LaPaz and Isla Espiritu

The island of Isla Espiritu, which is where most of the dive sites are, is about a 1 ½ - 2-hour boat ride from La Paz. We’ve done this before, just for a day, so when we found that Fun Baja had a 3-day, 2-night diving/camping trip we quickly signed up.

We travelled out on a small boat with the captain, Angel (Pronounced An-hell), and dive master, Maria.  It was a windy day, which meant a rough ride in such a small boat. But we were happy to be on our own.

Clam shell sculpture along the malecon in La Paz.

LaPaz sunset.

The ferry from Mazatlan.

Isla Espiritu landscape.

The camping was much more elaborate than what we’d imagined. Tents big enough to stand up in, a cot on each side and a small plastic “dresser” in the middle. There was a water bucket outside the door for rinsing sand off feet and a doormat. There were also toilet and shower facilities in addition to well-staffed kitchen. 

The camp was busy with all the competitors from a free-diving competition also there. It was interesting to learn about their sport. 

Our "glamping" accommodations.

We even had showers!

Heading out to dive.

The sea lions were very playful!

Without the long boat rides at either end of the day, we were able to do three dives per day as well as one night dive. We loved the sea lions, as they were very friendly and playful. Andrew got some great photos of them and I was pretty happy with the way my video turned out. 

The night dive was to see the mobulas. The dive operation hangs a big light down from the boat to attract the plankton, which in turn attracts the mobulas. It was amazing how many there were! 

While wreck dives normally aren’t our dives of preference, the Fang Ming wreck had lots of sea life around it including a resident turtle that moved only a few feet the whole time we were there. 

This video includes a variety of sea life from our other dives around Isla Espiritu. I especially love the jawfish and the bullseye electric ray. 

The pelicans have marked their territory.

We're even seeing fish in the sky. This is a trumpetfish. 

Going for a hike.

We really enjoyed the first two days with Angel and Maria. Unfortunately, on the third day we got shuffled to a slightly larger boat with four other divers (with another dive master) and then to yet another even larger boat with another 12 people for the ride back to La Paz. Luckily we didn’t lose any gear in all the shuffling of equipment between boats! 

We stayed at the Posada de las Flores in La Paz (a beautiful old hotel on the malecon) and wished we’d taken an extra day to relax and enjoy it before moving on so quickly. We have to remember to take a holiday during our holiday!

Leaving the bay where our campsite was.

Arriving back at LaPaz marina.