Photo and text by Barb Roy

Our encounter lasted through two more dives at Islote Reina, near Isla (island) Cerralvo in the southern region of the Sea of Cortez.

My ride was the Solmar V, a 33.6-meter (112 foot) live-aboard dive vessel, with a skilled crew of ten. We had traveled 187 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, where we boarded the day before. Now we slowly worked south, back towards Cabo along the Baja Peninsula.

Later that afternoon we set out to find sea horses at Piedra Carpintero near Isla Cerralvo. I was pleased to also find red and orange sea fans, a field of garden eels, vertical walls of invertebrate life, and numerous crevices housing a community of green morays.

During the night the boat traveled to the pinnacles off Isla Las Animas. At first light we set off in the pangas (inflatable boats). A dozen dark-coloured magnificent frigate birds with forked tails flew high above us. Brown pelicans, clustered in small social groups, silently watched from the rocks as we prepared our gear for the dive.

Once underwater, I cruised down a valley of vibrant red and pink gorgonian sea fans, stopping at 31.5 meters (105 feet) next to a curled-up basket star. Peering deeper, I wondered if the fans grew any larger, as they do in the northwest. Heading shallower, large azure and bumphead parrot fish moved in unison with other reef dwelling fish from one section of the reef to another as if involved in a waltz. A curious California spiny lobster ducked into its den as the others played with an octopus on a rocky volcanic structure.

A large pod of dolphins held our attention for the rest of the afternoon. Over and over we piled into the pangas with cameras and snorkeling gear in hand, for a chance to swim with them. On the last jump a huge silver tip shark, probably attracted by all the splashing, became interested in us. I thought it quite humorous watching everyone scurry to exit the water, until I was the only one left... "Ok, I'm from the northwest," I admitted to everyone. "We normally swim with Six Gill Shark." I felt rather naive.

Capping off the evening with a night dive at El Bajio Cove near Isla Las Animas, I was amazed at the amount of emerging nightlife. Feathery white stinging hydroids gently swayed amongst patches of orange sponge and yellow cup corral. Worm-like synaptic cucumbers (I'm sure I saw a similar creature in a science fiction movie), panamic arrow crabs, hermit crabs and pink flower urchins were all coming to life under the cover of darkness.

Early the next morning we spent two dives playing with friendly Sea Lions at Los Islotes near Isla Espiritu Santo in water so clear it was like an aquarium. At depth, a garden of bushy yellow-polyp black coral added variety to a field of gorgonian fans. In the distance a sea turtle passed, as did a school of small Mexican barracuda.

Whale sharks in La Paz Bay occupied the rest of our day. Once again we repeated our snorkel frenzy in the pangas, quickly becoming experts at the back-roll entry. Thick plankton (what whale sharks feed on), limited our visibility, causing me to seek topside clarity from the pangas for photographs.

We began our day searching for scalloped hammerheads at El Bajo Seamount. Adrenalin was high as we swam out into 27 meters (90 feet) of water to wait. I could barely make out something coming directly towards me. Having left the group and now alone, I felt a bit vulnerable. The shape grew into the side-to-side swaying motion of a shark. Still too far to get a good photo: I watched in amazement as the sleek hammerhead circled us. Soon, it blended into a wall of other sharks. Grand I thought, simply grand.

It was hard to top the hammerheads, but we settled for exploring the 90 meter (300-foot) Salvatierra shipwreck, an old La Paz-Topolobampo ferry boat in the San Lorenzo Channel, in 18 meters (60 feet) of water. Jeweled moray eels and small invertebrates filled my macro lens while two propellers encrusted with life provided great wide-angle shots.

Cabo Plumo turned out to be the northern most area where true coral heads are found. Of the sites in the area, my favorite was El Bajo.

Patiently we sat in the pangas while our divemaster located the reefs stretching into a desert of sand below. I really felt special when a school of gold and blue striped snappers followed my every move.

In all, I went on 23 dives, including a one-day boat trip out of Cabo, during my seven-day adventure to the Sea of Cortez. Every day I woke to the soft hues of a rising sun through my porthole and everyday I enjoyed three nourishing gourmet meals. Heaven. maybe, but coming from the Pacific Northwest, I knew my coldwater amigos would have little mercy on me when I returned home, whining about not having 27 plus meters (90 feet) of visibility and having to dive in water temperatures less than 30 degrees Celsius (86degrees F.).