9 replies to this topic

[SeaDog12]

Last trip before I joined your club. Live aboard on the Rocio Del Mar. Great crew, excellent food and we we're lucky with the weather. A few low viz dives otherwise excellent weather. Temps fluctuate. One evening dive was 69 depending on which current you were swimming in. 73 - 79 was the norm. I did the hole week in a 3/2 mm.
No sharks were seen except for the day we snorkeled with an 18 ft whale shark. Giant jaw fish, sea lions, many types of nudibranch and flatworms. Crown of Thorns and as many Scorpion fish as there are lion fish in the Carribean except they hide very well with camouflage techniques. A lot of basket stars - we would find them during the day and locate again on the night dives. Numerous large moray eels. I purchased a polar pro red filter/macro combo and what a difference on the little stuff. I tried to do a lettuce slug in Roatan without one and got too close. The video washed out 12" is max for close on a gopro without the macro. Back scatter is coming out with a macro version in August. You can't tell that from the LCD underwater. Large hermit crabs at night. I used a SOLA 2000 both night and day. Great during the day but, too much at night. Read the comments on the 1200. We worked our way through all of the current issues but one. Did a NASCAR drift with part of the group and swept out to sea. Our zodiac driver saw it happen and followed us. We surfaced after a mile adventure and he was 100 foot away. Tipped him well. Then we went back and got everyone else. Sea lions are great unless you get separated then they can be very aggressive. We turned the lights on and fished for humbolt squid. They just grab the lure and refuse to let go. Cat like claws on their suckers. Big bull sea lion ate half of one on the line then swam by bragging or thanking us - not sure but he looked content. http://m.youtube.com...p&v=6rZeDnlWFvg. A little bit of everything in this video generated with imovie on an iPad. There are no lion fish if the midriff area. Learning something new on every trip like a kid in a candy store. You have try them all. The bed designs on their website have not changed. Bunk bed style and a little rough getting in and out normally but the beds are longer for tall people. Happy trails patiently waiting for more vacation to accrue.

[Diver Ed]

Very good job with the video. Thanks for sharing. You had very good lighting to bring out the colors.

Last trip before I joined your club. Live aboard on the Rocio Del Mar. Great crew, excellent food and we we're lucky with the weather. A few low viz dives otherwise excellent weather. Temps fluctuate. One evening dive was 69 depending on which current you were swimming in. 73 - 79 was the norm. I did the hole week in a 3/2 mm.
No sharks were seen except for the day we snorkeled with an 18 ft whale shark. Giant jaw fish, sea lions, many types of nudibranch and flatworms. Crown of Thorns and as many Scorpion fish as there are lion fish in the Carribean except they hide very well with camouflage techniques. A lot of basket stars - we would find them during the day and locate again on the night dives. Numerous large moray eels. I purchased a polar pro red filter/macro combo and what a difference on the little stuff. I tried to do a lettuce slug in Roatan without one and got too close. The video washed out 12" is max for close on a gopro without the macro. Back scatter is coming out with a macro version in August. You can't tell that from the LCD underwater. Large hermit crabs at night. I used a SOLA 2000 both night and day. Great during the day but, too much at night. Read the comments on the 1200. We worked our way through all of the current issues but one. Did a NASCAR drift with part of the group and swept out to sea. Our zodiac driver saw it happen and followed us. We surfaced after a mile adventure and he was 100 foot away. Tipped him well. Then we went back and got everyone else. Sea lions are great unless you get separated then they can be very aggressive. We turned the lights on and fished for humbolt squid. They just grab the lure and refuse to let go. Cat like claws on their suckers. Big bull sea lion ate half of one on the line then swam by bragging or thanking us - not sure but he looked content. http://m.youtube.com...p&v=6rZeDnlWFvg. A little bit of everything in this video generated with imovie on an iPad. There are no lion fish if the midriff area. Learning something new on every trip like a kid in a candy store. You have try them all. The bed designs on their website have not changed. Bunk bed style and a little rough getting in and out normally but the beds are longer for tall people. Happy trails patiently waiting for more vacation to accrue.

[SeaDog12]

1375924478[/url]' post='311391']
Very good job with the video. Thanks for sharing. You had very good lighting to bring out the colors.

1375913795[/url]' post='311383']
Last trip before I joined your club. Live aboard on the Rocio Del Mar. Great crew, excellent food and we we're lucky with the weather. A few low viz dives otherwise excellent weather. Temps fluctuate. One evening dive was 69 depending on which current you were swimming in. 73 - 79 was the norm. I did the hole week in a 3/2 mm.
No sharks were seen except for the day we snorkeled with an 18 ft whale shark. Giant jaw fish, sea lions, many types of nudibranch and flatworms. Crown of Thorns and as many Scorpion fish as there are lion fish in the Carribean except they hide very well with camouflage techniques. A lot of basket stars - we would find them during the day and locate again on the night dives. Numerous large moray eels. I purchased a polar pro red filter/macro combo and what a difference on the little stuff. I tried to do a lettuce slug in Roatan without one and got too close. The video washed out 12" is max for close on a gopro without the macro. Back scatter is coming out with a macro version in August. You can't tell that from the LCD underwater. Large hermit crabs at night. I used a SOLA 2000 both night and day. Great during the day but, too much at night. Read the comments on the 1200. We worked our way through all of the current issues but one. Did a NASCAR drift with part of the group and swept out to sea. Our zodiac driver saw it happen and followed us. We surfaced after a mile adventure and he was 100 foot away. Tipped him well. Then we went back and got everyone else. Sea lions are great unless you get separated then they can be very aggressive. We turned the lights on and fished for humbolt squid. They just grab the lure and refuse to let go. Cat like claws on their suckers. Big bull sea lion ate half of one on the line then swam by bragging or thanking us - not sure but he looked content. http://m.youtube.com...p&v=6rZeDnlWFvg. A little bit of everything in this video generated with imovie on an iPad. There are no lion fish if the midriff area. Learning something new on every trip like a kid in a candy store. You have try them all. The bed designs on their website have not changed. Bunk bed style and a little rough getting in and out normally but the beds are longer for tall people. Happy trails patiently waiting for more vacation to accrue.

SOLA. 2000 S/F

[Jerrymxz]

excellent trip report!!

[ScubaTurtle]

Thanks SeaDog12! Great report!!

[Buzo Guero]

Thanks, Mike! Which islands, if I may ask? Was that San Pedro Martir/Isla Tiburon area? Or Tortuga? The islands between Tortuga & Cerralvo are stunning. San Pedro Nolasco on the other side of the Sea of Cortez is excellent, as well.

Appreciate the report very much!

[SeaDog12]

1376443908[/url]' post='311552']
Thanks, Mike! Which islands, if I may ask? Was that San Pedro Martir/Isla Tiburon area? Or Tortuga? The islands between Tortuga & Cerralvo are stunning. San Pedro Nolasco on the other side of the Sea of Cortez is excellent, as well.

Appreciate the report very much!

http://rociodelmarli...m/midriff.html. Left puerto penasco. (Rocky pointe). Straight south of pheonix and went straight south 125 miles. Isla tiburon area

[Buzo Guero]

You were almost to the good stuff, amigo! Penasco is NOT a dive destination. FYI, all. Been to Tiburon, though mostly for fishing.

Thanks for the info!

[SeaDog12]

You were almost to the good stuff, amigo! Penasco is NOT a dive destination. FYI, all. Been to Tiburon, though mostly for fishing.

Thanks for the info!

I goofed the first go round the 125 miles is to the first island.


I was in the good stuff and would do it again in a heartbeat on this liveaboard. The trip consists of crusing to and among several of the islands and is famous for dramatic diving, swimming with whale sharks, and encountering dolphins and sea lions. Numerous and colorful flatworms, 15 different varieties of nudibranch that I saw and the Giant Jawfish that are a blast to watch. Many different kinds of starfish including the crown of thorns. More basket stars than I have seen in any Carribean dive. Numerous Moray eels and Octopus. No Lion Fish. Much colder than the Caribean. I want to go on the explore baja trip that leaves Penasco and goes one way to Cabo 625 miles and you fly back from there. That trip is sold out into 2016.

This is an independent review of the location. http://www.scubadive..._of_cortez.html The guy sitting in the big leather chair was Rey Castillo, the captain and our dive master has 20 years experience diving in the area. The distance from Puerto Penasco to the dive sites on Angel island is about 125 miles, the distance between Angel island and Salsipuedes about 80 miles, and from there to San Pedro Martir island about 50 miles. 255 miles south of Puerto Penasco.
.

[Buzo Guero]

I would like to do that trip with them, as well.

Love San Pedro Martir.

I have a boat in San Carlos, so, have been diving the Sea of Cortez since I was 16. Over 500 of my dives have been down there.

My favorite area is between Mulege & Cabo Pulmo/Pulmo Reef area.