My friend Gabe and I have been talking about doing a Baja exploratory trip for some time, and we finally make it happen on Nautilus Undersea. This is the first time in Nautilus Explorer’s (now Nautilus Liveaboards) history that we sail up north from Cabo San Lucas to explore the Pacific coast of Baja.
Baja Exploratory Trip: Pacific Ocean
We manage to explore new areas despite some issues with the watermaker and having the weather against us.
Rocas Alijos are three rocks that rise up above the surface 200 nautical miles from any part of the Baja peninsula. This is my third time to visit and I find it more interesting each time. Yet we’re just getting a taste of what could be experienced here.
30-50 Galapagos sharks turn up out of nowhere! We see hybrid Clarion angelfish and King angelfish mingle in 30-meter visibility, which can go up to 60 meters on a good day. I don’t find that other pinnacle that I dove years ago, unfortunately.
San Benitos has been devoid of the giant kelp since five years ago. According to the local fishermen, it’s not the sea urchins; rather, it’s due to the water temperature that has risen due to global warming. When I came here the first time, this was absolutely the best kelp diving I had ever done. I’m speaking from my experience in the Channel Islands, British Columbia, Alaska and Norway. The kelp is gone now, but the diving is still fantastic.
San Geronimo is a beautiful island to visit. We find some deep kelp beds, and the harbor seals are sticking their heads out all around the island. Resting elephant seals on the island are shedding their skin off, while the seagulls are noisily worrying over their maturing chicks. The clouds of langoustine crabs in the sea color it red like blood. We want to get to the reef, but the sea is too rough. The water temperature is a cold 11 C / 52 F. Brr!
San Martin yields some beautiful dives. The kelp is denser than last year, but it still isn’t as thick as I expected. Just gliding under the canopy is like being in a dream of flying in the forest.
My every dip in the water on this trip makes me feel like a kid again. I want to see and experience everything!
We arrive in Ensenada 10 days later.
Baja Exploratory Trip: Sea of Cortez
Two more weeks pass and I’m asked to help bring the next boat up north… I fly down to Cabo San Lucas from Tijuana, this time to board Nautilus Gallant Lady. I quickly go home to get my motorbike and bring it onboard. We then steer north towards San Felipe.
A trip is not complete without a little excitement. Due to problems with the generator and other issues, we only manage to set aside one day for diving San Pedro Martir, the most isolated island in the Sea of Cortez.
What a beautiful surprise! Forests of black coral, walls, turtles, sponges and fish were in abundance. The sea lions are here, of course. They’re some of the nicest dives I have done in the Sea of Cortez in terms of macro and topography. Just very, very pretty!
Sidebar: On the Brink of Extinction
San Felipe is currently the venue of an ongoing battle between marine environmentalists and the local fishermen. In one corner we have volunteer crew members on Sea Shepherd, who have recently become involved in removing gill nets in the Sea of Cortez in order to protect the last of the vaquitas, the most endangered species of porpoise in the world. In the other corner we have the local fishermen, led by Sunshine Rodriguez, who are desperately trying to preserve their livelihood. They catch another endangered species, the totoaba, prized in the Chinese market for the high collagen content of its swim bladder. The vaquita gets caught and drowned as a bycatch of the gillnets set to trap the totoaba.
It seems that we have forgotten the real threat to both of these endangered species — most of the water from the Colorado River has been cut off after the construction of the Hoover and Glen Canyon dams. The high salinity of the Sea of Cortez caused by the lack of fresh water inflow will probably never be suitable for either the vaquita or totoaba to survive…
Well, I learned something new on this visit, but I’m here for a different reason. There will be another time to fish for more information. So, I leave San Felipe and drive my motorbike through the desert to Ensenada (again). I help set up Nautilus Explorer and Nautilus Belle Amie for Guadalupe season in the shipyard before finally crashing at my friend Esteban’s house. After working straight for almost two months, I’m happy to stay and rest up for a while.
References:
https://californiadiver.com/on-the-brink-of-extinction-saving-the-totoaba-in-the-sea-of-cortez/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vaquitas-endangered-battle-sea-of-cortez-mexico-baja-california-sea-shepherd/
Back Home in Pescadero
I am tired, so I drive down in parts. This is my fifth trip driving through Baja on a motorcycle and it’s nothing new. It’s not an adventure anymore, just a means to get from point A to point B. It’s sweltering hot and I have to slow down. By the time I reach Santa Rosalia midway through Baja, the sun is mercilessly beating down on me. Driving on the black asphalt at 45 C- / 113 F-weather doesn’t help, and neither does the wind. Ask anyone who grew up on saunas… As kids we used to blow on each other’s skin to increase the heat and inflict pain. And, idiot that I am, I’m driving in the desert dressed in black MC gear and wearing a black helmet.
Dehydrated and overheated, I get to Ciudad Insurgentes on the second day. I’m home from my Baja exploratory trip by midday of the following day. My wife pampers me while I bother our cats. It’s nice to be home again!
In a week I am off again, but with Tanya this time. We’re going up to God’s Pocket in BC, Canada for two months and a half. Gardener/Caretaker Guillermo will be looking after the cats and the house while we’re away. At the same time, an electronic cat feeder will be dispensing food at set times to make sure that they don’t go hungry. The device is programmed via an app and it has a built-in camera, speaker and microphone so that we can watch and talk to the cats from Canada. That’s a Tanya idea…
Hi Sten, Ill be all October and part of November in Ensenada Shipyard, let me know if you around. Take care and great info you wrote!
Diego Florez
Hi Diego!
I am going home to Baja end of October. I’m not sure if I’ll be up in Ensenada, but let’s touch base beginning of November. It would be so nice to meet you! If not, I live close to Cabo and I go to Colombia every now and then when I dive Malpelo.
Abrazos!
Sten – it was such a pleasure exploring the Pacific with you. Loved the trip and crew. We had a blast! Thank you.
Hi Ann!
It was a pleasure being with you! It was nice to do something different that not many have experienced, including myself. I hope it happens again; here or somewhere else. We’ll find out!
Sten