Snorkeling from the Beach

We are now perched in a very small town called Cabo Pulmo (population 120), known for its proximity to the only living coral reef in the Gulf of California. The reef is very close to shore here and in 1995 a national park was established to protect it. The main activities here include snorkeing, scuba diving, fishing, hiking nearby trails, or hiring a guide with horses to take you on a horseback ride through the trails.

Since neither one of use is particularly keen for scuba diving or horseback riding, that leaves snorkeling and hiking. A quick inquiry of a local gave us information as to where we can acces the hiking trails. Sounds like a 20 minute walk just to get to the trailheads, so unless we want to rent mountain bikes for the day, that is probably out. We also learned that it gets so hot here in the afternoon away from the Sea of Cortez/Gulf of California all hiking needs to happen early in the morning. That left snorkeling for us, since we have grown overly fond of our leisurely mornings. With nothing less than 5 places renting equipment we had plenty of choices. They are all in close proximity, so a quick survey of all revealed the going rate and an alternate plan: we could buy two sets of fins, one mask and one snorkel for less than the weekly rental fee. Wa-la! We now own our own gear and have been snorkeling daily!

Our snorkeling adventures began in La Paz with the whale sharks. They continue here with us sampling the waters from various points along the coast. The fellow who sold us the gear recommended a spot a mere 10 minutes' walk from our casita. We headed there while Bob was here, wanting to free Bob from driving duties, but choosing to use his strong back for cooler/beer and lunch transport. This section of the beach seemed just out of reach from the other Cabo Pulmo tourists, so we had a fairly secluded spot to get familiar with our new equipment. We had a good time laughing at each other as we discovered it is easier to walk backwards than to walk forward in fins. I thought it might be easier to carry the fins to deeper water and put them on closer to where we'd actually use them. The fellows were entertained watching me get knocked over by tiny waves while attempting to balance on one foot, while fitting a fin over the other. Eventually we each devloped our own methods (notice I don't say "styles") for getting in the water with gear. Before too long, I was comfortable enough to swim to the reef. It was a rather murky journey out there with arrival marked by large dark shapes slowly coming into visibility. After a few more swishes with the fins Those dark shapes turned into beautiful bunches of coral on large rocks: yhe true coral color with white flutes. Next thing to come into myviewshed was a movement out of the corner of my eye..."what was it? Is it a danger?" I anxiously kept watch and the darting shadow turned into a beautiful angelfish! I'd never seen anything like it before. I estimated 8 - 10 inches in length, 5 - 6 inches tall with bright yellow tail and a trace of yellow on what might be described as a forehead. Soon I was seeing a yellow version of the same fish with markings as distinct and beautiful as that of a wood duck. The poster at the dive center told me these were butterfly fish. The water seemed a little clearer nearer the reef and I could see small horizontally striped fish and larger vertically striped fish. Suddenly I was in nephew Matt's salt water aquarium! Remembering that we were all "taking turns" with the mask and snorkel and wanting to share my excitement, I headed back into the murk and out to the shore to tell Bruce and Bob what I'd seen. Bob took a turn and shared similar sightings. Bruce continued at his own pace learning to manage the new gear and stay close to shore. When we all were too tired to continue, we slurped down that cold beer from the cooler Bob had so graciously carried.

We enjoyed a couple of days at our secluded beach area before Bob had to head back to Cabo San Lucas to catch a plane back into Colorado's winter. Bruce and I had heard from some locals that Los Arbolitos, a beach an hour's walk from here, provided the best snorkeling. We packed a light lunch after a heavy egg, veggie and tortilla breakfast and headed out, missing Bob. We passed through a series of small beaches; at each one I found myself wondering, "Is this Los Arbolitos?" We knew there was a road to Los Arbolitos, so until we saw people on the beach, we trudged onward and the day got hotter and hotter. One beach offered a pelican haven, another offered rocky shores and a third was bordered by a slick rock that required hand holds to keep from sliding uncomfortably down a few feet. One short quiet beach, and more rocks to climb over. (Is this really the right way? The guy who gave us directions and distances was younger and fitter than either of us). At last we came upon a beach complete with palapas and plenty of gringos. Unfortunately, the high winds arrived with us. Oh well. I jumped right in and was immediately rewarded with clear vision of angelfish and all those striped fish. The water was so clear, I must confess, I was fascinated simply by the light on the ocean floor and the sight of my hands clearly focused as I pretended I was Lloyd Bridges. Those rocks we clamored over earlier became convenient lounge chairs for a simple lunch. A second dip in the water proved the winds had come up too much for our new found prowess. The sea had become so choppy that with every whitecap encountered, I got water down my snorkel and had to blow it out. I quickly gave up and by late afternoon we were hiking back to Cabo Pulmo.

Since then we have tried a spot nearer our casita. While the waters are shallower, the reef is closer and much clearer. This time Bruce got to see a giant angelfish. When he came back from his longest swim yet, he reported that it was "purely magical" swimming there under the sea (in the octopus's garden). Since then we have been content to take our mornings leisurely at the casita, spending our afternoons at the closest and clearest water near the reef. We've been seeing new fish, and now we have the added pleasure of watching other tourists find their own "techniques" for entering the water with newly rented gear.