefully glided along it's way. Out in the sand the Garden Eels were on good form as they twisted and swayed to their own rhythms, our divers were quite taken with these and commented that they could quite easily have spent the majority of their time just watching them dance. The reef at El Cardonal never fails to produce exciting sightings and this week was no exception. The vibrant coral heads were alive with a kaleidoscope of colour, fish bombarded us from every direction and an hour dive flew by in what seemed like a moment. Stone Scorpionfish were spotted despite their best efforts to meld into the background whilst Lobsters were poking their heads out from under ledges. Back on board the panga everyone was highly amused as they recalled the moment the large turtle swam over the top of my head with me blissfully unaware of it's presence, typical!

Learning to Scuba

It couldn’t be a better time

This last week of diving at our sites north of Buena Vista has been just unreal! With visibility of between 60 - 80 feet at Cerro Verde and Punta Pescadero, our new divers really have been spoilt whilst making their training dives. Water temperatures ranging from 70 - 72° Fahrenheit at depth far exceeded my expectations, for sure conditions in April weren't this good in my previous two years. With an extra hour of sunlight due to the clocks moving forward last weekend it really feels like spring is here and under the water this is plain to see with juvenile fish everywhere. Burrito and Graybar Grunts, Mexican Goatfish, Panamic Porkfish and Yellowtail Surgeonfish are all jostling for room on the reef, juvenile Parrotfish are everywhere! The coral and seafans at Punta Pescadero have never looked so vibrant and healthy, in every direction Barberfish, Moorish idols, King and Cortez Angelfish can be seen going about their business whilst on closer inspection colourful Nudibranchs have also been spotted. Numerous Diamond Stingrays have been found resting on the sandy patches, Garden Eels mesmorise with their hypnotic dance. Still we are seeing Humpbacks although sightings of these gigantic creatures have dwindled but, with a little luck, I feel there is still time to get a final glimpse before they head back on their long trek north to their feeding grounds in the Arctic.

HANDS UP!

Mexican drug cartel jeopardizes our safety!

Yeah, and the sky is falling!

Normally this is where we give our dive report. So many folks have inquired about our safety I have been compelled to share this information.

I have lived in Baja California Sur, in the town of Buena Vista, for the past 18 years. There has always been a feeling of safety here, greater than when living in the US. That feeling was never more punctuated than after the events of 9/11. I am glad to be here with no proverbial target on my back.

In the mean time news media, like CNN portrays that all of Mexico is a virtual battle zone. This is simply not true. My feelings of safety living in Mexico have not wavered.

Below are links of blogs written by Pete Thomas of the Los Angeles Times and other news reporters that have much more accurate grasp of the true facts.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/03/xxxx.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/03/many-arent-awar.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/03/mexicos-drug-wa.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/us/26borders.html?_r=1

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/opinion/24krauze.html?em

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/03/mexicos-drug--1.html

http://www.exonline.com.mx/diario/contenido/468598

Dolphins & Whales

All the ingredients for a fantastic dive are in place!

Another week has passed down here on the East Cape and once again it has been a memorable one! Humpback Whales have been sighted every day and we have managed to get some great snapshots of them breaching. A pod of Dolphins joined us for a while, we marveled as they playfully swam alongside the bow of the panga. The Mantas have been leaping in their hundreds and we even saw Sharks feeding on a bait ball on the surface, unfortunately they wouldn't sit still for long enough to ascertain which species, let alone take a photo. Under the sea has been just as impressive, water temperature at depth has been 70'F while visibility dropped to 20-30 feet for a few days it seemed to bounce back to 40 plus today, not a problem when you are inundated with so many fish you almost have to push them aside to make any headway! Snappers, Grunts, Leopard Grouper, and Panamic Porkfish in their thousands are somehow all managing to find accommodation on the reef; add to that the many species of colourful reef fish, Moray Eels, Lobster and Rays and all the ingredients for a fantastic dive are in place!

Anxious Snorkeler can't wait for a Photo

No time for photos!

Diving at Cabo Pulmo yesterday was nothing short of spectacular! With flat seas and clear water we were able to look down on El Bajo from the panga.....not a usual occurence at this time of year. We descended at the north end and I was immediately struck by how many Yellowtail Surgeonfish were present, thinking that this must bode well for the rest of the dive I turned and recognised the same look of excitement and eager anticipation in our divers eyes! Right on cue a Diamond Stingray lifted off the sand and swam past us, rapidly making it's exit. Another was found within a minute, this one resting next to the reef underneath voluminous plumes of Yellow Snapper and Panamic Porkfish, billowing in the oncoming current whilst illuminating the surrounding area with their vibrant effervescence. Occasionally the clouds would part and a huge Gulf Grouper would be sitting there, majestically surveying the scene before him whilst legions of Dog Snapper patrolled the waters high above his head. Burrito Grunts formed a chainmail wall of impenetrable shimmering gold, Leopard and Golden Grouper were bossing a different area of the reef further south, a solitary Guitarfish hid out under a ledge.

Back onboard the panga my divers were rapturous in their praise, remarking that never had they seen such variety and huge numbers of fish. Skipper, Juan Diego Romero, was clearly enjoying their enthusiasm and took us over to see the Mantas leaping in their thousands; like everyone who sees this amazing site, they were lost for words. When I say "everyone" you may get the impression that we were joined by many other boats, a bit like on safari in Africa; well here we sat in total silence without another person in site for miles around...only in Cabo Pulmo!

Time then for our second dive at El Cantil and with high expectations we made our way onto the reef. I always know when there are sharks about and today was no different, the hairs on the back of my neck and arms raise up and my senses are heightened so when a 6 - 7 feet Bull Shark appeared out the corner of my eye I wasn't at all surprised! On three separate occasions he came in close to check us out, my divers were well and truly buzzing as they gulped down the air from their tanks, blown away by just how varied and exciting the Sea of Cortez can be! Aside from the multitudes of Graybar Grunt and Dog Snapper also seen on this dive, we also found an Octopus hiding out in a small hole on top of the reef. It's curious eye peered out at us, it flashed it's colours to warn us to back off, so respectfully we did just that.

As we made our way back along the coastline, nonchalently passing some Humpback Whales along the way, our guests mentioned how they almost didn't come to Mexico this year, put off by all the negative press and reports of drug wars and shootings. Here on the East Cape of Baja, we live in a veritable safe haven, an oasis of calm far removed from the troubles other parts of Mexico undoubtedly have. Don't just take our word for it, check out this link for an unbiased, informative view.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/03/mexicos-drug-wa.html

Breaching Whale

WHALES BREACH IN PALMAS BAY

Cerro Verde, our dive site just north of Los Barriles, is sheltered from the elements, starts off shallow and gently slopes down just about as far as one might care to go. Barely two minutes into yesterdays dive the familiar shadow of a Diamond Stingray lurking on a sand patch informed me that I was back where I belong, under the ocean surrounded by blissful blue solitude with just the ever present sound of my bubbles and my silent underwater neighbours for company. Revisiting my favourite haunts along the reef provided me with the opportunity to check out some of those old friends. Several large Green and Jewel Morays peered out from under rocks, I figured they must have missed me as much as I missed them as all of them allowed me to pet them gently as I passed by, albeit rather tentatively I must add! Down at 60 feet the water temperature was a cool 67' Fahrenheit with visibility of 25 - 30 feet, perfect for hovering above the reef and letting life pass me by. Grunts arrowed down past my head from all angles, Garden Eels danced in the sand and together with my dive partner, Becky, slowly waltzed amidst it all....enjoying it to the full! Highlight of the dive for me was the stunning Juvenile Cortez Angel fish, watchfully chaperoned by it's parent. It has yellow and blue curved bars on the rear portion of it's body so brightly coloured that a Jackson Pollock would appear dull in comparison, truly a magnificent fish. Fully satisfied and heading back to shore, we were greeted by a solitary Smoothtail Mobular Manta Ray on our safety stop. It duly obliged us by circling around for the whole three minutes and almost seemed disappointed when we waved our farewells and slowly headed back up to the surface, to the real world where unfortunately we truly belong!

Scuba Instructor Simon Cazaly

Simon’s back!

I often get asked what makes me return for another season when there are so many other great places to dive. Various factors combine to make up my answer so I shall attempt to explain. Having hailed from the UK let me say that waking up to blue sunny skies every morning plays a big part in my overall wellbeing. Add to that the possibility of a phone call from your boss on your first full day back in the country telling you to look out the front door and check out the seven Humpback Whales breaching just off shore in front of the dive shop and you might just begin to get the picture. Knowing my liking for staying warm, some have wondered how I manage in the colder months yet for me this is possibly my favourite time. When the water is colder, the nutrients cloud the water bringing in more fish and when I say more, I mean MORE!! Being enveloped in a blanket of fish does tend to have a warming effect on me, with so much to see maybe the brain can't cope with everything to be thinking about so being cold never comes into play. Now water temps are in the mid to high 60's (Fahrenheit) but believe me, the water does warm up fast from May onwards climbing up to the mid 80's within weeks and even sans wetsuit we are still roasty toasty.

Australia has pristine corals and all sorts of colours are on display in the clear warm waters but I never saw fish in the same numbers as to what I can see here on any given day. The Seychelles are renowned for great diversity but still I have to say that it couldn't compete with the wonderful Sea of Cortez. Here we see large Pelagics on EVERY dive!! Leopard Groupers, Hammerheads, Tiger Sharks, Manta Rays and Whale Sharks can and have all been seen on a regular basis and yet still we get surprises thrown at us. Thailand was warm and relaxed and it enjoys a great reputation hence the masses of divers heading there each year but it still doesn't hold a candle to what is on offer in Cabo Pulmo Marine Park. Here we can dive in groups of three or four without encountering any other divers....not so in Thailand! How about the Mediterranean then?........the Med's Dead Baby........not for me! I would be lucky to see more than a handful of fish on a dive there yet here I am guaranteed huge schools of Yellow Snapper, Grunts, and best of all the marauding hordes of Big Eyed Jacks that bombard the senses from all angles as they attempt to assimilate you into their collective. How about the macro life on offer then, surely something must be lacking here? Well think again, with a keen eye all sorts of colourful Nudibranchs can be found on all of our dive sites along with Pipefish and even Sea Horses although admittedly these are a rare occurrence. If all that doesn't float your boat then I'm not sure what will but it sure does it for me! I should also mention, prior to coming here I'd never settled in one dive destination for more than 18 months, yet here I am back for my third year with a view to staying even longer......what more can I say?!

Sea Lions, Jumping Mantas and Humpback Whales spotted

Business as usual

It was business as usual for VSS Dive-master Juan Diego Ramero guiding divers and snorkelers to Cabo Pulmo this week. Sighting jumping manta rays and humpback whales with their calfs is a normal occurrence this time of year. Snorkeling at the Los Frailes sea lion colony added to the menagerie of sea life. I asked one diver what was the highlight of her dives. She replied was “I can’t remember seeing so many varieties of huge pelagic fish in one place." The water is still a cool 68 degrees at depth with mild current

Leopard Grouper

Rewards for braving the cold

I am not one that likes diving in cold water. The rewards for braving the cold have made diving worth it. After the initial shock of entering the present 68 degree conditions it is easy to become occupied watching the parade of sea life. Focus turns to the spectacular show and all of a sudden it doesn’t feel cold. Again strong north winds keep us the beach most of the week but we did get a break and took a tour to Bay of Dreams. The volume of sea life packed on the reefs is hard to describe.

Nudibranch

SOMETIMES OVER LOOKED

The Sea of Cortez is know as the place where “Mr Big” lives. It is easy for us to understand why it has this reputation as on almost every dive we sight large pelagic fish. Most of the time I am so occupied looking for something huge to pass by time is not taken to zoom in and look at the amazing macro sea life right in front of my eyes. During the winter dozens of types of brightly colored nudibranch take residence on our reefs. When the effort is made they are generally not hard to find. The real treasure is sighting a frog fish or sea horse. No dives this week due to strong winds.

Angel Shark

RARE SIGHTING

The Sea of Cortez is always full of surprises. Yesterday Divemaster Diego Ramero reported sighting his first ever angel shark at Punta Pescadero. “I knew what it was because I have seen them on TV” he stated. The non aggressive shark was lying near the edge of the reef in 40 feet of water. Sea life sightings this week have included turtles, cow nose rays, mobula manta rays, huge grouper and many moray eels. Water temperature at depth is 68 to 70 degrees with mild current and 30 to 40 foot vis.

It’s like a huge underwater sea zoo

Diving was nothing less than spectacular this week at Cabo Pulmo. El Bajo is like a huge underwater sea zoo with something to see in every direction. Huge grouper surrounded by a cloud yellowtail snapper, squadrons of cow nose rays, schooling bigeye jacks and mobila mantas were sighted while listening to the groans of humpback whales passing by. Water temperature as dropped to a cool 68 degrees at depth and the hords of sea life seems to be enjoying it. Also a large number of sea lions have moved into the Los Frailes sea lion colony and has been very entertaining during surface intervals.

Sea Sport III powers up

Looks like the wind is finally starting to subside after blowing for more than a week straight. From the beach I can see manta rays jumping, pelicans feeding and an occational humpback whale slowly cruise by. We haven’t been on the water for several days so I can’t give a current report of diving conditions.

Our dive panga Sea Sport III was recently was re-powered with a 150HP Salt Water series Yamaha out board motor. It is a step up from the previous 130HP Honda and will give the boat a few more ponies. All of us at Vista Sea Sport can hardly wait to get her back in the water.

DETERMINED DIVERS FIND WATER

The North wind has been relentless and it is predicted to continue for another 5 or 6 days. Strong winds have made navigating our boats to dive sights impossible. Divers have opted to look for other activities during this blow. A popular spot has been Canyon de Zorro. Just about a 40 minute drive from Buena Vista it is the largest water fall in southern Baja and is located in a National park above Santiago. So from the sea to the water fall determined divers find water.

MANTAS JUMP INTO 2009

After several days of strong north wind it has stopped blowing. This gave us the opportunity to head down to Cabo Pulmo. It was a wonderful way to start the new year. I don’t know what was more exciting, the boat ride or the diving.

Seas are flat so sighting the plentiful sea life is easy. Right off the bat we stopped to photograph several humpback whales. They didn’t seem to be bothered by our boat and were very docile. Not long after the whale encounter appeared a huge school of mobula mantas. There had to be hundreds jumping, splashing and giving us another incredible photo opportunity.

Once at Pulmo the diving was as good as the boat ride. Upon entering the water there was a large school of golden cow nose rays passing by as if to great us. From that moment the parade of sea life never stopped. Giant grouper and snapper were scattered everywhere as were clouds of schooling yellow snapper and grunts. At one point a school of mobula mantas cruised by in formation while we watching a California sea lion stalk a giant school of bigeye jacks looking for his breakfast. It was a day to remember.

Surprisingly water temperature at depth was from 75 to 79 degrees and vis was from 40 to 60 feet.