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Posted at 04:39 AM PST: "Cabo San Lucas"

It is so very nice to be here in Cabo San Lucas, away from all things city. Norm, Teri, Mike and I are here officially as part of a charity fishing tournament (someone didn't want to go), but the fishing community as a whole (that is, the wealthy, gringo, late-middle-aged sport fishing community) has been grating on me -- starting immediately from the large man sitting next to me on the Alaska Airlines flight from San Diego, who insisted on yelling through my head to his large buddies in khaki shorts (brown belts) and tucked-in Hawaiian shirts sitting across the aisle. Name-dropping and not-so-subtle competition about numbers of sponsored underprivileged kids ensued, for two full hours. People who talk to the entire plane should be muzzled on flights.

We decided again to use Amigos Del Mar for some scuba diving. This time, we signed up for Cabo Pulmo, which along with Gordo Banks is considered the best diving in this area. However, a number of things made it hard to enjoy the diving. Our dive boat was a tiny little boat that had to be pushed into and pulled out of the water by an old truck (wheels spinning in the sand). There was no fresh water on board (the dive facilities were the worst I've encountered -- you should probably not bring a camera), and it was a two hour drive from the airport on partially dirt roads. It was also FREEZING. Well, everything's relative, I guess. It was 62 degrees at depth, which is freezing in an old 3mm wet suit. We all started to worry when our dive guide Ray put on a dive skin, a 3mm shortie, a hooded vest, and a full 5mm wet suit. :)

The reef itself, which is apparently the only living Pacific reef in coastal North America (or something like that), wasn't particularly exciting. I think it probably have been a fair dive if the visibility had been more than 20' (and the water not horribly green), but... the Cabo dive gods have yet to smile upon us. There were schools of porcupine puffers, many moral eels, large fish (groupers, etc.), a murky silhouette of a small ray, and a few colorful sea fans. After 15-20 minutes of being below the thermocline, all of us were shivering uncontrollably. The remaining 25 minutes of the dive was spent in misery, not wanting to ruin the dive for the others (who were all thinking the same thing).

At least we know now that it's just not worth the trouble to dive here. I'm scratching Cabo off my list of dive destinations.

It is, however, great to be lounging at a beach with old friends (well, two of them are old, anyway). :)

Mike, Me, and Norm, at Meliá Los Cabos

Some sad little fishies who have been pulled from Cabo Pulmo

Me, Norm, and Teri at Cabo Pulmo

Boats at Cabo Pulmo

At airport parking in San Diego

Mike and Norm at Meliá Los Cabos

Teri and Norm at Meliá Los Cabos

Teri, Mike and Norm at Meliá Los Cabos

Teri and Norm at Meliá Los Cabos

Meliá Los Cabos

The beach in front of Meliá Los Cabos

Dinner tables in sand pits, in front of Meliá Los Cabos

Mike, Norm, Teri, and a hippo butt

Teri and a watermelon I swiped from a serving table

Bonfire

Keith, Mike, Zach, Teri, Norm, and Mike at Cabo Pulmo

Waiting for the truck to push the boat into the water.

Cabo Pulmo, in crappy visibility

Norm and his fancy Gates housing

Mike, waving.

Cabo Pulmo reef

Cabo Pulmo reef

A porcupine puffer gets in the way while I try to photograph a moral eel.

Norm, Gates housing, and green water

Norm, Teri, Gates housing, and green water

Self-portrait.

Discharging a dive light

Hotel view

Waiting for a breakfast table

Bored, while checking out

Teri, in the pool

It took 5 iterations to get the bill close to what it should have been,,,

Mike, and our waiting taxi

Mon, July 1, 7:23AM

At Joechang's place now, in Manhattan. Back to the grind. On the return flight (the first leg of it) the same guy who was next to me on the outgoing flight caused barely restrained fury across row 16. I wish I had a photo of his khakied rear-end (which he stuck in my face a few times) to post here. Clueless.

i love those puffer fishies!!!!!! =D

posted by cyn @ 07/04/2002 10:49 am PST