Rioco Del Mar – Liveaboard Review

I’m no longer a 50 year old liveaboard virgin. I lost my liveaboard virginity during an underwater photography workshop organized by Blue Water on the Sea of Cortez aboard the Rioco del Mar in August 2014. It was a fantastic experience. Being my first time, I admit that I do not have a reference point to compare it to other liveaboard adventures. However, I do have my share of resort diving experiences and can fully appreciate the Rioco del Mar.

A'hoy matey! I was totally exhausted boarding the boat after a 17 hour journey from home to boat's deck (I should have arrived in Phoenix the day before the boat departed but did not think of that due to my lack of experience). Arrangements had been made to transport myself and the other liveaboard guests to the vessel. After a five hour shuttle bus trip from the Phoenix Airport to Puerto Peñasco in Mexico, our luggage was quickly taken off the shuttle bus and loaded on the boat. There was plenty of staff to help us and to avoid the commotion of a party boat in a nearby dock.

Before the designated dinner time (keep on reading to find out what happened there), we had time to unpack and set up our diving gear in the diving station. I shared my cabin with Eddy. It was large enough for bunk beds arranged in an L shape. The storage area was well thought out and accommodated all of our luggage. The boat also had larger cabins with double beds. All of the cabins were comfortable with good beds and they were kept cool with air conditioning. Our small cabin bathroom contained the basics - a standard toilet, one small sink, a few shelves and a shower. Body gel and shampoo were also available (a good thing since I forgot to add these to my checklist).

I missed dinner and the debriefing about the boat from being exhausted and from having a hard time finding my sea legs. Fortunately after a good night's sleep, I was back in shape. Being an early bird (and a very hungry bird for a good reason) I stepped out of my cabin and went straight to the eating area for a cold self-serve breakfast which started at 6 am every morning. Coffee was ready, juice, fruit plates and cereals were already set on the tables.

Julio greeted me (later I found out that he was the captain of my panda boat). He teased me a bit about losing of my "Hulk" green skin that I sported the previous night. Teasing was a good way for breaking the ice. Even if he was a panda captain, he helped with the various duties. All crew members helped out with service and made sure that we were not missing anything.

I was debriefed by other divers in my group, Team B (B for “Best” ). The other group was dubbed Team A (A for “Awesome”). The bell rang at 7 am for group A. It would be the signal for the team to gather on the deck for a debriefing and to get ready for the first dive. Team B's call was later at 7h15 am.

Gil (short for Gilberto) gave the debriefing. Later, I gave him the nickname of “El artista”. His drawings of the diving sites on the white board were quite impressive. I raise my hat to him and to the other diver master (Roberto aka “Chilango”) for the leading groups of underwater photographers. It was certainly a challenge to keep us on schedule (one hour max per dive) when everyone became so captivated with the subjects at the other end of their lens. Apart from a couple of little incidents (where I got separated from my group chasing a hammer shark into the blue beyond and another time losing Gil during his swim with a whale shark), nothing major happened because we were a group of experienced divers who knew how to handle different situations.

It was a nice feeling coming back from the first dive to see my bed nicely made up ( which hasn't happened since my mom did it for me as a youngster ). The bathroom was cleaned too! The crew remaining on the boat certainly did not waste any time while we were diving. I also noticed something else -the crew took turns doing the chores. A few times I saw our dive master cleaning up the common washroom near the camera/diving station. The crew was also part of the night watch rotation. I later learned the importance of these vigils. At sea, the weather could change suddenly and you always need to be prepared.

Now back to the daily routine which began in the morning with a hot breakfast (usually bacon, eggs/omelette, freshly made waffles, or oatmeal) that was served after the first dive. It was basic comfort food that provided you with enough energy to get you through the second dive which occurred around 10h30-11h00 am. There was also enough time between the first two dives for camera maintenance or simply for mingling and chilling.

On the subject of cameras, the set up of the camera station was just right with enough power bars and storage shelves above and underneath the work stations. However, the working surface was just a bit too tight for 19 photographers. It took a few days before each person to find his/her limited one and a half to two square feet of space.

On the first full day, I explored the boat to get a better understanding of its' layout and that was when I found my favorite spot - the upper deck. It was large enough to have several lounge chairs, a large canopy for shade and an outdoor kitchen (we had two nice dinners up there). I just loved the fresh ocean breeze and the views of the surrounding islands. It was also a good spot to watch the sunrise and/or sunset. I even slept there one night to watch the stars. I found the best time for star gazing was around 3h30 am when the bright full moon started to set. August is a good month to see shooting stars. I made enough wishes for my family and for myself until I reach my next milestone birthday.

However I digress - let's get back to the daily routine. Lunch was ready around 1h30 pm just after the second dive. This left enough time to get ready for the third dive which was around 3h30-4 pm. Just like for breakfast, there were several crew members available to serve the beverages, soup, main course and dessert.

We quickly found out that we had a real Chef on board - Joshua. Our nightly meal was Mexican cuisine. The meal and dessert presentations were superb and original (many photos were taken at meal times). I’m usually a fast eater, but for some reason I enjoyed taking my time and savouring the visual presentation. Meals looked more like dishes served in an upscale Mexican restaurant. Each meal was a treat. One lady was a vegetarian and her dishes look so good, that I decided to try it for my next liveaboard adventure.

After the third dive, a snack was served in the large TV/computer room on the second deck. It was a cool and large hangout designed to accommodate 12-14 people. During the week, we had a few workshop sessions and presentations of videos/slide shows. We had no internet access and frankly, I did not miss it. It was actually a nice feeling when you engage in a conversation with the person next to you instead of texting someone kilometres away. Just outside the TV room, there were an outdoor living room with 3 couches and a large coffee table. I preferred the upper deck for reasons already mentioned.

The setup of the dive stations on the main deck and the rinsing barrels and freshwater showers on the panda boat boarding platform were pretty good. There were about eight steps to go down to the platform. The crew was very helpful for those having back problems and requiring assistance to bring their BCD/tank onto the panda. The crew was also very helpful getting divers on and off the panda and handled the cameras with care. Another small detail (attention to details often make the difference between okay service and the feeling of being pampered) was that we had a fresh towels in our diving station every other day.

What about the diving? There was a good mix of dive sites for macro and wide angle photography. The dive masters were great at spotting all sorts of small critters (nudibranchs, jawfish, blennies) and larger subjects like scorpion fish or octopus hidden in crevices. They also had a few safety tips on how to be careful around over protective sea lion bulls. Since I’m a newbie at photography, I only had a wide angle lens for shooting big marine life, the underwater landscape and fellow divers. However, I enjoyed the macro and night dives as well. It was a treat to observe some pro/semi-pro photographers in action.

We had half a day of great snorkeling with whale sharks in the park "Reserva de la Biosfera Bahía de los Ángeles", in Mexico's Baja California area. There were several occasions to take pictures of the whale sharks. Fortunately, the park was not overcrowded as our group was the only liveaboard vessel in the reserve. It was great to see our dive master swimming and spotting whale sharks. The first day, he probably spent close to four hours in the water. The captain “Manta” Rey Castillo showed flexibility in adapting the plans for the next day. One group wanted to go back snorkelling with the whale sharks and the other group preferred to go diving again.

Staff and crew members of the Rioco del Mar were all welcoming, friendly and attentive to our needs. They always made sure that you didn’t lack a thing. From the person bringing you food and drinks to the table, to the dive master and panda boat captain - each played an important role. The crew members work as a team. It seemed like a very efficient well oiled machine. A well deserved (10-15%) tip was split with everyone.

Some of the crew participated in the building of the boat which started in June 2006 and ended in November 2008. Afterwards, they were later offered jobs as crew members.

The founders of the Rioco del Mar, Dora Sandoval (the lady greeting us at our arrival and saying goodbye when we returned to Puerto Peñasco) and her husband Francisco are divers themselves. They built a boat adapted for divers’ needs (not a fishing ship modified for diving). Their mission statement is to create an environment where our guests can be worry-free. “Well done, mission accomplished!” I encourage you to visit their web site http://www.rociodelmarliveaboard.com/ to read more about the Rioco del Mar and the Captain's past trip reports.

Martin S Beaulieu aka MartyBoV,
Blog: http://scubavista.blogspot.com/