Baja California Sur, Mexico – Aboard the Solmar V

Date: October 2000

One year earlier, Sandy, her youngest brother, Steve, and I traveled to Baja to scout the area for a group trip (see our review). The experience was so favorable, that we were eager to return. The logistics of moving three people from San Jose Cabo (the airport) to La Paz then down to Cabo San Lucas was not bad at all, but trying to duplicate this effort economically for a group became formidable. I would also have to be working with a couple hotels, and the long, long boat rides in La Paz were still fresh in our memory. On the other hand, I was not about to sacrifice either the La Paz or Cabo in terms of dive sites. Cabo Pulmo was also a must and getting there was a two hour plus drive from Cabo. What to do? The answer was easy and quick—do a live-aboard, the Solmar V. We have seen ads and articles about the Solmar V in Skin Diver and other dive magazines. The elegant description of the boat was enticing, and all our logistical problems would be solved. We would miss the quaint waterfront area of La Paz and it’s shops and restaurants, but something had to give.

Almost everything about our 1999 adventure was perfect: the weather, the water viz, and the sea life. Naturally, I wanted to duplicate the experience for others, knowing deep down this would be futile. As a start, however, we chose October again.

Ten Sundivers descended into Cabo San Jose and found a large taxi-van in which we all fit. Our cooperative driver made a stop in town for some last-minute pharmaceuticals and batteries, then we did the 30-minute drive along the rugged coast. In one year, were there actually more resorts along the coast, as they seek to cover every square foot? We headed for our check-in point at the Solmar Suites Resort where Steve was able to rent some equipment as his luggage enjoyed a trip to San Jose, Costa Rica instead of San Jose Cabo, Mexico.

Dive Boat: From the Resort, we were transported to the marina (on their nickel) to board the ship. With it’s dark green paint with yellow and white trim, the Solmar V definitely stood out among live-aboards The ship was as elegant as advertised. The interior dining/lounge areas had lots of polished, dark wood, brass, and intricate glass panels.

The area had three booths seating four each, and four smaller, higher tables for two (like you might see in a bar). In the center was a small buffet area and stairs going down to the cabins. Unfortunately, this stairway took considerable space and tended to divide the dining area. Another stairway was located forward, towards the galley.

Aft of the dining/lounge area was the dive deck, complete with a large camera table and ample storage for dive equipment. Here, stairs led upwards to a large sun deck, some of which was shaded. Lounge furniture was in place for relaxing between dives, but we all agreed the hard plastic was very uncomfortable.

The cabins were adequate but surprisingly small, at least as compared to the Wave Dancer in Belize, and other live-aboards were have been on. Each cabin had a private bath, but it uniquely contained both the shower and the toilet. I guess some people pay extra to have a built-in seat in their shower, and here it was included! A wash basin was located outside the shower/bathroom.

We had an excellent crew for the week. Everyone spoke English (pretty well.

Dive Operation: Three dive masters, Axel (originally French-speaking, from Belgium if I remember correctly), Luis, and Epifanio, or "Pifas" were exceedingly friendly, fun to be with, and helpful when needed. Axel’s fish impersonations, particularly the puffer and the sea horse, were priceless. For the most part, we could get in five dives a day, stamina permitting. Some of the dives are deep, so divers need to be cautious about accumulated bottom time.

Diving: One of my first questions to the dive masters after boarding was, "Are you seeing the whale sharks?" Sadly, sightings were way down during the year, and none of the whale sharks had been seen for a couple months. I was disappointed that others in our group may not get to see these beautiful fish, but I knew other surprises would still be in store.

We left the marina later in the afternoon for a long ride to our first destination, Los Islotes, home to dozens of playful sea lions! This would get everyone off to a great diving start. Los Islotes is a small rock island that could be circumnavigated in a couple dives. Great diving and sea lion encounters can be enjoyed in just 10 to 30’ of water. We spent all Sunday there (4 dives) except for a night dive closer to the mainland where we anchored until the next morning. We even returned for two more dives on Tuesday. Needless to say, everyone was enthralled with the sea lions.

Most of the time as the sea lions play, they get teasingly close to you, but just far enough away not to be touched. This is enough, however, to watch their antics as they perform loops, chase each other, or perhaps play with a starfish. On one of my dives, however, a female seemed unusually "friendly," allowing her belly to be rubbed several times as she would briefly stop from her acrobatics. I warily kept my eye on her face, however, mindful of her mouth full of sharp teeth, uncertain how she would interpret my intentions.

She also showed a keen interest in my snorkel, finally deciding that it was hers to rip from my mask. Trying to avoid laughter, I kept my mask on and cleared it, only to see she had dropped the snorkel a few feet away. I was able to quickly grab it as it was slowly sinking to the sand. What a dive!

After returning to the boat, I excitedly replayed my adventure and talked a few divers into seeing if we could possibly find her again. This time, the Zodiac took us directly to where I thought she might have been. We descended, and sure enough, we were able to locate her and several others had an opportunity for more intimate contact.

In addition to the sea lions, swarms of small silversides (yes, I know fish group together in "schools", but this was more like "swarms") provided fascination as they instantly and simultaneously shifted directions, flashing light as they reflected the sun. They were like porous membranes as you swam through the clouds, opening a hole as you entered and closing in unison behind you.

On Monday, we headed further north to a couple of rock sites, Las Animas, just off the shore of San Jose Island. The site featured a large cavern at about 60’. It had a triangular-shaped entrance which opened up to a large domed room. The clarity inside was quite good. During surface intervals, we rode around the rock islands on the Zodiac, trying not to disturb sleeping sea lions on the surface.

The El Bajo Seamounts were our next major destination. This is where, a year before, we saw our hammerhead sharks. Two dive masters split the group and each took half to go on patrol. This year, after three deep dives (84-107’), I didn’t see any hammerheads, but others reported a few in the distance. To round out our "La Paz" area sites, we dived on the Salvatiera wreck twice (tons of fish) and a really cool spot called Suwanee Reef.

Suwanee was one of those magical dives that tends to stand out in your mind as other sites sometimes blend together. Only eight feet deep in some areas, the reef was carpeted with brown and green hard corals accented with sea fans. In this one small area, we saw four different types of moray eels: zebra, green, jeweled, and snowflake. A couple were swimming freely in the late afternoon light, shadows already developing as dusk approached.

On Thursday we started heading south to Cabo Pulmo, billed as the only hard coral reef on the west coast of the Americas. (Having dived at Suwanee, however, I started doubting the claim). The first dive off the Zodiac at Mario was a complete bust due to terrible visibility. The next two dives at Cantil and El Bajo were much better, more reminiscent of the reef a year earlier. Large schools of fish were still the norm, including the schools of puffers that surprised us during our first visit.

On our last dive day, we dove Gordo Bank twice. At the southern tip of the peninsula, quite away off shore, Gordo Bank is a deep (>100’) seamount which, according to what I have read, is frequented by large pelagic such as tuna, manta, and sharks. Each dive was a "blue dive" (nothing but blue in all directions) at depths slightly exceeding 100’. In two groups again, we just cruised the area, following the dive masters (who were swimming fast to cover as much territory as possible). Unfortunately, I still saw nothing but blue.

Our final dive of the week was at Sand Falls, right at the entrance to the Cabo San Lucas bay. The primary danger here was jets skis and glass bottom boats...ah, back to the touristas. Sand Falls is a short swim down a beautiful white sand bottom from Pelican Rock. The previous year, a dive master from Underwater Diversions "claimed" to take us to Sand Falls, and what we saw was not at all impressive. Now we know he didn’t know where to look. This time, we were lead down to about 90’, rounded a bend, and there

was a shear cliff dropping down as far as visibility would let us see. The sand bottom in this area sloped sharply to the lip of the cliff, and from there fell over the edge...like a waterfall...not a gushing Niagra-type waterfall, but still unique. After quickly dipping to 100’ or so (our third deep dive of the day), we spent the rest of our tanks circling Pelican rock at shallow depths. Pelican Rock is the home to lots of fish, including moray eels, and a full dive could have been done right there.

This year, I did not see a whale shark, hammerhead sharks, or manta rays. Sandy briefly saw a large manta as she descended the anchor line on one dive at El Bajo Seamounts. Others caught distance glimpses of hammers. Overall, the visibility was not quite as good as our first trip. Was I disappointed? Not at all. Baja has so much to offer, and it is truly unique compared to the Caribbean. I would highly recommend a visit, and if you want an easy trip to plan, the Solmar Vwould be an excellent choice. As far as the big stuff goes, I have read for some time now that the whale sharks, mantas, and hammerheads are becoming more scarce as they are hunted (yes, it’s happening) and as they move further away from the peninsula. Just go there not expecting to see them, and be surprised if you get that chance encounter. There is more than enough other good life to see. Two Octobers in a row brought great weather—sun every day and warm air and water temperatures.

Postscript: In another attempt to duplicate the good times of our exploratory trip, we extended our trip by 1 1/2 days to sample the tourist flavor of Cabo. I tried to arrange for early check-in at our hotel, Plaza Las Glorias, when reservations were made, and despite assurances, I was not holding my breath. After disembarking the Solmar V early on Saturday morning, we rolled all our gear a short distance along the marina to the hotel. The best they could do, of course, was offer us one of our five reserved rooms, with other rooms promised throughout the day. That was okay.

Only two activities were definite for the day: lunch at Felix’s and dinner at The Trailer Park Restaurant at La Golondrina. Before lunch, Sandy and I took a horseback ride on the beach and others headed for the hotel pool or shopping. Later, we gathered for the short walk to Felix’s, and surprise...it wasn’t there. Turns out the Felix’s and Mama Mia’s (our breakfast destination for Sunday) were under the same ownership, and both operations were combined at Mama’s location across the street. They are Mama Mia’s for breakfast, then they close for awhile, change signs, and reopen in the early afternoon as Felix’s. Thank God their specialty, a salsa bar, was still offered. All their food and the margarita’s were still very good. Everyone enjoyed a leisurely late lunch on the shaded patio.

After lunch, a bunch of us decided to take a recommendation of a work colleague, and sign up for a 3-wheeler ATV tour of a local sand dune area reserved for such activity. After being issued our helmets, goggles, and bandanas, we received a vehicle operational briefing—emphasis on "brief". Most of us had to learn the shifting on-the-job as we headed out through town single file. After leaving the main roads and taking a few back roads, we must have deserved a break as our guide stopped the group at a local bar for last-minute refreshments. When we were all refreshed, it was a short ride to the dunes. Once there, our guide gave us some brief instructions as to rendezvous place and time, then basically let us go for about an hour or so. An expansive main area had several wide-open sand hills to ride, with the area close to the beach fenced off. Some of the hills were quite steep, and to climb them you really had to have a head of steam going. Another area consisted of defined trails through cactus and scrub vegetation. These up and down, windy trails were really fun. At our appointed time, the group reconvened for our ride back to town, quite tired and dirty for our efforts.

One shower was insufficient to clear sand out of places we never imagined it would find its way, but it sure helped clean us up for dinner at The Trailer Park. Its name is a real mismatch for what you experience, a popular upper-end restaurant with all outdoor seating underneath the spreading branches of a huge tree. The fresh fish and seafood menu, with each dish able to be prepared multiple ways, is printed on a large board for patrons to inspect. Lights strung throughout the branches of the tree add to the ambiance. The food is superb, and I must admit, the pitchers of frozen margarita got the best of me. The Trailer Park is a long walk (or short taxi ride) from the marina area, and you would not happen upon it as you would the countless number of bars and restaurants in the active part of town. It is, however, not to be missed!

After a full day of activities, a good meal, and perhaps just a bit too much to drink, I was ready to surrender to the night. The younger among us, however, set their sites on Cabo Wabo, the local hot club owned by Sammy Hager. I even think he was playing that weekend, with video screens set up outside to accommodate the outpouring of fans.

There was one final "must do" before leaving Baja Sunday afternoon, and that was breakfast at Mama MIA’s It was without a doubt the best breakfast place we discovered the previous year. No one makes any finer French toast than Mama MIA’s The bread is huge and stuffed with cream cheese. The eggs benedict are also world class, but there usually is not room to order both! As a bonus, the orange juice is fresh.

All-in-all, it was a great week both below and above the surface. If you have been locked into the Caribbean and are looking for something different and unique, visit Baja.