Exploring Baja in the Pandemic: Pacific Ocean
Trips like this are the kind of trips that I get excited about. There is no fixed schedule, but a trip that is more in the spirit of discovering new areas, listening to, and following what nature is giving you. Unexpected events like finding the Independence make the trip even more special and memorable.
Exploring Baja in the Pandemic: Sea of Cortez
With Mexican protected areas remaining closed due to the pandemic, my two recent exploratory trips covered their exterior boundaries instead. Being on the Sea of Cortez brought back a lot of nostalgia from the time when I first came here. It was almost 20 years ago now I was here with an excellent skipper and local named Javier or “Machaca.”
Rainbow Hawk, One of the Last True Hippies
It was in 2001 when I arrived in La Paz after I had been hitchhiking up the Pacific coast of Mexico. I only had my backpack, some dive gear, and a camera. Money was non-existent, so I was looking for a new place to work and live.
By the malecón, in one of the side streets where there were only foot traffic, some cafes and a few restaurants, a man wearing a straw hat and sporting a long white beard was observing me with very piercing eyes. I sat down with him after he proffered a greeting. It was Rainbow Hawk, with his dogs, Ricky and Bruja.
Till We Meet Again, Timo. Wep!
I met Tim Means for the first time in 2001, when he was driving in to Marina La Paz in his dilapidated blue-and-white truck that had a bumper sticker Bush is a moron on the back. I uttered a polite greeting, but I don’t recall him answering back. My first impression of Tim, or Timo as he was fondly called, was that he did not give a rat’s ass about me. Maybe it was true in the beginning.
I was broke when I came to La Paz, in the same year I met Timo. Wanting to recover a bit of my economy, I worked as much as I could in whatever job I could find. (I even did a stint of modeling, but that’s another story.)
Baja Exploratory Trip: Diving Both the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez
My friend Gabe and I have been talking about doing a Baja exploratory trip for some time, and we finally make it happen on Nautilus Undersea. This is the first time in Nautilus Explorer’s (now Nautilus Liveaboards) history that we sail up north from Cabo San Lucas to explore the Pacific coast of Baja.
My First Malpelo Half Charter
It hasn’t been all fun and games. I have seen a lot of things that have turned my chest hair gray. After 25 years of being a dive guide, last month was my first time to bring my own small group to Malpelo on a half charter.
Malpelo Dive Log: April 18-28, 2019
Last month I brought my first group to Malpelo on a half-boat charter onboard Ferox. I wanted to have like-minded, solid divers with no ego so that I could focus on my work as a guide and do what I am good at.
I had the best divers! We all had the right attitude and we ended up having the best trip!
Please continue reading for the Malpelo dive log of my trip.
The Great Wall Between Two Countries (Part One)
MAKING A SLIGHT DETOUR
“Let’s go to a country you haven’t been to!” My wife says.
“Let’s go to a country where I won’t meet any divers!” I said.
Mongolia: 3 million inhabitants and lots of open space! Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan), the great conqueror of the world, was born here.
But first, Beijing.
The Great Wall Between Two Countries (Part Two)
REACHING OUR DESTINATION
We arrive in the middle of the night in Ulaanbaatar, where more than half of the population of Mongolia live. It’s a very modern city and the most polluted capital in the world according to studies. Using coal for energy and heating in a valley on a high plateau might have helped them get to the top of the list. It’s not a pretty place.
The Great Whites of Guadalupe, Mexico
It was the year 2007 when Mike Lever, the owner of Nautilus Explorer made the first shark cage to be tested. I was the one tasked to be the first one to try it out.
They said it was designed by a naval architect. Perfect!
I took a look at it and said, “Wait…” Then I went and picked up my BCD and regulator. I didn’t trust the damn thing.