Mexican Dogs, Sharks, and Dirt Bikes
I’ve been trying to get to Mexico for years. Somehow it just never happened. I think because its so close and so available that I have been saving it for later, there has also always been this sense that its either for relaxation or partying, neither of which has ever appealed to me. The initial plan was to go to Cozumel Island on the east side of Mexico for its famous diving, but after some research, Cabo ended up being easier access, similar pricing, and had higher likelihood of seeing sharks while diving.
What had started as a solo trip was smiled on by good fortune. I had been able to talk Natalie and her boyfriend Cole into joining me. We all arrived in Cabo within an hour of each other, and Cole had some distant, vague, family member who kept a truck in Cabo. Expecting an old dusty Toyota, I was quite shocked to find we were being lent a brand-new-top-of-the-line hybrid F150. This seemed a way better idea than taking a bus or taxi. They delivered me to my luxurious two star hotel and took themselves to their rental condo. My hotel was clean, but dated and rough. Lots of cracked tiles, sagging ceiling, and throughout the time I was there, I saw a lot of little beetles and bugs. I realized, my step-brother may be right about my willingness to sleep anywhere when I absent mindedly slapped a cockroach-looking bug off my pillow, and laid down to relax without so much as a flinch or pause for concern. Maybe next time I should splurge for that 3rd star.
In the morning they picked me up and we went to a dog rescue to do a hike. It was near the marina and a very eccentric man led a big group of tourists and his many dogs on a hike that was more climbing than walking. We ended up just above the famous Cabo Arch. Along the way the guide would occasionally stop and tell the large group his philosophy on reality and physics. At one point he mentioned the vibration of the earth and the universe impacting your brain waves… and something about special breathing techniques to unlock higher understanding. Now, dont get me wrong, I enjoy a good cult as much as the next guy, but you have to start with peace and love…then work into brainwaves. Biology lessons aside, it was a great hike and the dogs were super friendly.
After the hike we stopped into the dive shop and solidified our plans, I was booked in for four days of diving and had brought cash to pay. We clarified the schedule and the bill, I was told $850cad, however the next morning when I came in, they ran the numbers again and it was $780. I was happy to not question it. Lunch was at a restaurant called Asi y Asado, it turns out it had be featured on Guy Fieri’s show. The food was pretty good, afterward we went to Costco and stocked up on snacks and bottled water… and I just realized I am yet to pay Cole back for that case of water… lets hope he also forgot. Two of Natalie’s friends arrived that evening, Sarah and Koda, they were sharing a room just below me in the hotel and it was a bit rougher than mine, largely due to the obvious mold on the bathroom ceiling.
When diving, its typical to have one outing, either morning or afternoon, that consists of two dives, with one tank used per dive. My first outing I was in for a bit of a surprise. For fear of my stomach, I skipped breakfast and got there early to get organized and avoid stress and rushing. I had also emailed in advance to ask if I could be put on a boat with a bathroom. Though, technically, the boat did have a toilet, they waited until we were out on the water before informing everyone on the boat, that it was “light duty” and for “number 1 only”… I think there was a miscommunication in my emails. My stomach didn’t feel great but I survived the first dive without incident. I was partnered with a very experienced diver from the US and was relieved to find I wasn’t using too much more air than my companions. This fear stems from my time in Thailand were I was on the mend from Pneumonia and was sucking through air much faster than anyone else on the dives. The dive itself wasn’t anything too wild, highlight being a Guitar fish, which I had never seen before.
While on surface between dives, my stomach began to boil a little. I mentioned to the guide that my stomach was a bit upset, he replied with “oh no, you might puke?” “no, other end”. He without much concern, said something along the lines of “well, if you go in the ocean, thats totally fine” which was weirdly reassuring. Luckily it didnt come to that. The second dive of the day was much clearer visibility at a place called Land’s End, which is just off the tip where the Cabo Arch is. Under the surface, I had a great view of the wreckage of an old ship. I was told it had been down there since the 40’s. At this point it was mostly scrap metal scattered along the bottom, but still an interesting experience.
The afternoon was spent at the beach with the girls while Cole took his open water diving course. Lunch was tacos and in the evening we played card games at the rental condo.
Day two of diving was with Natalie and Sarah, this was the first time I had ever gotten the opportunity to dive with friends. Its no surprise that it was a much better experience, I’m a friendly guy and will chat with strangers, but you just have better conversations and more jokes with friends. On our way to the first dive site we got a very close look at some whales which was amazing. Both dives had good visibility and we saw schools of small rays both times.
Dinner that evening was at another Guy Fieri restaurant, this time it was Solomons, a higher end establishment. I had a Caesar salad that was prepared from scratch at the side of the table. The table next to us had Mexican coffee which got lit on fire and transferred back and forth between cups resulting in quite a light show.
Day three the dive shop was able to shuffle some things and have Cole, Natalie, Sarah, and myself all dive together. We went to the same places as I had on day one, this time we saw an eel out in the open, multiple octopuses, puffer fish, and Cole officially finished his training. At the end of the second dive, the current was strong on the surface, so we had to grab a line on the side of the boat and get towed away from the jagged rocks before boarding. It wasn’t far or fast, but it was an interesting experience. That evening we stayed in at the rental again, I retired early in the evening as I had a big day ahead of me. That was also the last I would see of Cole, Natalie, and Sarah as they were all leaving the morning. Sarah was headed home, and Natalie and Cole were headed north.
Day four was the big day. I got to the dive shop early and was given, along with two others, a ride to a partner dive shop about half an hours drive away. We got our gear sorted and loaded into the boat. We were introduced to our guide, the captain, and the first mate… a dog. He was introduced as an emotional support dog and a lookout, we were told if he starts barking to start looking around for wildlife, especially whales. No one is sure how he does it, some suggested he could hear them, other think smell, I don’t think its for us to know. Skeptical as I was, once we got out of the marina, the dog barked, and sure enough, a few whales just off the bow.
We got to the first dive site, Gordo 2, and were walked through the plan. It was a deep water, blue water dive. This meant, we would be going down deeper than standard recreational diving (in this case a maximum of 40m). We were instructed to stay behind and above the guide for safety, we were hoping to see scalloped hammerhead sharks and that if we encounter a group, its likely that one or two will come circle us and see. The understanding is they will be looking if we are large enough to be their predators or small enough to be their food. Luckily, we are about the size of a hammerhead so we would be fine. However, if they get too close for comfort, we were told just go vertical which will make us look bigger and they will likely go away. The boat dog cuddled me the entire time this was being explained to us.
We descended down to just below 30m and let the current carry us, we couldn’t see bottom and had no landmarks for reference so the guide followed his compass. The guide also kept a buoy above so the boat could track us. Shortly after we got to depth, the guide pointed to the left and there it was, a school of hammerheads. A few larger ones came our way and had a look, then rejoined the group. In the excitement, I started filming but got tunnel vision, and didn’t realize I was starting to sink. I took a look around and couldn’t find my companions, there were a few seconds of concern until my guide reached down, grabbed my BCD, blipped some air into it and pointed both fingers at his eyes, the universal signal for pay attention. Lesson learned. All in all, the closest the sharks got to me was maybe 10 or 15 feet, likely further, its hard to have a sense of distance or scale. We surfaced and rested on the boat, I apologized to the guide, he didn’t seem too worried about it and said it happens all the time.
The second dive was at Gordo 1, same setup, rules, and safety. The only difference being that we could see the bottom here, but it was at 60m, so we weren’t allowed to go down to it. Not going down to the bottom sounds easy, but the habit is to swim a few feet off the bottom so you really have to fight your instincts. We made our way down to depth and didn’t see anything too exciting, just a few small fish here and there. I noticed I was starting to get close to half my air (1500psi) and knew I needed to notify the guide, but he was a little far and I couldn’t get his attention with waving. By the time I did, I was at 900psi. We started to ascend to end the dive, he called me over and handed me his secondary air source. I wasn’t about to argue with him, but it did strike me as strange since I still had air, I took his and we slowly went up. During our ascent, a sealion started circling us and darting between. It was an amazing show, but also quite odd considering we were 8 miles from land. We hit our 3 minute safety stop at 5 meters and I was signaled to go back onto my own air source. Once back on the boat, I apologized again, and explained myself. The guide, ever the professional, didn’t seem to think much of the incident, just reiterated that I really needed to tell him sooner. I asked how much danger I was in with that little air, he said “none, I would have just shot up a second buoy and the captain would have sent a second tank and regular down on a rope”. Looking back on it, I think I may also have had a bit of nitrogen narcosis as I remember being a bit confused, and when he initially went to share air with me I thought we were at the 5m safety stop, in reality, we were at 32m. Its also entirely possible I just made an error and my pride wants an excuse. I made sure to tip that guide a little extra for saving me… and/or putting up with me.
Once back on land and back to the original dive shop. I had lunch with my diving partners for the day and Koda. Afterward Koda and I went back to the beach, had an early supper, then turned in early as she was flying out the next day.
Koda’s last day we went to the local museum, it had the spirit but was a little underfunded and underwhelming. She caught a ride to the airport and I went to a bar that sold mojitos and cigars, and enjoyed one of each. The following day I moved from my hotel to a resort and immediately regretted it. It felt fake, isolated, and sterile. I want some grit on my vacations. I want people to wonder how I do it, not how I afford it… thought this resort was pretty cheap so there’s no mystery there.
My last big activity of the trip was a good one. A man in a dusty Toyota truck pulled into the resort to retrieve me, he had a passenger with him and both had a “hell yea” attitude. It was a comical juxtaposition with the continuously swept tile of the foyer. While we made our way to the clubhouse, traffic was terrible, the driver looked at me and said “hold on, I have an idea” and cut off the road, down some gravel to an open sandy expanse. He drove his truck cross country for a few minutes explaining that he had a lease on all that land so its fine.
We got to the clubhouse and I was kitted with all manner of protective gear except for riding boots, I had to provide my own on account of my size 14 feet. I was paired with a young guide, who definitely weighed less than his 450cc dirt bike. I was given a newer version of the same bike, a honda , and told to follow the guide. We made our way across the sandy field we came in on, then onto sandy roads, then gravel, then rough pavement, then back and forth through all manner of road, track, and trail. We stopped occasionally to take in the view, drink some water, or step behind a cactus. Ripping on a dirt bike around Baja was just one of those things like hiking in the Himalayas that feels weird to say out loud, I just know that’s someone’s life goal and I did it casually on a two week trip.. go do stuff people, its easier than you think.
The half way point of our trip was at an ocean front restaurant. I ordered three tacos, a coke, and pet the local dogs while I waited for the food to come out. It was delicious, tacos in Mexico and a cold soda after driving in the heat, it was almost a religious experience. We climbed back onto our bikes and headed back along a slightly different route, this one took us more along the side of the ocean. While riding, the guide pulled over abruptly and excitedly pointed at some whales. If memory serves, that was the 5th group I had seen on this trip, starting to look like an infestation at this point (this is a joke, protect the whales). We made our way back, this time much faster across the sand now that I had some time to find my groove on it. Riding in sand is an odd experience, its sort of like driving on ice where you have limited control or traction. It differs wildly from ice in that you are always in a bit of a floating sway, like a vaguely controlled hydroplane. Speed is your friend, you want to glide across it, and that feels very unnatural.
After the bike was back safely and parked, the guide offered me a beer, it was my favorite brand… free. Post-beer, I was given a ride back to the resort. I must have looked quite the sight, covered in dust, carrying my boots through the clean building on the way to my room. It was good feeling.
Technical
I want to get out ahead of the scuba incident. I got a great photo of him and I while I was using his secondary air. He politely asked me not to post it on social media because a lot of internet “experts” will have a lot of criticism about it. I screwed up by not banging something against my tank to get his attention, and he rectified the situation easily. Despite what I will tell ladies on dates, I wasn’t actually in any danger at any point. In fact, the most dangerous part of running out of air on a shark dive was the sea lion… apparently they have a sense of humor and have been known to nibble fins and hoses, but rarely do divers actually get nipped. After the dive I asked about the air share when I still had air left, he said it was better to not exhaust your own air completely before sharing just in case there’s an emergency and you need to split up again. This explains why he signaled me back onto my own air once we were at the safety stop, at that point I could just surface if I ran out.
Also, I went through all this deep water dive for a chance to see hammerheads, which I did… but Cole saw one while taking his course just outside the marina in 18m of water. So, no dive is a bad dive and you never know what you’ll see.
The bike I used was a Honda CRF450 with some modifications and I just stuffed my own boots into my checked luggage, they took up a lot of space but I didn’t bring a lot of much else. I brought my duffel bag instead of my usual backpack which felt very weird, but I was glad to have it. The extra room ended up being for souvenirs, cookies, a t-shirt, and koda gave me a cheap towel she bought for the beach.
My parents bought me a Casio G shock model DW-9052 just before this trip so I kept sending them photos of it in questionable places. Not surprisingly, its a great travel watch, has all the features I want, not too expensive, not too flashy, and can handle abuse… Probably why NATO uses them.
Lastly, this was a fun trip to explain to my travel insurance provider…
Posted in Dirt Bikes, Hiking, Motorcycle, Photo Drop, Scuba Diving, Travel and tagged adventure, Cabo, Hammerhead, hiking, Mexico, motorcycle, Outdoors, Scuba diving, Sharks, travelwith 1 comment.