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Diving in La Bufadora, Baja California


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#1 ShamuLovesMe

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Posted 23 May 2005 - 12:00 PM

Hello everyone, I’ve been off the board for a few days, busy with work and then with a weekend of diving in Baja California. Nice to be back – did you miss me?

I headed south of the border for the weekend with the “Dive Animals” dive club out of San Diego, bound for La Bufadora, a small touristy town just south of Ensenada clustered around the eponymous blowhole that blows spray like Old Faithful with each swell that hits the rocks. Here, a rustic dive shop operates several panga boats that take divers out through the surf to a variety of dive sites along the rocky shoreline. A simple but comfortable bunkhouse and ample tent space outside accommodate those who want to sleep in a bed or those who prefer to camp. And with plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance, what more could you need?

This was my first time to this destination, but the veterans told me the conditions were the roughest they’d seen in all their visits. Still, we were there, so we did our best to help the boat operators get the pangas loaded with scuba gear and through the surf. Conditions were a bit sketchy for diving... high swells and lots of surge, even worse the second day... but still diveable. The vis wasn’t as good as it normally is here (from what I’m told), but was still a “good by California standards” 20-30 feet. I didn’t see a large amount of vertebrate life, but the inverts were very healthy! Green sea anemones the size of dinner plates, sun stars as big as party platters, sea stars that could wrap themselves around your entire head... very impressive. And thick, thick kelp forests to explore – which, as anyone who has swum through them knows, are awe-inspiring environments.

I am humble enough to relate a big mistake that I made on this trip, so others besides me can potentially learn from it. As an experienced diver, I’ve got plenty of boat dives under my weight belt, but this weekend, I broke one of boat diving’s cardinal rules. My buddy and I suited up and sat on the edge of the panga boat. My buddy rolled backwards and entered the water. I made one final check, looked over one shoulder, and also rolled backwards into the water. When I hit the water, something felt wrong – I didn’t feel as heavy as I should have. My first thought was that my tank slipped out of my BC, but I quickly realized with horror that I had landed on my buddy’s head! Fortunately, he was only momentarily dazed and shook it off with a laugh, but it could have been much worse. Even with a neoprene hood and water to cushion the impact, a scuba tank to the head is not a good thing.

Lesson re-learned and rule never to be violated again: Look over BOTH shoulders before rolling off a boat. Better still, ask someone who’s on the boat to verify it’s clear. This was an instance of complacency and inattention, but that’s usually how accidents happen, right? I feel really bad about it, but lucky that the outcome wasn’t worse than it was.

Anyway—other than that episode, it was a great trip all around. Met lots of cool new people, had a lot of fun above and below the water, and even choked down a “rattlesnake shooter” (homemade tequila scooped out of a jar containing several dead, fermenting rattlesnakes – apparently this dive club’s initiation for first-time divers to La Bufadora). Hopefully I will experience a fun weekend of diving with more new people—this time from SingleDivers.com—in the near future!

[Note: I’ll post photos on my site (see signature line) later this week.]

#2 jextract

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Posted 23 May 2005 - 04:36 PM

Sounds like much fun! I'm assuming you stopped at La Fonda or Puerto Nuevo for lobster & margaritas? Is Gordo still running Ensenada?
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#3 ShamuLovesMe

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Posted 23 May 2005 - 06:15 PM

Didn't stop at La Fonda or Puerto Nuevo this time, but of course did stop both ways for street tacos....

I had my rattlesnake shooter at Gordo's at La Bufadora... is that the same Gordo you're talking about? He was a character, and well deserving of his name.

#4 Cold_H2O

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Posted 23 May 2005 - 07:05 PM

Sounds like a great weekend. I wonder if its ready for SD to overtake it.
Rattlesnake shooters.. Now that could be interesting..
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#5 steelemagnolia6

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Posted 24 May 2005 - 04:20 AM

Shamu you are a very brave soul.. rattlesanke shooters.. Let me know if you start to turn green!!
Kay

Life is a matter of luck, and the odds in favor of success are in no way enhanced by extreme caution... Erich Topp WW II U Boat Commander

#6 jextract

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Posted 24 May 2005 - 11:09 AM

Didn't stop at La Fonda or Puerto Nuevo this time, but of course did stop both ways for street tacos....

I had my rattlesnake shooter at Gordo's at La Bufadora... is that the same Gordo you're talking about? He was a character, and well deserving of his name.

Yes, same guy. When I used to hang out in Ensenada it seemed as though he owned everything in the town. Except Hussong's and Papas & Beer, of course ... man, I miss that town. I just might have to get down there this summer!
"Because I accept the definition, does not mean I accept the defined." -- ScubaHawk
"Love is blind but lust likes lacy panties" -- SanDiegoCarol
"If you're gonna be dumb, you'd better be tough." -- Phillip Manor
"If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't I'll just respond cleverly." -- Donald Rumsfeld




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