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Back on dry land… but not for long
The journey back from the Archipelago Revillagigedo is not a short one. Our diving liveaboard, Nautilus Belle Amie, motored for some 30 hours to get us back at our dock at 7am in the morning. Our captain was on a deadline to get us back. Why? Because half of us had spurned a day in the sun, by the pool, in our 5* all-inclusive hotel, to head to La Paz to dive with the famous sea lion colony there. Rather than taking it easy, we got in touch with our friend from Cabo Shark Dive, who organised this day trip with the team from Cortez Club. So, after a mere three hour taxi ride, a one hour fast boat ride, we were back in the water!
Diving with sea lions in La Paz is an opportunity many of us could not pass up; how often will we be in this part of the world? When we arrived at the dive centre, we were asked if we might also like to snorkel with Whalesharks on the way back – you can guess what we all said. We loaded all our dive gear and underwater photography equipment into two small boats and with some excitement headed out on flat calm seas.
Our first stop was the sea lion colony. A small rock sticking out of the Sea of Cortez is where these playful creatures have made their home, and there are huge males patrolling the water as we arrive, but it is the youngsters that we will encounter under the water. There are strict rules to dive and snorkel here, with a marine park ranger ensuring you obey the rules of not going too near the resting animals, and not touching any of the rocks. As we got into our gear, we could see them playing under the boat, and in fact they were waiting for us there as we got in. These young sea lions are fast & furious too! Every diver in our group got encounters where a piece of equipment or limb was grabbed hold of (with flippers or mouth) before the cheeky pinnipeds zoomed off avoiding being caught in the act. It was a simply magical hour spent underwater.
As we headed off to find whalesharks, we noticed a splash and stopped the boats to watch to see if there might be more and we could see what was going on. Suddenly a mobular ray leapt clear of the water and belly-flopped down making another huge splash. Then another one joined in. We were amazed to see such an exhibition. The last one even did a full somersault for us. It was a display we thought we would only ever see on TV, and yet it was happening just a few yards away from us. Alas, our cameras were in their housings and had fish-eye lenses on, so we have no photographic evidence. You will just have to take our word for it. Motoring back to shore, we came to the whaleshark feeding grounds and within minutes, had our first giant shadow in sight. The boat manoeuvred roughly to be in front of their direction of travel, and we slid into the cool water. Again, we all had success, with one or more of these giant sharks swimming close to, or directly under us. The visibility was not very good at all (and that is why they are here, to feed on the particles) but the experience was inspiring.
Our final full day in Mexico saw us out on the water again. We really don’t do sitting on a beach or by a pool, so we booked a snorkelling trip. We were flying the next day, so diving was not an option. Jacob, from Cabo Shark Dive, took us out, again on two boats, to see if we could tempt in Mako and Smooth Hammerhead sharks. The coastline here is so rich, we saw sea lions jumping onto the back of fishing boats, and even saw sharks swimming under the boat before we had even stopped. It was not long before we were back in the water and seeing our first ever Smooth Hammerhead Shark. There was no need for scuba gear, as the shark was right at the surface, with its dorsal fin breaking the waves. We could watch it approach and then duck our heads under the water to get a shot. Amazing.
The Baha Peninsular and the diving both close to its shores and further afield have given us some of the most rewarding diving we have ever done. The sheer number of pelagics was astounding, and the close encounters a real treat for divers and underwater photographers alike. Even though it was a long and exhausting trip we were very sad to be heading home. Our 29 guests on the trip loved it, and fondly suggested that this kind of trip should be referred to as “extreme recreational diving”.
For more from Nick and Caroline, visit www.frogfishphotography.com.
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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