The Sea of Cortez is a world class diving destination for many reasons.
Home to all creatures great and small, this area was made famous by oceanographic explorer Jacques Cousteau decades ago. Today, the area continues to thrive and has become a sanctuary for many large marine animals including sharks and rays.
Beginning in 2011, the Mexican government has taken a strong stance against finning and has gone to great lengths to protect these vulnerabe species!
Many areas throughout the Sea of Cortez are recognized marine preserves and protected areas. This level of protection shows through all levels of the local ecosystem, but is most easily noticed at the top of the food chain.
Most divers, from novice to expert love to see the big stuff on their dives, and this area does not fail to impress! As you work your way south along the Baja, you are treated first to whale sharks in La Paz.
These gentle giants gather here from early winter until late spring to feed on plankton in the calm bay just outside of the city! While their name might imply otherwise, whale sharks are not whales at all. It is possible to encounter the largest of the shark species here year round, though a swim with them is almost guaranteed during their season. During my visit in March, I was lucky enough to swim with several, one over 10 meters in length! The sharks swim slower than 3 kilometers per hour while feeding, making a snorkeling trip with them possible for even the most novice divers.
As you head south toward the Cabo Pulmo Marine Park, the flora and fauna only become more impressive! This protected area, established in 1995 is home to many difficult to spot species including bull sharks, hammerheads, mobula and manta rays, and my favorite – the guitar fish! While commonly mistaken for a shark, the guitar fish is actually a ray.
This area is the perfect location to spot them hiding on the sandy bottom and among the rocks. Unlike many other dive sites worldwide, these larger marine animals are not being fed here. Any encounter that you may have is completely natural, and you are able to observe these rare creatures in their natural environment. During my visit we did not see any large sharks, but did spend plenty of time following some friendly guitarfish around the rocks!
Just 60 miles south, divers are treated to world class destinations - San Jose del Cabo, and Cabo San Lucas. Here, the options for diving are varied from local sites to farthur flung destinations including the Los Cabos Corridor and the Gordo Banks. No dive trip here is complete without a sighting of the whitetip reef shark! In four days of diving, I was lucky to see a shark on every single dive. Not only is this evidence of a strong marine ecosystem, it proves that Mexico has made progress with its anti finning campaign.
These shy creatures are spotted under rocks as well as free swimming, but do not generally come close to divers. The deeper walls and dropoffs in this area are also an excellent place to find spotted eagle rays cruising in the blue.
As a professional diver, I was very impressed with all of the marine life throughout the Sea of Cortez, but was most captivated by my many encounters with sharks and rays here. As these animals remain in peril worldwide encounters with them may become more rare.
Thanks to the strong protection offered by marine parks and Mexican legislature protecting them, this is still one of the best places in the world to see these majestic animals in their natural habitat.
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If you are interested by this article, and wish to know more about diving in Sea of Cortez, you can check out our partner's YouTube video from Fun Azul Fleet on M/V Valentina here:
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