Sea of Cortez August 2014 Trip Report

By Ron Watkins

photos by Ron Watkins, Dru Stranger, Shannon Scheeringa, Bill Van Antwerp and Martin Beaulieu

I just got back from the most amazing trip in the Sea of Cortez on board the Rocio Del Mar. What made leading this Bluewater workshop so special was the group of divers, the entire Rocio crew and the incredible marine life we encountered on our journey. In the coming weeks we will be sharing more images and a detailed report, but I couldn't wait to post a mini resport of the trip right now! There were 18 of us on the expedition and the group gelled like the cast of the Breakfast Club. There was never a dull moment! We were treated to first class service and flawless attention to detail by the Rocio crew, divemasters and panga captains.

We had 2 days of swimming with these gentle giants

Underwater we were approached by dozens of sea lions including pups and territorial bulls in beautiful water conditions. The Bahia de Los Angeles (Bay of Los Angeles) did not disappoint with plenty of whale sharks swimming around the clear waters of the bay. We had so much fun swimming with these majestic creatures that some of us went out for a second day of wide angle whale shark photography while the critterheads went underwater and honed their macro skills on themany unique macro subjects. Macro on this trip was incredible and we were fortunate to have guests Bill and Nannette Van Antwerp on board to spot and capture amazing images and video of numerous nudibranches, jawfishes with eggs, flashing orange throat blennies, sailfin blennies in full display and a very rare "punk" rocker blenny.

Many nudibranches allowed for great maco shots

A real crowd pleaser was the nighttime spectacle from the stern of the vessel starring several Humboldt squid as large as 6 feet long. These amazing predators attacked each other and displayed massive releases of ink. During the day we also saw over 30 sperm whales at the surface and were fortunate enough to get in the water and swim with some of them.

Humboldt Squid

In between the amazing diving and gourmet food prepared by the Rocio chefs, I conducted photo workshops on various topics like wide-angle, macro, whale shark ambient light photography and Lightroom. One-on-one photo reviews were done throughout the trip and it was really inspiring to see how well the group was shooting. By the end of the trip everyone was shooting in manual mode and getting great results.

The best group of divers I have ever had the pleasure of diving with

At the end of the trip, we put together the best underwater photos and video and some candid topside photos into one awesme slideshow that everyone had a blast watching in the entertainment lounge. I must say that this was my best liveaboard group ever and we are already talking about sailing together again soon. Join us on the next Bluewater adventure!

- Ron Watkins

Bluewater Travel can book you on any Rocio trip, for the same cost or less than booking any other way. We know the routes, cabins, and when to go better than anyone else!

Great reef diving with lots of life

Want to learn more? Check out our previous trip to the Sea of Cortez or check out our Sea of Cortez trip led by Mark Hatter.