TRAVELSPECIAL
A bull shark emerges from a school of grunts at Cabo Pulmo
fast circling ; mock aggression ; shameless posing and a neat little routine in which they investigate a diver ’ s closed fist with their snouts .
In La Paz , the big bulls can be aggressively protective of both their harems and their young . The Cortez Club guides tread a careful line between allowing guests to enjoy the encounters , while assiduously keeping them away from the bulls . I desperately wanted to investigate a little cavern where the pups are known to play , but the entrance was always barred by the commanding figure of a bull .
We generally did two dives a day , though ‘ three tank ’ days are possible ; the team maintains a strict maximum of one hour per dive . Lunch is included – a range of delicious sandwiches , ceviche and salads made at the owner ’ s upmarket restaurant , next to the Cortez Club . Mostly , we ate our lunch as the panga sped back to shore , but on the last day I joined a snorkelling group and we stopped off at a beautiful wild beach .
On a practical note , many of the dives are a fair distance from shore – Los Islotes is about 90 minutes , and you will feel the cold after diving . I brought a Fourth Element storm poncho , which kept me enchiladawarm on the windy days . The boat crew were mightily impressed with my garment – you know you ’ ve made an impact when you ’ ve got Mexicans admiring your poncho !
A grouper approaches a cleaning station
Cabo Pulmo – the comeback story
In contrast to the metropolitan chic of La Paz , Cabo Pulmo is a rural fishing village ... or at least it was . It had been the region ’ s centre for commercial and sport fishing , but so many fish were taken that the ecosystem all but collapsed during the 1980s .
A gulley stacked with sea fans Pana porkfish
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