Our first liveaboard adventure! We flew from Portland to Phoenix and then were shuttled 4 hours to Puerto Penasco, on the northern tip of the Gulf of California (aka Sea of Cortez). In short order, we boarded the Rocio del Mar for a trip south to the Midriff Islands. It was a rough boat ride that first night, Shelli and were both seriously green around the gills. Fortunately, we survived the night at sea and awoke as we were pulling up to the first of many stops. Once in the water, our stomachs told us all was forgiven. We spent the next 5 days motoring to many amazing dive sites. When we arrived at Isla San Pedro de Martir (aka Bird Shit Island) on Day 3, we we were greeted by California sea lions on every dive. (They are easily differentiated from their cousins, Steller sea lions, by their constant use of the words “dude”, “bitchin'” and “gnarly.”) The sea lions were so curious and playful that all the divers on board voted unanimously to stay for an extra day of diving in that area, instead of rolling the dice to possibly encounter some whales. Our final day before returning to port was spent snorkeling with juvenile whale sharks in the Bajia de Los Angeles. Special thanks to our friend, Ron Peters, for organizing this great trip. We made a ton of new dive friends, most of whom would even remember us in the years to come. 😉
The Rocio del Mar was a great experience in itself and the crew was excellent.
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