Cabo San Lucas

[Trevor JC Brown]

This is kind of a long mixed up thread but here's my two cents.
There are good dive sites in all three diving destinations, Cabo San Lucas, Cabo Pulmo and La Paz.
None are better than the others, just different.
August - December is the best time to dive in the area, good visibility and warm water.
After mid-December it gets cold fast and visibility can change a lot. Not just from month to month but from morning to afternoon. In fact I have had 30m+ visibility on one side of the dive site and 2meter visibility on the other. This is not uncommon.
Also after November it can get windy, to the point where the port will be closed for 2-3 days in a row, sometimes more.
Now, for the crime. Yes it has increased lately. There have been a couple high profile acts of violence in the Cabo area. For the most part it's contained within the rival cartels and politicians, journalists etc..
I feel safe living here but don't think that La Paz, San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are any different in safety. The problem is in the whole Baja Sur, not just one place. Act smart and you will be fine. I've lived in Central America for 16 years, for the most part when tourists get in trouble it's because of drugs, too much drinking or hookers.

 

[ibj40]

That was a "deduction" based upon many different things I'd read. It sounded like the local diving around Los Cabos was not very interesting, but I've never been there. The dive ops that I looked at online all seemed to be booking most of the trips to the La Paz area and not very much locally. If someone has a different opinion I'd love to hear it. Also, the resort we were considering staying at said you can't go in the water at their beach. This is generally not a good indication.

I am sure that, due to the accessibility (albeit a two hour van ride), any good op in Cabo is going to offer La Paz as an option, but we found the "local" diving (Land's End and the Corridor) to be very good, and worth another look.

With regard to the beach along the Pacific side, my understanding is that the water conditions can be treacherous and unpredictable, which has lead to several drowning incidents. The resort where we stayed expressed the same warning about beach access, but it has nothing to do with water quality.

Plus the diving isn't off the beach, it is focused toward the other established dive sites which are all accessed by boat.

 

[nwav8tor]

This is kind of a long mixed up thread but here's my two cents.
There are good dive sites in all three diving destinations, Cabo San Lucas, Cabo Pulmo and La Paz.
None are better than the others, just different.
August - December is the best time to dive in the area, good visibility and warm water.
After mid-December it gets cold fast and visibility can change a lot. Not just from month to month but from morning to afternoon. In fact I have had 30m+ visibility on one side of the dive site and 2meter visibility on the other. This is not uncommon.
Also after November it can get windy, to the point where the port will be closed for 2-3 days in a row, sometimes more.
Now, for the crime. Yes it has increased lately. There have been a couple high profile acts of violence in the Cabo area. For the most part it's contained within the rival cartels and politicians, journalists etc..
I feel safe living here but don't think that La Paz, San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are any different in safety. The problem is in the whole Baja Sur, not just one place. Act smart and you will be fine. I've lived in Central America for 16 years, for the most part when tourists get in trouble it's because of drugs, too much drinking or hookers.

I know this isn't the ideal season for diving, but we're going to Cabo anyway for a break from the snow and cold. Definitely going to dive the local and corridor sites but was wondering if, from your experiences there, you'd bother diving Gordo or Pulmo during the last two weeks of January (worth the expense & travel time)?

Thanks,
paul

 

[jonhall]

I know this isn't the ideal season for diving, but we're going to Cabo anyway for a break from the snow and cold. Definitely going to dive the local and corridor sites but was wondering if, from your experiences there, you'd bother diving Gordo or Pulmo during the last two weeks of January (worth the expense & travel time)?

We dove Pulmo on the 17th. Viz about 20 feet. Lands End and Arch on the 19th. Viz was maybe a bit better. As we paid ½ price through Cabo Adventures (about $110 apiece), I’m glad we went to Pulmo but if I knew the water conditions were what they were, I wouldn’t pay $225 that most of the dive ops charge from CSL. The people who snorkeled on the other hand raved about all they saw.

Didn’t get to see any sea lions in the CSL Bay. Dives were so-so. Nothing to write home about

Deciding if we want to dive anymore. If we did we would probably only do the corridor. Paul, did you set up any days already?

 

[nwav8tor]

Dove the Corridor on the 18th. Nice dives with OK viz and did get to see a fish "tornado" and some spotted eagle rays.

Went to Gordo Banks on the 19th. Viz was good but not great for a blue water dive. Saw some large schools as well as one or two hammerheads and some silky sharks plus some Mantas.

Did Pelican Rock/North Wall and Lands End/Arch/Sea Lion Colony today (21st). Once again the viz was just OK. White tipped reef shark and lots of sea lions playing!

All dives were with Dive Cabo

 

[jonhall]

Just now getting back to normal after our trip. Apologies to @nwav8tor as the last post I made on the 20th, I did from my phone. When I checked back a day later it was not there, mysteriously! Checked one more time and didn't see it but did see the last post from @nwav8tor. Figured things weren't working on my end. Of course checking in today, it's there!

Decided I would have liked to dive another day but my buddy wasn't excited about it. Would have liked to have hooked up one day to dive.

Going to post my dive report in a bit.

 

[Dan]

Don't miss Cabo Pulmo!

 

[Disco King]

I just did my AOW with Manta Scuba, located near the marina in Cabo San Lucas. In addition to my 5 AOW tanks, I did a 3 tank "combination" day with Manta. I have about 50 dives, mostly in the Caribbean, and was very happy with the life and the service from Manta. The sea lions are fun to watch too!

How was AOW with Manta Scuba? Going to CSL in Jan and am looking for an instructor who is passionate teaching. Thx.