Sea of Cortez: Swim with the sea lions
Kayakers paddle past a dive boat at guano-covered Los Islotes rocks in the Sea of Cortez near La Paz, the safe, happy capital of southern Baja California. Credit: MCT
In the turquoise water of Mexico's Sea of Cortez, the sleek and tawny sea lion zoomed past us as if it were a Jacques Cousteau diver clinging to one of those handheld aqua scooters.
When it saw our group of snorkelers, it stopped like it had broadsided a blue whale.
"Oh -- you aren't sea lions, are you?" it seemed to be thinking, as it flipped and floated upside down just inches away, curiously studying us with soulful, basset-hound eyes. We could see every twitch of its whiskers.
In wetsuits and snorkel masks, we were surrounded by juvenile California sea lions, about a year old. Juvenile in age and behavior -- zipping up, down and around us, and at times hanging on our dive boat's mooring line. These guys just wanted to play.
"They're cute, in a disconcerting way!" a fellow snorkeler exclaimed as we clambered back aboard the boat.
We were moored at Los Islotes, a group of rocky islets about a 75-minute boat ride from La Paz, the capital of southern Baja California. Weirdly sculpted by wind and tide, with whorls of rock and spires, these are sea stacks like Antonio Gaudí might design.
A snow-white coating of guano is evidence that frigate birds, boobies and other winged wonders take refuge here along with a colony of up to 400 sea lions -- whose barking, incidentally, sounds a lot like that of basset hounds.
A juvenile sea lion frolics on his back off Los Islotes, a popular dive site in the Sea of Cortez near La Paz, Mexico. Credit: Brian J. Cantwell/Seattle Times/MCT
It's a popular day-trip tourist outing to "swim with the sea lions." Once our masks dipped beneath the surface, we saw why fish-eaters like this place. We were in the middle of thousands of shimmering, light-blue anchovies, fish 3 to 4 inches long, schooling in water-ballet unison.
For safety, we were told to stay well off the rocks and let the young sea lions come to us, keeping our distance from the big bulls jealously guarding their harems on shore. When one of the 800-pound adult females swam by 15 feet from me underwater, barreling like a dark torpedo, it was, yes, disconcerting -- without so much cuteness.
However, only the youngsters seemed interested in us.
"They may come at you, they may even try to hug you, but they're just playing," said our dive guide. "They might even try to nibble -- don't pull your hand away, their teeth are sharp." In other words, swimming with sea lions is safe -- until it's not. So, caveat emptor. But thousands have done it with nothing to remember but grins.
IF YOU GO
From La Paz, a number of operators offer boat trips to swim with sea lions at Los Islotes and visit Espiritu Santo or Isla Partida. We went with a well-equipped outfitter called Fun Baja (funbaja.com). Costs were $105 for the daylong tour, plus $10 for a wet-suit rental. Lunch provided.
Espiritu & Baja Tours offers trips for $75 (espiritubaja.com).
El Tocolote Beach Club charges about $70 (clubdeplayaeltecolote.com).
For lower-cost trips, inquire in La Paz at the visitor-information office in the park at the corner of Paseo Alvaro Obregón (along the malecon) and Calle Nicolas Bravo.
