Ryan Photographic - The Great Baja California Dive Trip

When?

July 19 to July 26 extendable to August 2

How much?

Approximately $850 for the seven nights, this includes accommodation and ten dives. It doesn't include, food, drinks or airfare. Prices on the Dolphin Divers website do not reflect the new season rates. The actual price still isn't finalized but won't be very different from my estimate.

How do I get there?

Several of us are thinking of driving from LA. Could be fun and cheaper than flying as well as giving us flexibility once we get there (if gas prices hold at somewhere near the current rates).

Alaskan Airlines flies there from LAX almost every day of the week. You can fly from San Diego but the return Alaskan flight goes to LAX and then flies back to San Diego (go figure).

When do I need to make a decision?

Soon! I have to pay a deposit soon ( the dive operator and I have yet to finalize a date for this but asap).

How do I pay?

For those of you who want to pay by credit card, I now accept Paypal. There will be a very small surcharge to cover my extra costs for this.

How much deposit?

I'd like $225 if you are staying just the week and $450 if you are staying the two weeks.

What's the diving like?

This should be warm water diving by the time we are there. Expect upper 70s to 80 degrees and viz in the 50-120 foot range. Don't expect coral reefs ... there aren't any! There are corals and seafans but no actual reefs. We are likely to dive with sealions, spotted eagle rays, mantas (remember the manta promise at Kri Eco!) and a whole bunch of endemic Sea of Cortez species. Our hostess, Susan Speck is the author of “Diving Baja California” and, co-authored with Bruce Williams "Diving and Snorkeling the Sea of Cortez".

A copy of one of these books will be included in the package. Because of the shelter provided by the Baja Peninsula itself and several large offshore islands, seas should be fairly calm (don't hold me to this). The Sea of Cortez always holds out the possibility of the big stuff ... hammerheads, whale sharks and whales but we won't be there during whale season. For those of you with an adventurous spirit there is the chance to dive (at night, probably from a cage) with the Humboldt squid. These are the third largest squid on the planet after the giant and colossal. This is expensive at an additional US$200 but is probably worth i t. The logistics of setting up something like this are complex.

There's unlimited shore diving.

On shore there's cheap food and excellent tequila, Spanish era ruins and a fascinating desert flora and fauna. I can't wait to go look for desert iguanas and rattlesnakes if I have any energy left after diving.

Because this is relatively inexpensive compared with most of my trips I do expect it to fill up quickly. You can choose either of the weeks or both on a first come, first serve basis. As soon as it is advertised with Robin's Tuoro University students and with my Johnson & Wales students I expect it to fill up quickly. The group will be restricted to 20 people. Non-smokers only please or at least people who are prepared to forgo smoking while they are away.

Know anyone else who might be interested?

You know the deal, competent divers, good drinkers, robust sense of humor, non-smokers and non-whiners. I'll even waive the competent diver bit for new divers (but only if Captain Ken comes).

Recommended reading

The books above plus John Steinbeck's amazing "The Log from the Sea of Cortez".

Next year?

Fiji again. One week in Taveuni and one week at Dive Kadavu. I found an amazing boutique resort on Taveuni (I suspect it wasn't really lost) that we have to stay at. We'll dive the Great White wall and other great Taveuni spots. Dive Kadavu was so wonderful that popular opinion holds we should go back. I wonder if the giant hammerhead is still there?

Fishes

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