Scuba Diving in Loreto Mexico and the sensational Sea of Cortez

Okay Maestro, let's begin. Once upon a time, philosophers pondered the question, what separates us from the animals? Clearly these shallow thinkers were not scuba divers. Had they been, they would have dove deep to find our connections. Asking, what does it mean to touch the wild animal within yourself? What's the worst that could happen? Well yeah, you might lose a couple fingers. Underwater, with your life dependent on an air hose connected to a pressurized tank, your goal is to get comfortable, feel at home, make some friends. A moray eel might not at first seem like the obvious choice for a buddy, but if you can look past the fact that it's covered in slime, the moray has a friendship potential. We met quite a few during our dives and always stopped to say hello. One of the great things about moray eels is that they're pretty much the only fish that will stick around and hang out with you. So if you're the type of person that has a hard time making friends, don't throw away your money on therapy. Spend it getting scuba certified instead. The sun rises over Isla Carmen, 10 miles off the coast of the Baja Peninsula in the city of Laredo. There is a woman responsible for my obsession of scuba diving. Her name is Kimberly, my fiancée. Also joining us in Laredo are Rodney, a scuba instructor from Portland, and Paco and Richard from our dive club back in California. My name is David and I'll be behind the camera. We are here by special invitation to experience the quality of diving Laredo has to offer and to share our findings with the scuba community. Let's go diving. A word of warning about the Sea of Cortez. There is a good chance it will spoil you. The fish clearly love it here and they are thriving in gorgeous numbers thanks to conservation efforts. There are several hundred square miles of water off the coast of Laredo that are protected as a national park with restricted commercial fishing. The success of the marine park has inspired others like it around the world. So if you're diving some other body of water and you find yourself saying, this is nice but I wish there were more fish like in Laredo. I hear you. I know exactly what you mean. This place is pretty special. When this hogfish grew bored with my clingy attention, he knew just the distraction I would fall for. Like a good dive buddy, he pointed out an octopus that I never would have spotted on my own. Fish don't usually give tours. I lucked out. My advice is to ask your dive guide to point things out to you. They often know what to find and where to look. So don't wander off and take your time and look closely. Some of the most amazing creatures are teeny tiny. Nearby Coronado Island is home to a dormant volcano and as you can clearly hear a sea lion colony. The cascading volcanic rock walls are a playground patrolled by swarms of sergeant majors. Normally it's hard to take your eyes off the festival of bright yellow flashes. But we are not alone in the water. Large adults cruise by with an authority that defines a boundary line between you and the colony. The younger sea lions on the other hand are free to frolic and do so with athletic grace and speed. The following day our dive guide gave us the choice to explore a new site or to return to Coronado Island. The call was unanimous. The sea lions stole our hearts and we wanted more time with them. The moving target of genetics makes for some funky fish. Most giant damselfish are completely blue. But this big male developed a distinguished looking white face presumably giving him an advantage in mate selection. It worked. On this rock are fertilized eggs that he guards, cleans and oxygenates by closely swimming over them. This handsome gentleman is one dedicated father. Witness another beautiful genetic anomaly. No, not me. Most leopard groupers blend in with the rocks but a very small handful are really terrible at camouflage. The golden leopard grouper isn't born this way. A rare few change color dramatically. You would think that bringing attention to yourself could have serious drawbacks but it's thought that leopard groupers hunt in packs and the flashes of gold distract the prey so the others can attack. It would work on me. I'd be a goner. I couldn't look away. What do you get when you drag two divers on a short rope behind a boat? Hopefully not shark bait. On this day we got curious dolphins. It took zero convincing for Kim and Rodney to take the boat captain's advice and get tugged around 10 feet behind the propeller. He said the dolphins would be more likely to approach for a closer look if they saw something unusual. Our antics were nothing compared to the show they put on for us. On one of our days off we were treated to an amazing trip aboard a catamaran. It is the ultimate party platform from which to explore secluded bays and beaches. We snorkeled for hours in the clear warm water chasing fish, stingrays, and that elusive shape-shifting master of disguise. Eventually the siren song of snacks and boat drinks lured even Kimberly out of the water. Our days of getting fully immersed in the Sea of Cortez had a soothing effect on our souls. We're taking home memories, but in exchange we left a piece of our hearts behind in Loreto.