Basking in Baja
Split by the Sierra Madre Mountain range, the Baja peninsula is slashed by canyons and covered by cactus-strewn desert and seemingly merciless terrain. An indelible impression has been left by the rugged, eroded landscapes where millions of years of the earth’s evolution still seem to be taking shape. This 800-mile swath of desert, beaches, and plateaus sports 120 species of cacti, often standing as lone sentinels symbolizing the peninsula. Baja is set for the future as the land of nature tourism, its endless bays a prime target for sports fishermen, divers, kayakers and whalewatchers, while its remote interior offers plenty of horseback riding, hiking, and camping opportunities.
Every mile south from Tijuana into Baja Sur, the sea becomes more tropical, the tourism industry more developed, and the opportunities to swim among whale sharks, hammerheads, sea lions, and manta rays more plentiful. The area from Loreto to La Paz and South to the tip of Baja at Cabo San Lucas is home to countless species of marine plants and animals, dubbed by Jacques Cousteau as “the aquarium of the world.” Dotted with underwater mountains and canyons, the Sea of Cortez circulates nutrient-rich water contributing to the diversity of tropical and pelagic fish and whales found in these waters.
In addition to the annual gray whale migration, the Sea hosts resident pods of sperm whales, orcas, humpback whales and blue and fin whales. Thousands of desert and sea birds, sea lion colonies, and transient gigantic pods of dolphins lure eco-tourists and watersports fans to the peninsula and La Paz in particular, for the opportunity to interact with these creatures.
January-April finds whalewatchers, birders, kayakers, and hikers exploring the coastlines and desert islands in the Sea of Cortez. See the clumsy pelican diving for fish, watch for migrating hummingbirds and glide alongside jumping dolphins. Daily whalewatching excursions in both the Sea of Cortez and on the Pacific Coast of Baja find excited participants interacting with sperm, blue, fin, gray, and humpback whales. Small boats called pangas take eager whalewatchers right up to these gentle giants.
June-November features watersports, as the water temperature increases from the low 60’sF to 82F degrees or higher. Divers and snorkelers converge to swim with giant pacific mantas, massive whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, and sea lions. There are more than 25 first-class dive sites around the many islands surrounding the Bay of La Paz.
Los Islotes is home to hundreds of sea lions that love to swim with snorkelers and divers. This rock outcropping off Isla Partida is capped with a coating of white guano from nesting sea birds. Pelicans, frigates, boobie birds, herons, and gulls nest here and share the rocky cliffs and crevices with the sea lion colony. Lounging on the rocks near the sea are countless sea lions of all ages basking in the warm sun. Underwater, large bulls will protect their harems and pups by swimming right at divers and snorkelers, blowing bubbles and barking loudly. An arched tunnel almost splits one end of Los Islotes and is full of thick schooling baitfish and silversides moving in dark clouds back and forth into the arch. Snorkeling with playful sea lions is a highlight to every winter whalewatch trip and scuba divers swim loops and spin in circles trying to keep up with the growing pups. They swim directly at your face mask, veering away just inches from your nose. Then they swim in and stop and look you right in the eye as if to say “did you come to play with me?”
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