|
|
|
Diving for Treasures
by Capt. John E. Rains
Enjoy Baja California's 10 hot spots for winter snorkeling and scuba diving
Print This Article
|
Email This Article
The months of February and March bring some of the year's best snorkeling and scuba diving to the Sea of Cortez. If taking a dip in frigid water isn’t quite your cup of tea, never fear. South of Mulege, the winter water temperatures along the shore range from 60 to 75 degrees. Winter is still winter in Mexico, but cold fronts seldom penetrate the southern Sea of Cortez. So if it's been more than six months since you used your diving gear, you're overdue for a tropical reward that comes highly recommended for curing the winter blahs. The following 10 dive locations offer excellent snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities.
Mulege
The waters of Bahia Concepcion have recently been designated an ecological reserve, which means the only things you should take are photographs and memories. For divers, it offers a remarkable diversity of underwater flora and fauna, plus interesting volcanic geology. The relatively shallow depths keeps the water relatively warm. Trailerboaters have easy access from Highway 1, just south of Mulege.
Eco Mundo Refuge, the new environmental learning center on the south shore of Posada Concepcion, offers kayaks and naturalist guides. Avoid swimmers from the shore by diving the outer six islands (10 to 60 feet), where pink and black Murex shells are more likely to be found. About 3 miles south is Santa Barbara Cove, accessible only by boat, but development may soon change that. About 10 miles south, the popular sand-spit beach and campground at Isla Requeson is an ideal place for novices to learn to snorkel.
Loreto
Coronado Island lies 6 miles north-northeast of Loreto, and its 2-mile wide volcanic cone is easily distinguished from Highway 1 above Loreto. A smaller islet off the west side of Isla Coronado is sometimes called Little Coronado, and it provides boaters with steppingstone shelter on their way out to Big Coronado. The southerly current pinches through these two slots. Both islands are uninhabited except for a few seasonal panguero shacks.
The best winter anchorage is on the southeast side of the 3/4-mile-long sand spit that juts out from the southwest side of the island, and this sandy beach is also the best spot for snorkeling for chocolate clams. However, off the prominent white rock on the island's north shore, there's a large fractured wall (65 to 150 feet) that is thickly festooned with purple gorgonian sea fans, sponges and some rare branches of black coral. Coronado's underwater spires of sculpted rock rival those found above water in San Juanico, 16 miles to the north.
La Paz
Los Islotes, 1/4 mile north of Isla Partida, is a tiny islet made of spectacular red rocky spires with crests painted white by sea-bird guano. Los Islotes is one of the best places for scuba divers to observe a colony of brown-furred California sea lions; these mammals suns themselves on the island's northeast shingles. Most of Los Islotes is steep-to, offering sheer walls with lush caves and grottos on both sides (25 to 40 feet), and there's a very handy arch in the middle of the island that allows divers to pass through (depth about 30 feet) from the north to the south side.
Caleta Partida is a popular anchorage in the hidden passage between Partida Island and Espiritu Santo (Sainted Spirits) island. Thanks to its remarkable geology and constant sunny weather, it's one of the most photogenic places in Mexico. It's inhabited only by a few seasonal shacks built by panga fishermen from La Paz.
Caleta Partida is an extinct and collapsed volcano caldera, and the blocks of reddish lava encircling this cove create a natural amphitheater; the audience is giant cordon cactus. The white-sand bottoms in two shallow coves in the rear of Caleta Partida offer snorkelers turquoise color and warm water. The easternmost cove has a zig-zag channel that, at high tide, allows snorkelers to pass through to the east side of the islands. Beware of PWCs in this channel.
Scuba divers and advanced snorkelers may prefer Partida Reef (8 to 100 feet), a 1/4-mile-long rock pile that runs southeast from the northeast approach to Caleta Partida. It's loaded with colorful invertebrates and reef fish, and is excellent for spear fishing.
Candelero Cove, which I think is one of the prettiest Sea of Cortez spots, lies about 3.5 miles south of Caleta Partida on Isla Espiritu Santo, and it's not visited as frequently by tour boats from La Paz (19.5 miles south). The middle of its entrance is marked by the tall and rocky Roca Monumento, and a visible reef of volcanic and sedimentary rock (0 to 45 feet) starts directly behind it and runs to the back end of Candelero Cove, ending in a sandy sheltered beach. Roca Monumento and its reef divide Candelero Cove in half, and you can anchor on either side. The rock, reef and beach are heaven for snorkelers. Scuba divers and more experienced snorkelers can easily explore the rock piles east of Roca Ballena, the flat-topped island a mile north.
The San Lorenzo Channel offers a cluster of offshore coral shoals and at least two wrecks for experienced scuba divers. Colorful reef fish and deep-water species are both prevalent in this saddle across the 10-fathom curve.
Bajo Scout (a.k.a. Bajo San Lorenzo Sur) carries a tower with a navigational light. Of the several shoals in this vicinity, Bajo Scout (0 to 25 feet) is the easiest to locate. (It lies at GPS position 24 degrees, 22.10 minutes north; 110 degrees, 18.53 minutes west.) Bajo Scout was named for one of the ships it sank, and it marks the south side of the ship channel, just where it turns southeast to enter La Paz. Although the second dive spot is not permanently marked, Arrecife San Lorenzo (9 to 24 feet) lies about 1-1/4 miles north of Bajo Scout. And Rocas Suwanee Shoal lies about another 3/4 of a mile to the northeast.
Roca Lobos, which carries a 36-foot tall navigation light, lies about 14 3/4 miles north of downtown La Paz. Isla Lobos is a small, mounded island that lies 3/4 of a mile south of Roca Lobos. And Caleta Playa Lobos is a sandy cove and anchorage about 1/2 mile southeast of Isla Lobos.
Together, this rock, island and cove provide interesting and varied diving. Scuba divers and snorkelers can investigate all around the navigation light, the island and the rock pile east of the island, and snorkelers can explore off the mangroves and shoal in Playa Lobos and Playa Pechilingue, which has a road to La Paz. Shiny blue and yellow Cortez angelfish, soft corals of orange and green, purple fans, red sea stars or crow of thorns are among the flora and fauna; however, most of the sea lions have moved out.
Balandra Cove lies 3 miles north of Roca Lobos, 10 miles from La Paz by paved road. The shallow turquoise shoal in the back of Balandra has been picked clean by shell collectors, but it offers calm snorkeling for beginners. "Mushroom Rock" is probably the region's second most photographed rock after Cabo's arches.
Boaters avoid beach crowds by anchoring in 15 feet of water off the isolated snorkeling beach just inside Punta San Lorenzo, then exploring the rocky point (11 to 100 feet) that runs southwest. On the south side, you can anchor in 20 feet of water and snorkel the vertical wall (25 feet), the white-painted rocky reef (5 to 13 feet) or the sand dune beach (0 to 5 feet) along the south side.
Cabo Pulmo and adjacent Los Frailes (45 nautical miles northeast of Cabo San Lucas) form the easternmost tip of the East Cape. Cabo Pulmo Reef (25 to 60 feet) is the only living coral reef in the coastal waters of Baja California. Coral heads dot the anchorage, so don't scrape them with your hook or chain. The "Y" or "F" shaped reef starts 1/4 mile north of the point and stretches northeast another mile. Rife with tunnels and grottos, Pulmo Reef attracts a wide variety of colorful reef dwellers and deep-sea pelagics. Los Frailes Submarine Canyon (15 to 120 feet +) starts 1/2 mile offshore on the south side of the point and plunges southeast. Los Frailes offers sheer walls and sand falls that rival Cabo San Lucas. A paved road and casual dive hotels serve both sides of the point.
Cabo San Lucas is where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez. Despite the famous arches, Cabo is better known to divers for its awesome sand falls (20 to 120 feet +), starting almost within the bay and cascading into the abyss. Winter's strong current can even increase the sand's volume and speed, so this spot isn't for beginners.
Closer to town, Pelican Rock has good snorkeling among the bright yellow garibaldi, red Clarion angelfish and neon blue tangs, which are almost tame. Below Pelican Rock there's a colossal rock wall (50 to 100 feet) decorated with a series of horizontal rock shelves that make excellent photo platforms.
Staying Safe in Mexico
Trailerboaters and RVers traveling down Baja California are being advised to arrive at designated campgrounds before dark. Why? Several RVs and boat trailers parked overnight alongside Baja's narrow Highway 1 have indirectly contributed to traffic accidents. For example, cows (vacas) wander over to investigate, and other vehicles on the highway hit them. Or, seeing vehicle lights facing the wrong direction, other vehicles on the highway get confused and swerve out of their lanes. Or, if the RV is too close to the highway, it causes suction that affects each bus and truck that passes. It’s not safe to drive in Baja after dark, due to the vacas that may be hidden in the road dips (vados). But don't just pull over anywhere when the sun sets. Unless you're camping in a designated camping area, or are the invited guest of the local landowner, you're trespassing.
Campers can wander into trouble, too. In 1997, at least three individual tourists were killed while camping alone on secluded beaches -- not on designated camping beaches. It’s suspected that drug smugglers had been using one of the remote beaches along Bahia El Rosario for a transaction, and the two tourists who tried to camp there were killed because they were accidental witnesses. So campers were warned to avoid the remote beaches south of San Quintin down through Bahia El Rosario. The confessed killer has been jailed, but the lesson learned is that campers should avoid straying into danger.
On the high seas or coastal waters, use your binoculars and radar to pay attention to other boats nearby. If a vessel that just passed you suddenly turns around and follows you, especially at night without its lights on, don't hesitate to hail the skipper on VHF and, after identifying yourself by your exact location, ask him to identify himself and to state his intention in turning around and following you. Transmit all this on high power so other boats in your vicinity can also be aware of your situation. You never can tell what a person’s motives are, but at least he'll know you're not an unsuspecting target. And remember, guns are not permitted while visiting Mexico.
|
This article first appeared in the March 1, 1999 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
|
|
|
|
