Delightful Departures: Loco for La Paz - "Aquarium of the World"

Once called the "Aquarium of the World" by Jacques Cousteau, the Sea of Cortes, thanks to conservation efforts, is teeming with a wide diversity of marine life. The waters surrounding La Paz are home to a variety of whales (humpback, blue, sperm, fin, and seasonal migrating gray whales), dolphins, sharks (hammerhead) and rays (giant manta and mobula), as well as a large population of sea lions. The abundance of plankton in the sea supports a large population of fish, such as sardines, anchovies, mackerel and other small fish at the surface, in addition to larger fish such as jacks, groupers and marine mammals in deeper waters. With the Sea of Cortes offering up a variety of environments from sandy beaches and rocky shores to coastal lagoons, estuaries and mangroves, the largest diversity of fish can be found in the rocky depths (100 feet or more) surrounding the islands of Baja Sur.

The relative isolation and unspoiled beauty of Baja Sur calls to divers, eco-tourists, naturalists and whale watchers from around the world. More that 850 species of marine life make their home in the temperate waters of the Sea of Cortes, making it a year-round diving utopia. In 1995, many of the islands, mountains, oceans and seabeds around La Paz were formally recognized and inducted into the Global Network of Biosphere Reserves. In addition, on July 14, 2005. this same region was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Some highlights while visiting La Paz and Baja Sur would be the migratory visitors to its waters. For instance, the largest fish in the ocean, the whale shark, comes every year from early winter until late spring and can often be found feeding in the Bay of La Paz, or near Isla Espiritu Santos or Los Islotes. Another favorite is the seasonal gray whale who comes from the brisk waters of Alaska and heads south to the warm waters of Baja each winter to mate and give birth (generally from mid-January to end of March). Large numbers of these whales generally congregate in three bays along Baja's Pacific Coast (Laguna Ojo de Liebre, Laguna San Ignacio and Bahia Magdalena).

Bahia Magdalena is the southern-most bay and is only a 3-hour drive across the peninsula from La Paz. In these bays, whales will sometimes swim near skiffs, allowing themselves to be touched by the lucky observer. Concern has grown though about the impact of boat traffic on the gray whales, so the number of boats allowed into the breeding lagoons has been restricted, and boats' proximity to a whale in the migration route has also been limited.

"There are more than 25 first-class dive spots around the many islands surrounding the bay of La Paz. Schools of hammerheads were first spotted at El Bajio, an underwater mountain rising 18 meters (60 feet) above the surface. El Bajio offers great diving year-round for experienced divers. Los Islotes is home to more than 350 very playful sea lions that love to perform for divers and snorkelers. Los Islotes is well protected from prevailing winds. A ferryboat sunk in 1976 after colliding with a nearby reef at Salvatierra. Stuck in a sandbar, the shipwreck makes a fantastic artificial reef teeming with sea life. La Reina and La Reinita islets in front of Cerralvo Island have huge concentrations of tropical fish. Whale encounters are common in the channel on a cruise from La Paz. The diving season is from June to October."