Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Valentina Liveaboard in
Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez

Valentina Liveaboard: "Fantastic trip with playful sea lions and ...", Oct, 2022,

by Jorge J. More, IL, US (Contributor Contributor 15 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 12111.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments The Valentina liveaboard had a great crew that provided a fantastic diving adventure. I will provide the highlights below. If you want to get a better appreciation for this trip, go to the iCloud Photos link
[share.icloud.com link]

Diving highlights included playful sea lions, huge schools of fish, dolphins playing with sea lions, and mobula rays on a night dive. Diving with sea lions never gets boring. Lots of interactions including biting you flippers. See one of the videos in the above link.

There were 5 divers because a group of 7 divers had to cancel due to covid. A great group that included two technical divers.

The weather was perfect. Sunny but cool in the shade.

The water temp was a pleasant 82F - 84F. Dove with a 3mm and a dive cap (useful when waiting to be picked up).

The food was the best that I have had on my previous 21 liveaboards. Beautifully presented and very tasty.

I flew direct to Cabo San Luca and then took the shuttle to La Paz. The trip to La Paz worked well but takes about 3 hours.

The "shuttle" for going back from La Paz turned out to be the bus from La Paz to Cabo. The bus was good but the trip was 4.5 hours. Avoid if at all possible. SJD taxi ([sjdtaxi.com link]) arranged this trip. Avoid them for the La Paz to Cabo airport (SJD) portion.

The Valentina offers private transfer for $85/person (minimum of 2). I should have accepted their offer. My mistake.

Covid issues. The Valentina requires proof of a supervised negative antigen test a few days before departure. You should plan for this. The crew takes PCR tests before each trip.
Websites Valentina Liveaboard   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Truk (Chuuk), Philippines, Palau, Yap, Sea of Cortez, Socorro, Galapagos, Cocos, Fiji, Maldives, Cayman Islands, Turk and Caicos, Bahamas, Thailand, Red Sea, Coral Sea, Cozumel, Bermudas, Belize
Closest Airport La Paz Getting There I flew to Cabo (SJD) airport and then took a shuttle to La Paz. See the report for details

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility - Ft/ - M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions 50 - 60 minutes
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals N/A Tropical Fish N/A
Small Critters N/A 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]
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 448 dive reviews of Mexico (Western) and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest
is an agency for travelers that like to scuba dive. Let us plan your trip to view great white sharks & giant mantas in Western Mexico.

Want to assemble your own collection of Mexico (Western) reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.11 seconds