Sea of Cortez / Puerto Vallarta

[back to the islands]

I have some questions about this itinerary's excursions. I love to snorkel, but have heard the Pacific side isn't the best snorkeling. I also loved my whale watching tour in PV 2 years ago with Ocean Friendly. I love nature which is why I chose this cruise. I know I want to do whale watching in Cabo and possibly snorkeling at Santa Maria Cove  or Chileno Bay. I like to see lots of fish and coral is nice. In La Paz I thought I'd snorkel with sea lions, although swimming with whale sharks is also enticing. In Loreto I am torn between the magdalena bay whale watch and coronados island sail and snorkel. In PV I'm leaning toward Las Caletas or the Yelapa tour, but surely loved my whale watching before. Has anyone been on any of these tours or can tell me if the snorkeling is really not worth it? I thought the Sea of Cortez was the world's aquarium. We will be there in the first week of March. Is that too late for the whales? Finally, how cold is the water and do the tours provide wetsuits? I know ... lots of questions, but I'm having a hard time finding answers.Thank you!

[CruiserBruce]

I would think the Great Barrier Reef would be the world's aquarium...at least from my experience. 

 

"Worth it" is a totally personal judgment. We have snorkeled many places in the Mexican Rivera, (although, notably, not Loreto)and don't any more because the poorer visibility makes it not "worth it". That doesn't mean some of the specialty things like the whale sharks aren't special and interesting. But overall, compared to snorkeling in many places in the world, the Mexican Rivera is just not all that fantastic. Our most recent visit to Cabo was in March, and the water was pretty cool.

 

There will be whales around in March. 

[SelectSys]

7 hours ago, back to the islands said:

I thought the Sea of Cortez was the world's aquarium

That's the name given to it by Jacque Cousteau.  

 

7 hours ago, back to the islands said:

I love to snorkel, but have heard the Pacific side isn't the best snorkeling

I think I might do snorkeling at Loreto if there is a tour available to the National Marine Park which I would think it would be a given.  My other option for cruises would be Isla Espiritu Santo near La Paz.  The main tourist areas of Cabo are not really good snorkel spots unless you can go to Cabo Pulmo which is probably too far for a cruise ship tour.

 

7 hours ago, back to the islands said:

We will be there in the first week of March

Congratulations as you are going there near the end of winter! The water would be cold for me depending on the air temperature.  Maybe mid 60's.

 

6 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I would think the Great Barrier Reef would be the world's aquarium...at least from my experience. 

Perhaps a bit of hyperbole from the famed - at least when I was growing up - TV explorer and documentarian.  Still, the Sea of Cortez is pretty high up on the list of biodiversity.

 

https://www.miexperts.com/sea-of-cortez/

 "is home to 39% of the known marine mammals in the world, a third of cetaceans, five of the seven existing sea turtles and more than 700 species of fish. "

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by SelectSys

[back to the islands]

38 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

Congratulations as you are going there near the end of winter! The water would be cold for me depending on the air temperature.  Maybe mid 60's.

 

Do the snorkel trips usually provide wetsuits?

Thanks!

[SelectSys]

15 hours ago, back to the islands said:

Do the snorkel trips usually provide wetsuits?

Thanks!

Highly doubtful.  I would search online to find an operator that can meet this request.

[jas283a]

22 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I would think the Great Barrier Reef would be the world's aquarium...at least from my experience. 

 

"Worth it" is a totally personal judgment. We have snorkeled many places in the Mexican Rivera, (although, notably, not Loreto)and don't any more because the poorer visibility makes it not "worth it". That doesn't mean some of the specialty things like the whale sharks aren't special and interesting. But overall, compared to snorkeling in many places in the world, the Mexican Rivera is just not all that fantastic. Our most recent visit to Cabo was in March, and the water was pretty cool.

 

There will be whales around in March. 

It’s not as clear as other areas we’ve been for snorkeling, but it sounds like others know some good spots. On the whale watching, we went mid- to late-March a few years ago, and we were able to see whales just fine. We went out of Cabo

[back to the islands]

1 hour ago, SelectSys said:

Highly doubtful.  I would search online to find an operator that can meet this request.

I may have to buy one before the trip. I like my water mid 80s to swim! 

[SelectSys]

2 hours ago, back to the islands said:

I may have to buy one before the trip. I like my water mid 80s to swim! 

If you have the room to put it in your baggage, you can easily buy wetsuits for under $100 online