THE SEA OF CORTEZ, BAJA CALIFORNIA

Year:2003

The undiscovered aquarium of the world

Season: Year-round diving (optimum: August-October)

Visibility: 10-30 metres

Water temperature: 27-30°C in August-September, but as low as 18-21°C in January-February

Reaching down into the Pacific Ocean, the unspoilt peninsula of Baja California curls protectively around the Sea of Cortez. The wonderful secrets of Baja are as yet known to relatively few people. Baja is a land of deserts, ancient Spanish missions, remote beaches, superb seafood and long sun-filled days. The Sea of Cortez, studded with rugged islands surrounded by stunning, almost deserted white sand beaches, is one of the biologically richest bodies of water on our planet and has over 800 vertebrate species and 2,000 invertebrates. Here hammerhead sharks school in groups of up to 200 or even an amazing 2,000, colonies of sealions live undisturbed and Grey Whales come to mate, give birth and make their winter home. Few European divers have, as yet, had the opportunity to discover for themselves the amazing, unusual and adventurous diving that the Sea of Cortez has to offer. This unique destination provides excellent opportunities for those interested in marine wildlife, underwater photography or simply the chance to be amongst the first divers to explore a new destination.

LA PAZ

Perched on the southeast edge of the district of Baja Sur, the small colonial town of La Paz with its tree-lined boulevards and friendly people offers divers direct access to the semi-tropical waters of the Sea of Cortez. Here you will find a town of glorious landscapes and numerous bars and restaurants serving good seafood or spicy Mexican dishes that can be washed down with excellent local beer and tequila-based cocktails. Splendidly clean and well cared for, La Paz's rather ramshackle waterfront buildings are surrounded by palm trees and aloes. Scrub desert surrounds the town and in the distance tall mountain ranges form a sun-washed backdrop. From time to time the huge cacti, their 'fingers' pointing skywards, blossom with yellow and red flowers.

With the use of a hire car it is easy to explore the Pacific coast of Baja with its sleepy towns. For excellent restaurants and fabulous deserted beaches visit the small town of Todos Santos, usually visited only by Mexicans and more adventurous gringos. Between December and March many Grey Whales gather at Magdalena Bay, to the north of La Paz, and you can have wonderful views of these huge creatures from local boats that take visitors right up to these surprisingly confiding leviathans (day excursions can be arranged by the Cortez Club: contact us for details).

El Bajo, known as 'Hammerhead City', is one of the world's prime sites for observing schooling hammerhead sharks. Juveniles and mature males, up to 6 metres in length, school around the three sea mounts that make up the dive site and if you are lucky, and willing to go down to 40 metres or so if need be, you may see up to 200 or even more in the distance, whilst some large 'guard' individuals come much closer to check you out! Contrary to popular belief, these sharks offer no threat to divers. Every year a procession of other large pelagics occur here, including Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, whales, dolphins and Marlin, although of course you have to be lucky to be there at the right moment. The tops of the sea mounts are at a depth of 20-25 metres and it is here that divers have occasionally encountered the unusual sight of a knot of free-swimming Panamic Green Morays writhing like tangled spaghetti.

Passing dolphins, whales or Elephant Seals sometimes enhance the delightful diving at Los Islotes, a series of rocky outcrops just off the northern end of Isla Partida, but the star attraction here at this wonderful dive site is the colony of 200 California Sealions that make the islets their home. As one anchors the big bulls bellow out their warnings and the females bark anxiously, but once divers are in the water the attitude changes. The pups race around the visitors, turning somersaults, blowing bubbles in one's face, tugging at one's fins or nibbling gently at one's outstretched fingers, delighted to have found themselves some new and amusing playmates, although the adults are much more wary. Huge schools of Pacific Flatiron Herrings and Green Jacks are a feature here and you may find yourself in a vortex of Mexican Barracudas, while down on the rocky bottom Pacific Seahorses lurk amongst the gorgonians. A host of Eastern Pacific endemic fish can be found, including big Cortez Angelfish, Barberfish and bulbous Mexican Hogfish.

It was the dramatic Isla Cerralvo that prompted Jacques Cousteau's now famous remark "The Sea of Cortez is the world's aquarium due to the vast amount of fish to be found there." A series of jagged rocks extends over a mile to the north of the island and it is here that large pelagics regularly cruise by and vast waves of fearless fish, having seen few divers, show no fear or shyness.

The offshore rock of La Reina , to the north of Isla Cerralvo, is a favoured site for Manta Rays between July-October. The mantas that visit this isolated but scenically rather unprepossessing dive site seem to be fascinated by divers and often deliberately approach them, coming close enough to be gently stroked. It is an amazing feeling to swim alongside one of these huge behemoths, up to 4 metres across, and watch that small eye watching you back! If you are lucky you can somersault with the mantas as they feed, curling their cephalic fins downwards and inwards as they do so. La Reina also attracts huge schools of Green Jacks, so numerous they almost blot out the light after one swims inside the school, becoming surrounded by a grey-green wall and a mass of fishy eyes! Another attraction here is the Giant Hawkfish, a species that, at 50 centimetres in length, completely dwarfs its smaller cousins.

With a backdrop of the Gigante mountains, Ballandra Bay provides a stunning mooring place for small boats. This is by far the most beautiful and most photographed of all the many bays in the area and provides superb shallow diving or snorkeling as it is inhabited by many thousands of the smaller fish and crustaceans that inhabit the remarkable Sea of Cortez.

At The Light one can dive the wreck of the Salvatierra, which sank on the rocks before they were marked. The wreck of this huge car ferry is much flattened by the effects of storms, but double truck tyres still protrude from the mass of tangled plates and the ship's propellers are still intact. Fish life is dense, with large schools of snappers, King Angelfish and Mexican Goatfish, while Jewel Morays hide in crannies in the wreck and Long-nosed Hawkfish lurk amongst the coral growths. Here one can catch a ride on the current which carries divers across the shelf beyond the wreck, occasionally at speeds of up to 7 knots.

At Whale Island, an excellent shallow dive suitable for all levels of diver, explore fascinating small caves and crevices (one of which has a subterranean air space allowing the diver to pop up for a breath of air at 10 metres!) populated by free swimming moray eels, Angel Sharks and a healthy fish population. Whale Island also offers divers yet another opportunity to spot the occasional passing Whale Shark or some dolphins.

Advanced divers will thoroughly enjoy the more challenging diving to be found at The Trench. It is here that a shallow shelf breaks the sheer drop down into one of the world's deepest trenches. Excellent opportunities exist for observing passing pelagics cruising in the deep blue abyss. Just around the corner from the Cortez Club, Roco Lobo is an easy and splendid dive where seals are often found resting. There is good fish life to be found and the added delight of occasional large Diamond Stingrays and Bull's Eye Rays.

At the warmest time of year (August-October) the rich plankton in La Paz Bay regularly attracts Whale Sharks. Of course the occurrence of these leviathans is unpredictable, but if one or more are in residence it is possible to have dramatic encounters with these huge fish, some of which are 8-10 metres long! There is nothing quite like the adrenalin surge as that huge dorsal fin approaches the dive boat and you jump in (on snorkel): as the bubbles clear a huge, seemingly truck-sized head, enormous mouth and two tiny eyes are coming straight at you and then the animal turns and glides by, all pale spots and bars, until, with a swish of that huge tail, it vanishes into the murk!

The Sea of Cortez offers great diving, but it is important to note that, as the sea is situated quite far north of the Equator and is strongly influenced by the adjacent Pacific Ocean, water temperatures from December to March are distinctly cool compared with more typical coral reef locations, dropping as low as 18-21°C during January and February. Water temperatures only reach typical very warm coral sea temperatures (25-30°C) in the period July-October.

EAST CAPE

Half way between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, the East Cape encompasses the southeastern corner of the Baja peninsula. This area, with its walls, ledges and reef systems, attracts not only the larger pelagic species such as Whale Sharks and hammerheads, but also an amazing selection of reef life inhabiting the narrow passages and deep crevices formed by the rocky underwater terrain. Those exploring the Sea of Cortez on Solmar V will also get the chance to explore this interesting area.

Gorda Banks, located 8 kilometres off the coast of Punta Gorda, is a huge seamount reaching to within 33 metres of the surface and forming a large plateau dotted with black coral. Schools of jacks spiral in the upper water column and large tuna and ocean-going species such as Marlin and Wahoo may also be seen. The area is famous for an abundance of moray eels.

The Cabo Pulmo Reefs consist of four finger-shaped reefs stretching northeast from Pulmo Bay. This is the largest area of hard coral reef in the Sea of Cortez and as such attracts many reef-dwelling animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate. Dives here are very scenic with sea fans and sea whips decorating the valleys, cuts and ledges. A series of short walls gives way to a sandy bottom at about 18 metres. Stingrays, snake eels and patches of waving Cortez Garden Eels inhabit this area. Crouch quietly on the bottom and see just how close you can get before the elegant garden eels retreat into their holes! Angular-shaped boulders form small grottos that are home to a veritable aquarium of reef fish. Here you can find some really unusual fish, such as Scrawled Filefish, as well as Azure Parrotfish and Blunthead Triggerfish which occur only here and in the Galapagos.

LA CONCHA BEACH RESORT

This modern, beautiful and very comfortable first class resort hotel has air-conditioned rooms with well-planned bathrooms en-suite. All the rooms face the sea with views across a private bay towards a long sand spit. As the sun sets many birds, including large flocks of Brown Pelicans, arrive to roost. A regular and glorious feature of the bay is the pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphins which come in most evenings to feed.

The food in the hotel is a mixture of local Mexican and international cuisine. The breakfast buffet offers Mexican beans and tortillas with fruit, 'huevos rancheros' (ranch-style eggs) and freshly-baked rolls. Lunch is often a mixture of salads, perhaps served with ceviche (fish marinated in lime juice and chillies). Evening meals can sometimes be a buffet or barbecue perhaps with lively mexican dancing and singing. A pool-side bar serves a choice of other more American-style dishes such as hamburgers and chicken salad

The Cortez Club, which opened on Christmas Day 1995, is situated at the La Concha Beach Resort and is the centre of all diving activities. The Cortez Club shares facilities with the resort and boasts a divers' bar and restaurant, two swimming pools, a large activity programme and a level of service that aims to exceed anything else available in the region. The divers of The Cortez Club are continually exploring the area and discovering new dive sites in order to provide a rich variety of diving experiences for all levels of divers. Divers leave the Cortez Club in the morning for a whole day at sea. Many of the dive sites are 60-90 minutes from the dive centre and the wonderful journey to these far-flung dive sites can be a relaxing and interesting experience. After the first dive of the day, which is usually scheduled at one of the deeper sites, lunch is taken on the boat. After a suitable surface interval there is a one-tank afternoon dive before the boat returns to the Cortez Club in the late afternoon. Night dives can be arranged and paid for locally, subject to availability.

£770 (non-divers: £323).

Includes:

· Airport transfers.

· 7 nights room-only accommodation on a twin/share basis at La Concha Beach Resort.

· 6 days diving (2 boat dives daily), dive guide, cylinders and weights.

Supplement for 3 boat dives daily: £13 per day.

Additional Nights: £116 (without diving: £42).

Single Occupancy Supplement: £25 per night.

Deposit: £100

SOLMAR V

Solmar V is a luxurious liveaboard offering space for 22 guests in 12 cabins (10 twin-berth and 2 single-berth). Superior cabins are located midships and standard cabins are located towards the front of the boat. Each air-conditioned cabin has a private bathroom with sink, shower and head along with built in colour television and VCR. The interior of the boat has been carefully designed in rich polished mahogany inset with brass fittings, and with forest green upholstery and carefully-chosen artwork reflecting underwater scenes. Seating in the main salon is provided by four large, well-upholstered U-shaped booths.

The large quarter deck has a special camera table and bench-style tank racks with good-sized gear-storage bins below. There are four rinse tanks (two for cameras/computers and two for dive gear) and two freshwater showers. The stern features a broad, full-width dive deck with a super-wide, in-water ladder to facilitate easy exit from the water, although two 7-metre inflatable pangas are used to drop and retrieve divers at specific sites, if need be. The owners of Solmar V have created a boat that combines the service expected of a deluxe resort hotel with the special requirements of a luxury liveaboard diving vessel. Three gourmet meals are prepared and served daily, along with pre- and post-dive snacks.

Between July and October Solmar V offers a series of 7 nights cruises to the southern Sea of Cortez, exploring the East Cape and dive sites north of La Paz, such as Isla San Diego, the El Bajo seamounts and the islands of Las Animas. The cruises commence at Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of Baja California. Guests are picked up from the Solmar Suites Hotel and join the boat in the afternoon on the day of the cruise departure and leave the boat after an early breakfast on the last day.

2003 Cruise Schedule: 4-11 July, 12-19 July, 20-27 July, 1-8 August, 9-16 August, 17-24 August, 29 August-5 September, 6-13 September, 14-21 September, 26 September-3 October, 4-11 October, 12-19 October, 23-30 October.

£1542 in a Standard Cabin

£1620 in a Superior Cabin

Includes:

· 7 nights cruise on Solmar V on a twin/share basis with full board, including soft drinks, beer and wine with dinner.

· 5 full days of diving (usually 4 dives per day including night dives where possible) plus one or two dives on the last day, tanks and weights.

Please note: Airport transfers are not included, but there is a shuttle bus service between Los Cabos Airport and the Solmar Suites Hotel costing US $12-15 one-way.

Additional Week: A 10% discount applies.

Single Occupancy Supplement: If you are travelling alone and are willing to share a twin cabin with a fellow passenger of the same sex you can avoid paying any supplement. If you prefer to have a cabin to yourself a 50% supplement applies.

Deposit: £450

FLIGHTS

The airfares shown are the least expensive fare category available at the time of going to press. We will quote you the airfare applicable, based on current fare levels and booking class availability, at the time of booking. The usual airfare deposit is £100.

AIR NEW ZEALAND

La Concha Beach Resort: Daily afternoon departures by Air New Zealand from London (Heathrow) to Los Angeles, arriving in the evening. After an overnight stay, onward morning or afternoon flight from Los Angeles to La Paz by Aero California. Daily afternoon return flights from La Paz via Los Angeles, arriving at London (Heathrow) the following morning.

£600 for departures 1 January-30 April (excluding Easter), 1 November-19 December, 24-31 December.

£755 for departures 1 May-30 June, 1-31 October.

£785 for departures at Easter, 1-30 September.

£890 for departures 1 July-31 August, 18-23 December.

Weekend Supplement: £10 each way for departures from London or La Paz on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.

Includes:

· Scheduled flights London (Heathrow)/Los Angeles/London (Heathrow) by Air New Zealand.

· Scheduled flights Los Angeles/La Paz/Los Angeles by Aero California.

Overnights in Los Angeles: For those travelling from Europe to La Paz, an overnight stay in Los Angeles is usually required (but check with us as same-day connections are sometimes available, depending on day of the week and time of year). The cost for a night at the comfortable Four Points Hotel (owned by Sheraton group) is £29 for room-only on a twin/share basis (or £58 for single occupancy). There is a complimentary shuttle bus service between the airport and the hotel.

AMERICAN AIRLINES

Solmar V: Daily morning departures by American Airlines from London (Gatwick) to Los Cabos via Dallas/Fort Worth, arriving in the evening. Daily morning return flights from Los Cabos via Dallas/Fort Worth, arriving at London (Gatwick) the following morning.

£735 for departures 1-31 October.

£785 for departures 1-30 September.

£935 for departures 1 July-31 August.

Weekend Supplement: £10 each way for departures from London or Los Cabos on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.

Includes:

· Scheduled flights London (Gatwick)/Dallas-Fort Worth/Los Cabos/Dallas-Fort Worth/London (Gatwick) by American Airlines.

Overnights in Cabo San Lucas: For those travelling from Europe to join Solmar V, one night's hotel accommodation is required in Cabo San Lucas before the start of the cruise . The cost for a night at the first class Hotel Solmar is £65 for room-only on a twin/share basis (or £130 for single occupancy). There is a shuttle bus service between Los Cabos Airport and the Hotel Solmar costing US $12-15 one-way.

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