The World ’s
Aquarium
MEXICO
Sea lions, whale sharks, many whale species, rays, dolphins,
nudibranchs and all manner of fish and bird life are found
in one of the most diverse seas on the planet
By ALEX TATTERSALL
01
I LOVE LATIN AMERICA. I spent a colourful gap-year
backpacking around Central and South America and,
whilst I learnt to dive in Caribbean Venezuela, at the
time I was too empty of pocket to take advantage
of the spectacular diving in the region. Thus it was
wonderful to recently be able to visit La Paz on the
Baja California Peninsula and delight in the treasures
of the Sea of Cortez, affectionately known –
according to a quote from the great Jacques Couteau
– as the “World’s Aquarium”.
At close to five million years old, the Sea of
Cortez is considered the youngest of the seas. It
is a long, narrow stretch of water sheltered from
the mighty Pacific by the Baja California Peninsula
and thus serves as a refuge for many large pelagic
species – humpbacks, manta rays, whale sharks, orca
and leatherback turtles – whilst also boasting an
exceptional number of fish and invertebrate species.
Moreover, the site contains more than a third of the
world’s total species of marine mammals and marine
cetaceans and a significant area is a UNESCO World
Heritage Marine Site. Topside, the desert mountains
dropping into turquoise seas remind me of the
Egyptian Red Sea.
However, once underwater the topographical
features, reef structures, coral species and marine
SDOP
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life vary radically from Egypt, partly because the Sea
of Cortez experiences substantial water movement
resulting in a much greater temperature variance:
between 15°C and 30°C from winter to summer. The
richness of marine diversity is a direct result of this
significant water movement, which washes up high
levels of plankton for nourishment and support of
the food chain. Water temperature and clarity are
two very important considerations when selecting
the optimum time to dive in the Sea of Cortez, and
researching the time to visit will also afford the best
possible encounters and interactions with your
desired species.
Diving when shore-based is on small day boats as
many of the best sites are less than an hour away.
There are a few liveaboards but I prefer to support
the local economy, and with the choice of colourful
eateries and tequila bars in the town, we were not
disappointed, if a little light-headed, with being landbased. Incidentally, La Paz holds the world record
for the world’s longest burrito, which weighed
5.8 tons and measured 2.7 kilometres. That shows
how cool this little town is.
SEA OF GIANTS
Having dived several times with our wonderful
UK grey seal colonies in the Farnes and Lundy
Island, I was very keen to see one of the area’s
main attractions, the resident colony of 250-plus
Californian sea lions. The dive centre happily granted
my wish and we embarked up the coast to the small
outlying island of Los Isolotes.
Within five minutes the captain
nonchalantly pointed out a
01 The rocky terrain is
littered with sea stars
whale shark and would have
continued had we not frantically 02 The clear blue skies
and rich blue waters
shouted “stop, stop!”
contrast wonderfully
It was November, towards
with the stunning red
the end of the five-month
coral life at Los Isolotes
Island sea lion colony
long whale shark season, and