Dive Cabo Pulmo, Baja, Mexico: Where the desert meets the water

visibility: we're spoiled, the visibility has improved and is up to 35 feet and over...
water temperature: the temperature stays relatively high at 70º
currents: lately not too much, you have to swim your self
surface conditions: In periods of wind with waves, better in the mornings.

The water conditions stay surprisingly well, after all it's winter, January and thus normally wind, waves and green cold water. Nothing yet so far. Don't know what is happening, but the summer had warmer waters then normal and now the winter temperature seems to stay higher too, but by several degrees. In winters before we were already diving in 66º water, while now it's still between 70 and 72º; the water cannot decide. As long as it comes with clear visibility it is great. The diving in winter, with the enormous amounts of life and good vis and nice temps; great new years gift. Let's go diving while the conditions are still like autumn (or should we already consider it to be spring? Next stop summer....

A gentle beginning of the year

visibility: gone up again from 20 to some 40 feet; great
water temperature: also going up from 70 to 72ºF !!
currents: the really nice kinda relaxed push you want... surface conditions: northern wind kicked in already !!

The conditions have been treating us okay! Where we thought to get a rough winter, kicking in with a lot of wind, cold water and low visibility, nature so far has been teasing us. It showed what it can be like, but gives some more time to enjoy the outdoors in good vis and temp. Happy New Year from nature and a big thank you from the guides (traditionally they are the 'wimps' only able to identify lukewarm water as freezing cold!) to nature for its mercy.
We had a nice week of diving; we saw the sharks coming in with the colder water in different dive sites, we've seen quite some turtle slowly swimming by and the day before yesterday, the cow nose rays got accompanied by the 'mobulas'. After some individuals, the first big schools of manta rays came into the bay to show off their jumping and flying skills. The whales are back to give birth to and nourish their calves, so the surface interval is again a parade of underwater life jumping into thin air...
And of course there were the divers, courses and snorkelers enjoying the park. They had a good time and great dives: thanks to all of them and Kayla, Deb and Rusty; congratulations with your Open Water Diver certifications and welcome to the miracles of the under water world.

A great 2010 with lots of liquids...

visibility: down to around 20 feet
water temperature: stays reasonably high at 73º
currents: lately increasing to quite strong
surface conditions: with the northern wind it can be bad...

We've been diving exactly two days now in January and it has been a strange, but beautiful start of the new year. Lots of cold and strong northern wind (already kicked in!), every now and then waves to struggle with, a decreasing visibility but still nice and relatively warm water...
Picture this: we're going with an off-direction current (this means calmly, but constantly swimming into it) from north to south on El Bajo. Just past half way, we meet all the snapper, pork fish, burrito grunt etc. and in the back a tiger. In the back, so no problem...
We keep going and got completely lost in the millions of Jacks; a big school of fish, occupying all water, from bottom to surface. Just leaving enough space for 2 or 3 sea lions chasing through to get a bite to eat, opening tunnels of light in the darkness.
We are in the shadow of the fish and are almost loosing each other, (we are four divers) when we find the tiger again, frighteningly close. On the outside of the school more big shadows, not of jacks, but of bulls this time. We have to go up for the safety stop, also in the jacks, but with a bit of a rumble in the bally; where are those sharks... We made it safely to the surface, lost nobody, but all with big eyes, a glow in the face and totally enthusiastic. What a dive...
All summer the water was to hot for shark spotting and now they are back, everywhere. We used to go to La Esperanza to see them, lately we've seen nurse sharks, reef sharks, tiger- and bull sharks in El Bajo, La Esperanza, El Cantil and even in Las Navajas, the shallow part of the reef...
Didn't take video or photo camera, because the conditions were not too good: video wouldn't have worked for the low vis, lack of light and the distance of the predators, maybe stills would have... Hey, weren't we fighting this same law of Murphy some months ago?
Anyway, no sharks, but happy divers.

Happy New Year and let's see something special in 2010, both above and under water!