Baja dive

[nofinsdiver]

Hi! We're three divers doing a road trip from San Diego to La Paz. We would love to see whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, any whales at all, as well as general marine biodiversity. Willing to travel to either side of the peninsula; Sea of Cortez, or the Pacific ocean. What are the best dive sites and how to access them?

Thanks

 

[AZTinman]

Whale sharks are at Bahia de los Angeles now. Ricardo's Diving Tours (a local Bahia de los Angeles shop) can get you into whale sharks and to some really great dive sites.

-AZTinman

 

[JamesBon92007]

We saw a few whales and dolphins about two weeks ago on our way to Isla Coronados (from Loreto) as well as plenty of "biodiversity" including rays, morays, sea lions, and a lot of fishes. We did not, however, see any whales or dolphins on our trips to Isla del Carmen or Isla Danzana, which they said was highly unusual for this time of year. We saw quite a few eagle rays and some morays too. Perhaps you could stop for a day or two on your way to La Paz. We went with Blue Nation and think they are a truly great dive op.

 

[nofinsdiver]

Whale sharks are at Bahia de los Angeles now. Ricardo's Diving Tours (a local Bahia de los Angeles shop) can get you into whale sharks and to some really great dive sites.

-AZTinman

Thanks SO much Tinman & JamesBon. We will check these out next week and post our dive trip!

 

[Sam Miller III]

1) if driving INSURANCE ! Lewis & Lewis of LA is preferred by BAJA ground travelers. $$$
2) Maps - most up to date is California Auto club (AAA) $$$
3) Secure- hide valuables- there has been a changes in Mexican morals since the Cartels
4) Baja Norte bucolic . Baja Del Sur more cosmopolitan and populated

When are you departing for Baja ?
What will be your transportation?
How long - days- weeks are you planning for entire trip ?

SDM

 

[JamesBon92007]

If you happen to see schools of hammerheads please post it here! I was told they have not been seen in recent years, at least in the Loreto area. We may return in May when the mobula rays are jumping.

@Sam Miller III Thanks for the tip on the car insurance! I will look them up. I paid mucho dinero for insurance and did not feel confident that I had any real coverage.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Lewis & Lewis has been the BAJA traveled insurance for as long as I can recall ...
No matter -- American Insurance is worthless in Mexico.

Also the basic law of Mexican driving "Paga Pagar" You hit you pay
Always have your front end of your car in front of the other car- The hit- they pay !

Cheers
SAM

 

[AZTinman]

If you happen to see schools of hammerheads please post it here!

Yes, it would be nice to hear a sighting report about any schooling hammerheads or any other sharks for that matter. Nowadays, shark sightings by divers in the Gulf of California tend to be more rare than the norm. Of course, there is a reason for this.

Between 1985 and 1985, over 200,000 sharks were killed by fishermen operating from an illegal shark fishing/processing camp at San Fransquito Bay (that's on the southern end of the Midriff Islands and north of Loreto). It's believed that the camp processed 50 tons of sharks per day during its peak in 1993. Despite the presence of the camp and the 200+ boats that were fishing for sharks, the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission in Mexico denies the existence of the camp because the operators didn't file any permit paperwork. The operation didn't just impact shark populations; by-catch that couldn't be sold quickly was simply discarded.

There used to be a congregation of schooling hammerheads off the South Point at Isla San Pedro Nolasco every September. Over the past several years, I haven't heard of any divers seeing the schools there any more.

-AZTinman

 

[AZTinman]

Oh, I almost forgot. Since you're San Diego-based divers, you might want to drop-by the Discover Baja Travel Club. Here's their address and contact information:

Discover Baja Travel Club
3264 Governor Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122
800-727-BAJA (2252)
ask@discoverbaja.com

In addition to being experts with Mexican auto insurance, they've got a lot of resources like Baja maps, books, and knowledge about what's going on with road conditions and construction in Baja. They're passionate about Baja.

As others have mentioned vehicle insurance is mandatory in Mexico. U.S. auto insurance policies won't cover you down there. The Mexican government has minimum coverage requirements.

-AZTinman

 

[JamesBon92007]

Since you (OP) also mentioned the Pacific side, you might want to stop somewhere that offers dives at Los Coronados, perhaps from Tijuana or Rosarito. That's the place that is responsible for getting me interested in diving when I was 11. My next-door neighbor at the time was a spearfisherman and he and his buddies took me and my dad out there. They handed me a little speargun (that I couldn't even load by myself) and told me that if any sharks bothered me just poke them in the nose and they'd go away. I was instantly hooked on the underwater world as soon as I jumped in. Lots of sea lions and, of course, sharks. At least at that time (55 years ago).