So how would I like to do Cabo...??

[DandyDon]

I wish the Mexico forum here was divided with sub forums for Yucatan/Maya Rivera vs Baja & West Coast as it's a big country, close & popular with US divers, but so different in destinations. I have looked over the last hundred threads tho, and read several about Baja destinations. The Cabo-names you all use can be a little confusing, but then since Cabo is Spanish for Cape, many of the locations do have that in their real names - including the airports. It'd be nice if people would always clarify which Cabo they mean exactly. Then there are the people in Los Angeles & San Diego in the US who say they are in Southern California. :laughing: Showing them maps and history doesn't seem to help understand that they are in Alta California with Southern California being the peninsula.

Okay, I've been to Cozumel at least a dozen times I guess, dived cenotes, driven to several ruins, been lost in the jungle at night looking for Holbox - which I eventually found, but I gather that the southern tip of this peninsula is totally different? My barber mentioned that they were going for a few days tho (I think they are there now), so I got to looking - and the flights from Lubbock to there are better & cheaper than to Cozumel! I looked at using my American FF-miles, but those are so difficult to use, then it's 35K miles plus over $90 in taxes & fees - just a poor choice, when I can pay $353 for better flights and earn more FF-miles I can't find a good use for. Anyway, I'll save the FF-miles for domestic ideas, somewhere, someday.

(1) So you fly into Los Cabos International Airport (SJD), right? That's not so obvious for a first timer, but that looks like the only choice - up the coast and north of San José del Cabo. I am spoiled with landing on the north side of town in Cozumel, and it looks like it's 50 Km or 31 miles down to Cabo San Lucas, (similar to the Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel bag-drag I've done a few times). I've read warnings on how much taxis and rental cars are - especially for a solo traveler not sharing the costs with anyone else, but it'd be tempting to go look at Cabo Pulmo and maybe even La Paz while in the area - yet maybe another trip? So there is good bus service to Cabo San Lucas? I am challenged by the amount of gear I think I need for a dive trip, including pony bottle & extra regs. I can pay the luggage fees, and I can carry all my gear to a boat ok, but I can't carry all of my luggage out at once, much less across parking lots and around town.

(2) Would late August be a good time? It's a good time for me, depending on the pros & cons. What are the best months to go and why? It looks like that's in early hurricane season, and they do get hit more than Cozumel - but weather is a risk of travel, always. And how cold does the water get? I am so spoiled to wearing a 1-mil jump suit year round, but I have dived Puget Sound in my 7+1. Just hate to take too much, or worse - not enough.

(3) I've seen some hate San José diving and some like it? I can land before lunch so have plenty of time to get on down to Cabo San Lucas that day, but I might want to do a few days & nights in San Jose, then move to Cabo San Lucas. I can also plan to fly out after lunch on departure, so I guess I have plenty of ground time. I guess there's a bus into San Jose, a bus another day to Cabo San Lucas, then a bus back to the airport when I leave.

(4) Then I need pick hotels near the docks, so where do the dive ops dock in both places?

(5) Dive Ops in both ports.

 

[morecowbells]

I wish the Mexico forum here was divided with sub forums for Yucatan/Maya Rivera vs Baja & West Coast as it's a big country, close & popular with US divers, but so different in destinations. I have looked over the last hundred threads tho, and read several about Baja destinations. The Cabo-names you all use can be a little confusing, but then since Cabo is Spanish for Cape, many of the locations do have that in their real names - including the airports. It'd be nice if people would always clarify which Cabo they mean exactly. Then there are the people in Los Angeles & San Diego in the US who say they are in Southern California. :laughing: Showing them maps and history doesn't seem to help understand that they are in Alta California with Southern California being the peninsula.

Okay, I've been to Cozumel at least a dozen times I guess, dived cenotes, driven to several ruins, been lost in the jungle at night looking for Holbox - which I eventually found, but I gather that the southern tip of this peninsula is totally different? My barber mentioned that they were going for a few days tho (I think they are there now), so I got to looking - and the flights from Lubbock to there are better & cheaper than to Cozumel! I looked at using my American FF-miles, but those are so difficult to use, then it's 35K miles plus over $90 in taxes & fees - just a poor choice, when I can pay $353 for better flights and earn more FF-miles I can't find a good use for. Anyway, I'll save the FF-miles for domestic ideas, somewhere, someday.

(1) So you fly into Los Cabos International Airport (SJD), right? That's not so obvious for a first timer, but that looks like the only choice - up the coast and north of San José del Cabo. I am spoiled with landing on the north side of town in Cozumel, and it looks like it's 50 Km or 31 miles down to Cabo San Lucas, (similar to the Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel bag-drag I've done a few times). I've read warnings on how much taxis and rental cars are - especially for a solo traveler not sharing the costs with anyone else, but it'd be tempting to go look at Cabo Pulmo and maybe even La Paz while in the area - yet maybe another trip? So there is good bus service to Cabo San Lucas? I am challenged by the amount of gear I think I need for a dive trip, including pony bottle & extra regs. I can pay the luggage fees, and I can carry all my gear to a boat ok, but I can't carry all of my luggage out at once, much less across parking lots and around town. When booking our condo, the rental agent also booked a limo to Cabo San Lucas. It was perhaps a 30 minute drive. My sister arrived a day later and shared a van. I do not remember the cost but it was not a big deal.

We visited La Paz and Cabo Pulmo during our trip. I enjoyed both sites, but it ended up being way too much driving. The early departures and late arrivals were exhausting. I would personally eliminate one of these two places. While the sea lions were a blast to dive with, I think Cabo Pulmo offers up more diverse marine life.

(2) Would late August be a good time? It's a good time for me, depending on the pros & cons. What are the best months to go and why? It looks like that's in early hurricane season, and they do get hit more than Cozumel - but weather is a risk of travel, always. And how cold does the water get? I am so spoiled to wearing a 1-mil jump suit year round, but I have dived Puget Sound in my 7+1. Just hate to take too much, or worse - not enough. We went in July. Water temps were surprisingly chilly. Although this was reported to be unusual. August water temps should be warmer, but I would plan on packing at least a 3 mm wetsuit.

(3) I've seen some hate San José diving and some like it? I can land before lunch so have plenty of time to get on down to Cabo San Lucas that day, but I might want to do a few days & nights in San Jose, then move to Cabo San Lucas. I can also plan to fly out after lunch on departure, so I guess I have plenty of ground time. I guess there's a bus into San Jose, a bus another day to Cabo San Lucas, then a bus back to the airport when I leave. We spent a day diving around Los Cabos and the Corridor. I thought the marine park in Cabo San Lucas was much better in the way of abundant marine life.

(4) Then I need pick hotels near the docks, so where do the dive ops dock in both places? The Harbor in Cabo San Lucas is where most of the dive ops pick up from. Boat rides were maybe 5-15 minutes out.

(5) Dive Ops in both ports.

Here is my trip report from a couple of years ago. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/mexico/429561-trip-report-cabo-san-lucas-la-paz-cabo-pulmo.html

I am sure you have researched the diving conditions in Cabo. It lacks the Caribbean visibility or coral formations. The water was murky if not turbid in some areas, but the big draw for me is the vibrant and healthy marine life. My husband and I are talking about returning to either Cabo or La Paz next fall.

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks, Cowbells. I would be traveling alone, and I am cheap - but still, appreciate the sharing.

I saw on your report: "Cabo beats the other destination hands down when it comes to sheer numbers and abundance of sea life." There is an example of how I get confused reading about the locations, as they all are named Cabo. You were talking about the Cabo Marine Park at Cabo Pulmo, 2+ hour drive from Cabo San Lucas, I think. Oops, were you? Then you mention Cabo Pulmo towards the end?

I've dived murky Pacific waters around the California Channel Islands as well as Puget Sound, and I know - you have to change your focus.

 

[BrewingDiver]

HI DD,

We've dove La Paz and also a liveaboard leaving out of Cabo San Lucas, and both times flew into SJD, which is an easy airport to deal with in our limited experience. I can tell you that La Paz was awesome in September as the water temp is good, as is the viz. I think late August would be excellent too. The first time we booked a hurricane hit and we ended up going to Cozumel on 24 hour notice, and then booked for the next year same time and ended up making it, but they are frequent. Around that time of year out of La Paz, at least, you can dive with sea lion pups, which we did a few times during the week and it was some of our best diving ever. I even had one draped over my back for a short time (missed the photo of a lifetime unfortunately).

Between Los Cabos and La Paz is truly desert, nothing like our beloved Cozumel. I've not yet been north of La Paz to Cabo Pulmo but have considered it and hope to make it one day. The semi-private shuttle we took needed about 4 hours each way but I believe they've improved the road since so it is likely a little shorter now. It's about 200 km but at the time (2007) given the roads that's what it took. We could have flown into La Paz, and some do, but the cost was quite a bit more.

FWIW, we hope to go back one day, and include Cabo Pulmo in the trip.

 

[DandyDon]

After reviewing the threads on San Jose del Cabo again, I don't guess I can find anyone who liked the local sites after all. The only op there offers local sites for $95/2 tank trip, Gordo Banks for $150/2 tank trip, and Cabo Pulmo for $225/2 tank trip. I guess they are catering more to those attracted to reputations of Gordo Banks and Cabo Pulmo.

But Cabo San Lucas ops have trips Gordo Banks and Cabo Pulmo, for somewhat similar prices.

HI DD,

We've dove La Paz and also a liveaboard leaving out of Cabo San Lucas, and both times flew into SJD, which is an easy airport to deal with in our limited experience. I can tell you that La Paz was awesome in September as the water temp is good, as is the viz. I think late August would be excellent too. The first time we booked a hurricane hit and we ended up going to Cozumel on 24 hour notice, and then booked for the next year same time and ended up making it, but they are frequent. Around that time of year out of La Paz, at least, you can dive with sea lion pups, which we did a few times during the week and it was some of our best diving ever. I even had one draped over my back for a short time (missed the photo of a lifetime unfortunately).

Between Los Cabos and La Paz is truly desert, nothing like our beloved Cozumel. I've not yet been north of La Paz to Cabo Pulmo but have considered it and hope to make it one day. The semi-private shuttle we took needed about 4 hours each way but I believe they've improved the road since so it is likely a little shorter now. It's about 200 km but at the time (2007) given the roads that's what it took. We could have flown into La Paz, and some do, but the cost was quite a bit more.

FWIW, we hope to go back one day, and include Cabo Pulmo in the trip.

Ok, now I am confused. Cabo Pulmo is 160 Km south of La Paz. So were your experiences in which?

 

[mmmbelows]

I seriously doubt you're going to enjoy Cabo, the area or the diving and especially the costs, I don't think there is anything cheap about Cabo... you'll get your first taste just arranging transportation from the air port to Cabo.

San Miguel and Cabo (Cabo San Lucas) are about as polar opposite as you're going to get. Cabo = smaller version of Cancun, maybe more similar to Playa Del Carmen except remove almost anything Mexican and you've got Cabo. Cabo is basically an American town in Mexico.

Cabo is a great place to fish, as Cozumel is to diving, but I would never waste my time diving in Cabo, and I don't think you're going to have the success you can have in Cozumel doing things on the cheap in Cabo. You'll find San Jose Cabo is a bit more similar to San Miguel.

 

[DandyDon]

I seriously doubt you're going to enjoy Cabo, the area or the diving and especially the costs.

Yeah, I am cheap when that is a reasonable option, but I can loosen up the purse strings somewhat is need. It would be nice to dive with Pacific fishes again for a change. I am tempted to rent a car, check out the desert scenery on the way to La Pas and Cabo Pulmo, explore those destinations as well as Cabo San Lucas, and try their activities as well. It looks like lodging in Cabo Pulmo is scarce and the one place I looked at mentioned 90 square feet rooms - wow, shared bathroom & kitchen! I need to look further I am sure.

 

[Malpaso]

Just got back from Cabo. The two towns are Cabo San Lucas (think Cancun) and San Jose del Cabo (quiet, artsy, nice shops and restaurants). The locals call them San Lucas and San Jose. We stayed in San Jose at the Grand Mayan on a time share swap. Very inexpensive for us that way. If you pick the right restaurants, you can eat inexpensively. On the average, 5 of us ate and drank at quality restaurants for $150. I can send you my tripadvisor links if you'd like.

As far as the diving, it was good, not great, except for one of the Gordo Banks dives that we had a Mako with us for about 20 minutes. I'm really bad at videography, but here's a snippet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhrBDU-FBpQ
We dove with East Cape Explorers in San Jose, but my cc receipt said Dive Cabo, which is their sister op in San Lucas.

The ride from the airport is a quick 20 minutes on a brand new divided highway.
We rented a car, the girls went to Todos Santos one day while the guys dove.
We went to San Lucas twice, once to fish (caught a 6' Marlin) and once to kayak/snorkel at Land's End.

 

[BrewingDiver]

Ok, now I am confused. Cabo Pulmo is 160 Km south of La Paz. So were your experiences in which?

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Sorry, of course you right, don't know what I was thinking. But, as I said, La Paz is excellent, and I've heard good things about Cabo Pulmo. The other one I was thinking of is Loreto. Again, reviews seem to be very positive. That is quite a bit farther north, though.

 

[DandyDon]

Sorry, of course you right, don't know what I was thinking. But, as I said, La Paz is excellent, and I've heard good things about Cabo Pulmo. The other one I was thinking of is Loreto. Again, reviews seem to be very positive. That is quite a bit farther north, though.

Only 4 more hours, huh? Thanks for clarifying, as I do get confused with the similarity of names, and then you turned the directions around. Understandable tho. It's common in a new destination to not know which direction is which, just to know that you're on the road to goes where you're headed.