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Dive Review of Cortez Club/La Concha Beach Resort in
Mexico (Western)/La Paz

Cortez Club/La Concha Beach Resort, Apr, 2009,

by Lori Brown, WA, USA (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 22 reports). Report 4735.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food N/A
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments We were vacationing in Cabo San Lucas and made a two day trip to La Paz for diving. One of our colleagues rented a fourteen seat van and eleven of us hit the road for the two and half hour drive to La Paz. We arrived after ten o’clock on the day of the first dive. Cortez Club had us sign the usual disclaimers and then rushed us onto the boat. They had us set up our own equipment the first time, but after that they took care of it for us. The dive sites were about a 45 minute boat ride. The dive master, Daniel, was a friendly fellow and eager to please. The boat captain, Nelson, was a PADI Instructor. The first dive site was at a ship wreck, the Salvatierra, which sank in 1976 after hitting the Swanee Reef. Rumor was that it was sunk for the insurance money. The boat propellers were pretty cool looking and the boat was mostly intact. It was not possible to penetrate the wreck – it was reputedly not very sturdy. The second site was the Swanee “reef.” The next day we got an early start and headed out to Los Islotes. There is a colony of sea lions at near the rocky island. The main colony is cordoned off, but divers are allowed to dive in the adjacent area. Two curious pups came over to watch us as we got in the water. They followed us for quite a distance and were dive bombing the divers—one diver, we’ll call her Heather, was a particular target. A mischievous pup nipped at her hoses, tugged on her wetsuit zipper, bit madly at her fins, and practically turned somersaults on her back. After the dive, when talking to her about it, it turned out that Heather was unaware that the sea lion was even there. One of our group had video of the playful pup and Heather was amazed to see the little creature's antics, all behind her back. While this was entertaining, we later heard that a diver on another boat had been bruised by an overly enthusiastic sea lion. On both days, we saw pods of dolphins as we returned from the dive sites. The Captain maneuvered the boat in the pod so that we could enjoy watching them ride the bow. Overall Cortez Club did a wonderful job. Only one glitch -- they kept our gear overnight and said they would wash and hang it for us. One of our snorkelers couldn't find her wetsuit in the morning. Daniel checked on the boat and told us it wasn't there. We searched for half an hour and finally decided to rent a wetsuit and try to track down her wetsuit later. It turned out it was on the boat -- it had never been removed and washed. There were other issues with some people's equipment ending up in other diver's bags. They were, to say the least, a bit disorganized on that count.
After diving, we went to dinner in La Paz at one of the most delicious ever. The restaurant was called Rancho Viejo on Marquez de Leon street. They sell roast meat by the kilo and serve tortillas to make tacos. Absolutely delicious.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, Washington, Bonaire, Cozumel, Fiji, Indonesia, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy
Water Temp 65-69°F / 18-21°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 30-35 Ft/ 9-11 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals N/A Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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