Want to go to the Galapagos to see the amazing life there but can’t afford the hefty price tag just yet? Try the Sea of Cortez instead aboard the Rocio del Mar liveaboard.
If you have any questions about this liveaboard that we don’t address here, let us know.
Contact us and we’ll be happy to answer you!
Our friends on the Georgia Aquarium dive team, Amy & Greg, had done both a Galapagos and a Sea of Cortez liveaboard. They enjoyed both immensely.
After learning of our interest in the Galapagos, and also of our very limited budget, Amy noted that much of the life in the Galapagos exists right off the coast of Mexico in the Sea of Cortez.
So, that’s what we decided to do. We booked our Sea of Cortez liveaboard for August 2016.
Mexico is one of the leading countries for marine conservation. In July 2016, the Socorro Islands (locally known as the Revillagigedos Archipelago and located at the tip of Baja Peninsula) were granted UNESCO World Heritage Status.
It is one of the best places in the world to encounter big animals. Since that time, the Sea Of Cortez has become one of the holy grail diving sites in the world for scuba divers.
Price: Sea of Cortez vs. Galapagos
We decided to sail with the Rocio del Mar liveaboard. Katie Yonker and the excellent staff of Bluewater Travel, a full service dive travel agency that Michael used when he visited Raja Ampat, organized our trip.
When we priced out the Galapagos liveaboard, it was going to run us about $4000-$5000 per person, and that didn’t include the cost to get there.
The Sea of Cortez trip came in substantially cheaper at $2650 per person.
Getting to the Rocio Del Mar liveaboard
Michael and I flew to Phoenix, Arizona using a Delta Airlines companion pass Michael had. The cost for that flight was around $450 for both of us.
Basically, it was far less than half the price of the alternative!
In Phoenix, we met fellow divers who had been arriving throughout the day. We would all travel in a chartered van to Puerto Peñasco, where the Rocío del Mar is docked.
The journey across the US-Mexico Border took about 4 hours through the arid desert.
The drive is actually quite nice. We passed through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The views were beautiful. Too bad we didn’t have time to stop and visit.
At the border, we crossed into the Mexican town of Sonoyta. It was easier than most of us expected – we didn’t even stop or show paperwork to the Mexican Immigration officials who just sat sleepily in their booths.
I guess it was siesta time! When we arrived in the coastal town of Puerto Peñasco, we went directly to the port to board the boat.
The Rocio del Mar vessel
There was no diving on the first day, so we spent our first night to getting to know fellow divers and crew on board. This was also a great time to set up our diving equipment and camera gear in the “wet area” of the boat.
We received a briefing from the dive crew on all we would be doing over the next seven days. They assigned our staterooms and then we walked around the vessel to become comfortable with our new home.
The Rocío del Mar liveaboard is nicely equipped with comfortable staterooms (with our own bathrooms).
Downstairs, the dining room was large enough for 20 people to eat comfortably. The middle deck included an outdoor lounge area and an interior workshop room.
At the top, a sundeck for those who wanted to work on their tans between dives.
Further reading: How to pack for a liveaboard and save space and money!
Photography workshop on the Rocio del Mar
One of the best parts of this trip was the daily underwater photography workshops conducted by Bluewater Travel’s, Mike Bartick.
Mike is an excellent photographer from Saltwater Photo, who works with Bluewater on some of the liveaboards they arrange.
You can check out some of his underwater photography simply by Googling his name. Mike was fantastic and demonstrated unmatched patience with us as he shared his skills.
If this is the quality of the photo workshops Bluewater arranges, then we’ll definitely book this type of trip again.
Michael notes that he learned a couple small things from Mike that he didn’t know before. They’ve really made a difference in his photography – a big difference.
Even though he is pretty good with his camera underwater, those couple of things, for him, made the cost of the trip entirely worth it!
What will you see in the Sea of Cortez?
There is a ton of marine life here. And some of it actually weighs several tons! Here’s what you are likely to see in the Sea of Cortez aboard the Rocio del Mar liveaboard.
Fish and krill
Obviously we saw a lot of fish in many shapes and sizes, including some bait balls. I was particularly fascinated with the jawfish.
This one exhibited the very unique behavior of poking its head out of its nesting hole.
It had a mouthful of eggs – definitely a fun thing to watch!
Nudibranchs
While every dive was memorable for the encounters with big animals, small animals, and anything in between, the Rocio Del Mar liveaboard was where I caught “nudibranch fever.”
Nudibranchs are invertebrate sea slugs, and are usually very colorful small creatures. Some are so small that you need to shoot them in macro, while others can be a few inches long.
It’s addicting to hunt for them, but once you spot one or two, you start seeing them everywhere.
It took us a few dives to spot the first one. After that, they seemed to pop up all the time!
Sea Lions
Sea lion colonies are everywhere on the coastline of the Sea of Cortez. As soon as we got in the water, many of the females would sort of “dive bomb” us.
You would be looking at something interesting, and then you would look up and see one of these beautiful creatures staring at you. Like humans though, the men get jealous!
Males are substantially larger than females and have big humps on their foreheads.
The patrol the perimeter, mostly at the surface, barking loudly to warn us that we were infringing on their territory.
Whale Sharks in the Sea of Cortez
Feeding in the Bahia de Los Angeles (Bay of Angels) was the biggest fish of all – the whale shark. The whale shark is a vulnerable species protected by the federal government.
No diving with whale sharks here then. Only snorkeling was permitted with these gentle giants.
We saw dozens of whale sharks in the bay – even getting a few pictures like this one!
Note: You should wear sunscreen during your entire trip, but especially for the day you go out to see whale sharks!
Sperm whale sightings in the Sea of Cortez
This one actually took us quite by surprise! One morning, we passed by a colony of dolphins and we split our group into two boats to go off and get closer to the pod.
Through luck only, Michael and I were in the right boat the right time.
While the other boat kept following the dolphins, just a hundred meters away, a sperm whale surfaced! After about 15 minutes of inching closer, we slipped quietly into the water to swim close to her before she finally dove back into the abyss.
For me, this is the moment I will always remember from our trip!
Daily routine on the Rocio Del Mar
The crew of the Rocio del Mar liveaboard definitely spoiled us. We developed a routine of waking up in the morning, having a quick self-service breakfast and coffee before our morning dive at 7.
After the morning dive, we had “relaxation time” before lunch, and then another afternoon dive.
Maybe a nap or two before the early evening dive, and dinner.
We also did two night dives during our trip.
Basically, this was our day:
- Eat
- Dive
- Snack
- Dive
- Lunch
- Dive
- Photo workshop
- Dinner
- Dive (when there was a night dive)
- Drink
And repeat.
Aside from the diving, we had a few other excursions that allowed us to explore the area, including a visit to a sea lion colony during sunset.
There might have even been some wine involved!
Vegetarian Food on the Rocio del Mar
Because Michael is a vegetarian, we’re always keen to see how liveaboards respond to it. They usually handle it well. But it surprised us how attentive the young chef was to making sure our food was perfect!
Not once did he phone it in.
Michael’s meals were as exceptional and as well prepared as everyone else’s, with plenty of variety!
(Note from Michael: Want a chef who cares about everyone? This guy was just so good! I hope they keep him forever!)
Our last dinner was a sunset meal on the top deck. While the weather was good the whole time, it was usually quite breezy at night, so we lucked out on the last night and could do this.
It was the perfect ending to our voyage on the Sea of Cortez.
We recommend the Rocio Del Mar Liveaboard
While I expect the Galapagos is quite different, I highly recommend the Rocío del Mar liveaboard as an alternative.
The crew is exceptional and no detail is overlooked. If I could say just one thing – and it was minor – I really think the boat could use an update.
Still, I would do the Rocio Del Mar Liveaboard again in a second.
In any case, I can’t wait to do another liveaboard here soon.
Thanks again to Katie Yonker of Bluewater Travel, to Mike Bartick (photography teacher extraordinaire), and to the entire staff and crew of the Rocío del Mar for a wonderful trip!
You can check out some of Bluewater’s upcoming trips here. The Rocío del Mar’s schedule is here.
Sea of Cortez photos
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Halef moved from Indonesia to the US nearly two decades ago to go to college here. He hasn’t looked back. He’s been to over forty countries and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He’s a Landscape Architect in Atlanta, GA.
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