Its time now for the latest news from the Cortez Club. So let’s start with answering the most asked questions. Yes the weather is great, well it usually is here. It’s hot, hot, and hot. Water temperatures are the usual 80 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, with depth temperatures at about 76-78 degrees. Thankfully some things do not change much. So translated this is great news as you can save some luggage space by packing your 3mm wet suits or your shorties. The mass scramble this morning for the 3mm suits at our dive centre was a sight to be seen, I can tell you. Visibility improving daily, after our little rain storm, and it is now returning to our usual 50-100 feet, depending on which of our sites you are diving at.
So we will start with news from Salvatierra Wreck and Suwannee Rock, Pilot whales joined our boats here just yesterday, so our lucky divers not only got to dive our great wreck site of the cargo ferry “LA Salvatierra” which sank in 1976 moments after striking Suwannee Rock. Now of course you do not have to worry because it is fitted with a warning light, and our crew know these waters like the back of their hands. Anyway this wreck is great as it is lying on a sand bottom in 60ft of depth and is approximately 70% intact, with both propellers exposed, so keep your eyes peeled for many species of the Ray family. This wreck has formed an “artificial reef” attracting a wide variety of sea life. It’s an enjoyable dive, with no penetration of the wreck and is sometimes subjected to strong currents.
Now for some news from Rocas Lobos “Sea Lion Rocks” This is a local dive site and very beautiful. Great for you divers who love underwater photography as it boasts a large number of coral heads, small caves and overhangs, This is our most popular night dive site. You are likely to see sleeping Parrot fish, cocooned in their own mucus; this was once the home to a colony of Sea Lions, who do occasionally return home for a visit from time to time. So be prepared for a bump, which is their way of saying hello. This is also a great site for spotting many species of Ray buried in the surrounding sand.
So now to mention the newer site of our friends the Californian Brown Sea Lions. The Sea Lions now all hang out at Los Islotes “The Colony”. Situated ½ mile north of the tip of Isla Espiritu Santo are Los Islotes, two large rock islets one of which has a natural arch. Diving through the centre of this natural rock formation, brimming with life you can expect to see dense shoals of Silver Sardines, blue and gold King Angelfish and Yellow Surgeonfish amongst golden cup corals. These islets are home to our friends the Californian Brown Sea Lions. These Sea Lions are very playful and inquisitive and love to interact with our divers, by tugging on their fins, whizzing past and showing off their underwater acrobatics. This is such a varied dive, a great one to take video cameras and photography equipment on.
Now let’s talk a little about El Bajo “Marisla Seamount”. For those of you that do not know too much about the site. This is one of the premier dive sites in the world for schooling Hammerhead Sharks. Schools range from between six to hundreds travelling in a clockwise direction around the seamount for unknown reasons. While schooling the Hammerheads are not aggressive, so have no fear. The seamount is home to an abundance of sea life and mass schooling fish. Look out for Amber Jacks, Tuna, Octopus (our divers reported many baby ones last week) and the impressive Panamic Green Moray Eel. Frequent visitors here include Whale Sharks and the Giant Pacific Manta Rays.
So that is just a small selection of the dives that we have to offer here. Along with the Cortez Kids Club running through the summer there is never a dull moment I can tell you. From kayaking activities to sailing lessons, it just never stops all day long. And when the day is done, and the kids have gone home, we like to end the day by watching our amazing sunsets with our divers at the Sunset Bar. This is where most of my diving research is done, honestly. Tough life, huh?
