aja California has
the most diverse and interesting diving attractions found almost anywhere
in the world. On a single trip a diver can hunt for ling cod in a cool-water
kelp environment, visit a coral reef, make friends with a huge manta ray,
hitch a ride on the fin of a gigantic whale shark, watch sand cascade down
steep underwater canyons, and photograph such Indo-Pacific beauties as
Moorish idols and longnose butterfly fish. A visit to a mysterious Pacific
seamount, where life competes so vigorously for living space that not a
square inch of bare rock can be seen, may be followed days later by a dive
on a pristine sand bottom devoid of life-devoid, that is, unless you approach
slowly and quietly, to find hundreds of slim garden eels swaying in the
underwater breezes, ready to disappear instantly into the sand. Individually,
these marvels are found elsewhere, but collectively they make Baja unique.
A cooperative manta takes Marilyn Danielson and a pair of remoras
for a fantastic ride
Photo by Ted Rulison
Moorish Idols off San José del Cabo
Photo by Michael Peterson