A underwater tour along the coast of Baja California Sur opens the doors to a world full of wildlife, adventure and staging prodigy.
From the air, the intense blue of the sea swirling in turquoise tones while we approach the coast, ready to land.Under the clouds arelands are distinguished, among which fishing boats, yachts and the occasional major vessel that leaves steles on the surface are navigated.Dawn radiates its light on the heart of Baja California Sur when touching the ground while the captain announces our arrival: "Welcome to Loreto".
The sky is clear and the heat stroke receives us when descending from the plane, a pleasant sign that will facilitate what we come to do: immerse ourselves in the waters surrounding both coasts of the state to witness some of the sites with the greatest marine biodiversity in Mexico.So, without time to waste, we start towards the center of this magical town to meet with Rafa Murillo, Dive Master of the Dolphin Dive Diving company with more than 15 years of experience in the region and that, in addition to the diving service, offers land transport to more than 50 points in the entity to perform dives.
After trying the neoprene suit, choosing the leads that will be used as ballast and review the operation of the equipment, it is time to delight with local gastronomy and delicacies such as coat chocolate clams, fish tacos or a seafood casserole to endureThe long trip that still remains ahead, because the first destination on this route for the underwater adventure is located seven hours by car, in the municipality of Mulegé, on the north coast of the Southcalifornian Pacific.
With a full stomach, we started the journey on the endless straight line that draws the road until it gets lost on the horizon, the only one that connects the north and south of the peninsula.The injured contour of the Sierra de la Giganta accompanies us under a fulminant sun that clearly draws the shadow of the vultures when passing on the cardons that dominate every corner of this arid landscape.Sometimes surprised by some hare, fox or snake that crosses the road quickly, snails or crows that protect their nests at the top of the light posts or the sudden appearance of a tigrillo next to the road, the route is a great wayto admire the unique nature of the desert.
As bays, beaches and more cactus pass, we make the occasional stop to appreciate the panoramic ones and, why not?, Spin a leg to announce my presence among the merciless thickets (care when walking through the mountain).With the inflamed calf, as if I had attacked a porcospine, the route gives a wonderful twilight until the total darkness covers us and the stars begin to pile up over us, a spectacle that brights as in a few places in the orb.
Thus, after more than 10 hours of travel between air and land from Mexico City, we arrived in Bahía Asunción, in the middle of the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, a small fishing village at the northwest tip of the state.Why come here?The depths of the Pacific will answer that question tomorrow;Meanwhile, to remove the remains of thorns from the leg and rest.
Pacific Ocean
The sunrises on the beach, rared from the horizon, are always impressive, but the location of Bahía Asunción - in the body of water that gives it its name - makes the town, despite being on the Pacific coast, look towardsThe East to receive both sunrises and sunsets about the ocean.With this postcard and a light breakfast, we finally prepare for the initial immersion.
As the main source of livelihood, this fishing village specializes in the trade of Almeja, Caracol, Lobster and Abulón, a mollusk whose meat is precious and well valued in the Asia markets, and that was on the edge of extinction during the decade ofThe eighties of the twentieth century.Therefore, in the small boat to the high seas we are accompanied by artisanal fishermen willing to show us how they collect abroats in a sustainable way.
After a few minutes of navigation on the agitated wave of the Pacific we passed by the Asunción Island, which is inhabited by a herd of sea lions that receives us with grunts and dip as we approach.A few meters later, the captain and director of the Bahía Asunción cooperative, Román López, orders to throw the anchor.Without even half of our team ready to start diving, bladimir ornelas, town fisherman, takes the lead and glue a head to the water with just his neoprene suit, viewer and a regulator connected to a compressorof air that lies in the front of the boat.We rush to reach it.
With oxygen tanks, flotability vests, regulators, manometers, belt with injuries, viewers and fins, all reviewed by Rafa perfectly, it is time to dive.After the respective surface safety signals (first, the fingers of your hand pointing to the top of the head to indicate that we are fine; then, your thumb down to start the descent), we immerse about 12 meters inWarm waters (about 24 ° C) until reaching a marine bed covered by thick and long seaweed that dance to the compass of the current.
This area full of sargassum and marine plants of not much height called cauliflow.
Soon we distinguish the bladimir regulator hose between the vegetation, so we swam there.However, a pack of sea lions stands along the way.With their elegant and fast swimming, the smallest and curious approach even a few centimeters from the viewers (perhaps because in this area they are not accustomed to humans), while the largest observe near the surface, as if they took care thatLet's not represent a danger to their young.The scene in which we are immersed seems to dream, almost heavenly, with the light of the sun refracted through the water and the silhouettes of the sea lions sliding around us, which angelic creatures.
I do not want to get out of this trance, but we soon realize that Bladimir had already advanced several meters among the marine pastures, so we hurried the swim until we reach it.Thus we attest that, in regards to the Sudcalifornian Pacific, this does not do justice in its name, at least not underwater.When we approached Bladimir, who already had some abalones captured in his network, the currents began to increase their strength, forcing us to hold us from the thick sea algae until they are part of their incessant sway.
To the pangerian it seemed not to import the submarine turbulence type blender that made us wave from side to side like flags in the middle of a storm.When the water course allowed it, we advanced (or did we go back?) Among the algae, letting ourselves be carried away by the background under a perpetual flight sensation and then willing us again from what was within reach (the gloves were essential).Thus we follow the fisherman a few more meters until he decided to go to the surface.A quick decompression stop about five meters, and back to the boat.
The shallow depth of the first immersion allowed us to use the same tank again for the nextsubmerged caves to appreciate how the use of another basic resource for the economy of Bay Asunción: the lobster:.
In front of the entrance of the cave, exposed to the open sea (intermediate/advanced diving), we immerse about seven meters to enter between the rock formations until the light beams begin to get lost in the dark.The opening becomes increasingly narrow as they move forward;Sudden.Since all are youthful, fishermen make the decision not to extract any specimen according to their sustainable management plans, thus ensuring the long -term supply and the conservation of this valuable resource for both the local economy and for the marine ecosystems of theregion.
The barometer marks 100 bars (or 1,000 psi, the recommended to start the ascent), so we return on board to return to the coast with some green turtles around.The sun falls behind us as we approach the ground, a splendid sunset to close a magnificent day.After cleaning the diving equipment with fresh water, Román takes the network with the abalons to classify them in the laboratory, where youth or reproductive stage will stay for their breeding and subsequent release, while those ready for consumption are sent to theLocal canned factory for trade in China and the United States.
Absolute tiredness, to have dinner and sleep in one of the small but cozy community hotels.The surround sound of the waves lulls under a starry sky that only such a remote and free site of light pollution can provide.
California Gulf
The return of Bahía Asunci.Salares, desert and wildlife are constantly changing and offer different perspectives of the natural reality of the peninsula at every kilometer.Thus, the seven hours of journe.
As the first establishment of the Spaniards in their attempt to colonize distant land.
The conqueror Hernán Cortés, the Spanish cartographer Sebastián Vizcaíno, the Nobel Prize for American literature John Steinbeck, the Mexican journalist and anthropologist Fernando Jordán and the French oceanic explorer Jacques Cousteau - who invented the autonomous diving regulator and baptized this area as “the aquarium of the aquarium of theWorld ” - are some of the characters that made history when marked by the natural beauty and abundant diversity that adorns the southern leave and its surrounding waters.
With the energy recharged thanks to a long night of sleep, we headed to the port to return to the aquatic world, this time in the Bahía de Loreto National Park that, with more than 30 species of marine mammals, is one of the areas with the greatest biodiversityMarina in Mexico.On this occasion we met with June Orozco, owner of Loreto Sea and Land Tours, one of the most longevan sea and land expedition companies in the region.We set sail towards Coronado Island, where a rocky site known as La Lobera protects the largest sea lion colony in the park.
Here the snort is attractive due to the interaction of the marine wolves with the people, however, when descending with the diving equipment at depths between five and 40 meters a basalt wall is revealed with giant rocky blocks, full of cracksand sea stars, which culminates in a soft coral garden with fans and gorgonias.When stabilizing at 25 meters, we explore the rocks to discover the jaws of some brunettes, mere the size of oxygen tanks, stone fish that camouflage themselves as by magic and a couple of turtles that move away without hurry before our presence.
It is time to explore the scissors, a place near the east coast of Coronado Island, which takes its name from the sea bird (also known as elegant frigate) that nests in this area.Due to the lava flows that emerged about one million years ago and that have been eroded by the wind, the rains and the waveSurgeons, Burritos, Chivitos, Cabrillas and Pargos.
With a maximum depth of 20 meters, the rocky area gives way to a white sand plain where dozens of mantarrayas that are fired while we float on them.After about 40 minutes of exploration in waters close to 25 ° C, we ascend to make a decompression stop before boarding the boat and returning to the mainland.
A firewood pizza dinner and a couple of handmade beers are precise to sleep as well as.When night falls it is difficult to distinguish the dreams of memories lived throughout the day.The underwater world invades the mind.
At dawn we are ready for a new adventure underwater, so we have breakfast to return to the port and get on the Blue Nation boat, a family business managed by the Mexican Monica Chávez and the Spanish Yago Rodríguez.The first destination is a place known as Piedra Blanca (due to the guano that deposit coastal birds such as cormorants, blue and pelican legs), located on the west coast of Carmen Island, the most extensive of Loreto.
There is Neptune's finger, a thin rock formation that stands out from water as if he pointed to heaven.We begin the immersion between sardine schools and a barracuda of sharp teeth that moves as torpedo.Upon reaching 15 meters deep we find typical fauna such as jurams, black corals, hedgehogs, blénidos and nudibranchies: tiny creatures such as sea slugs of psychedelic colors that glare in the marine bed.
Under water, the notion of time is dispersed while we continue the descent to the almost 30 meters deep between the vivid colors of Damisela, corneta, pork and pigs fish.We swam next to a wall full of corals and the occasional eel until, to our right, the seabed rushed suddenly until it lost in the dark.Important to keep us close to the wall, as the currents can drag us into the abyss.Better not get rid of Yago.
Today's aquatic activities end soon, because the next day we will close this underwater tour in an emblem of the National Park: the C-54 Agustín Melgar, an old dragaminas that became shipwrecked near the coast of Puerto Escondido (that of Baja California Sur).
This last immersion, in addition to deep, is also historical.This is stated by Rafa Murillo, from Dolphin Dive Baj.And it is not exaggeration.
With 56 meters of length (length) and 10 manga (wide), this historic warship was built in the United States in 1944 and served in Pearl Harbor during World War II.He acquired heroic fame when, in Okinawa, he rescued the crew of another ship that was beaten by Kamikaze attacks and others whose boats were reached by underwater mines.After being awarded three service stars by the US government, the ship was sold to the Mexican Navy in 1962 and, finally, it sank on purpose in 2000 for recreational use in diving.
25 meters deep and with a thin layer of coral that covers its helmet and interiors, the C-54 Agustín Melgar today works as an artificial reef for several aquatic species such as jellyfish, angel fish, government and barbers that take refuge and sneak out byThe roof and cabins.To follow your example, we do the same.
The labyrinthine roads that allow the entrances and exits of the ship make this an unparalleled experience.From the bridge to the propelas, everything is an iron landscape covered by corals and inhabited by hundreds of multicolored fish.Time is diluted until Rafa makes us the signal to ask how much oxygen is in the tanks;We have consumed most without even noticing it, fascinated by the stage and the various ways of scrutinizing the ship.To go up.
There are no words when reaching the surface, only a clash of palms between our group and the thanks of being able to know this other world that, in addition to the desert, is also part of the southern leave.An almost unexplored and extremely fragile world that still retains pristine ecosystems around this dream peninsula.
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