The Sea Of Cortez, which is a huge gulf between the Baja California Peninsula and mainland Mexico is often referred to as the Aquarium of the World and sometimes, Galapagos of Mexico. We spent a week aboard the UnCruise Safari Endeavour, a small expedition ship exploring the lower part of the Sea of Cortez, from La Paz almost to Loreto. What we discovered was an interesting dichotomy; a dry desert environment on land surrounded by one of the richest marine environments we’ve ever visited! A place where we were able to snorkel among dozens of different species of marine plants, fish and animals, including a few marine mammals!
The Safari Endeavour
To find excursions in the Sea of Cortez, you’ll need to get to the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, which usually means flying to Los Cabos on the southern end of Baja Sur. From there the towns of Cabo San Lucas, San Jose Del Cabo, or further north in La Paz and even Loreta, which are accessible via a recently improved highway. You can find a variety of outfitters that will get you out on the water to explore wildlife. Puerto Escondido on the other side of the peninsula is where you can find excursions out onto Bahia Magdalena for Grey Whale excursions. (To see our report about the marine mammals we encountered click here) We had the advantage of being on a small expedition ship with a loose itinerary based on weather and where the wildlife might be and occasionally to dodge private yacht “pirates” moored up where we were scheduled to be!
Our itinerary aboard the Safari Endeavour brought us to places that are difficult to reach, but worth the effort!
Before you get into the water to explore; there are a couple of things to be prepared for.
Bundle up!
The water might not be the tropical temperature you might be expecting. Year round water temps range from low 60’s to low 80’s depending on the time of year and location. We were outfitted with very snug heavy wet suits to tolerate the cold for an hour long snorkel. Getting into these proved to be comical. Imagine a middle age snake with a middle trying to slither into tight neoprene! Eventually we were able get the wet suits zipped by performing some downward dog and stretching the suit and with the help of fellow adventurers. We found wearing a slippery rash guard underneath also helped!
All geared up and ready to go!
There are so many beautiful distractions underwater, but after about an hour in the 70 degree ocean, we were ready to get out and warm up in one of the two on board hot tubs.
Guineau fowl puffer fish
Many of the fish and invertebrates we found snorkeling.
An elusive moray eel
Wear good footwear!
Our guides reminded us regularly that although those beaches look sandy, up close we would see the nettles from cactus and bones and shells from spiky sea life can be very hard on your feet. We brought good closed toe amphibious water shoes to protect our feet.
It looks like sand, but it’s really lots of pretty sharp shells, coral and bones!
Remember Wildlife is Wild!
In general, its a good idea to keep your hands to yourself and that’s especially true in the Sea of Cortez where many animals are venomous to the touch and because many areas are either Mexican National or State parks with stiff penalties for harming or removing anything from the parks! Occasionally, some wild life will get very close, as was the case of the juvenile sea lions at Los Isolates off of Isla Partida
A sea lion gets a good look at the sous chef from the Safari Endeavour, who joined us out on our snorkel excursion.
Incredibly playful and swift in the water, I’m certain the sea lions wondered why were so slow and encumbered in the water!
Some of the juvenile sea lions enjoyed trying to play with our colorful snorkeling gear!
With the right preparation from our guides, we were able to enjoy all the amazing wildlife in the Sea of Cortez, while ensuring our safety and the safety and sustainability of the wildlife we encountered.
We will explore the unique desert environment of the Baja Peninsula and Sea of Cortez islands in a future post. Be sure to follow our Twitter and FaceBook pages for more!