I recently took an amazing cruise on the Quino El Guardian liveaboard in the sea of Cortez. It felt exceptional being able to explore this remote part of the world. We dived with whale sharks, sea lions and many other critters that are native to this region, and we cruised through beautiful deserted landscapes. Read on for my review of the trip!

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Getting to Puerto Penasco and the Sea of Cortez

The boat departs from Puerto Penasco, a town in the north of Mexico. The first option is to fly to Phoenix in the US and take a shuttle bus directly from the Phoenix airport to Puerto Penasco. The shuttle bus takes about 4 hours. The liveaboard can help you organize this shuttle bus, and the timing is coordinated with the boat departure time.

The other option, if you are already in Mexico, is to fly to Mexicali. Mexicali is about three and a half hours from Puerto Penasco. The most comfortable choice (if you like driving) is to rent a car. Alternatively, there is a bus with a company called ABC. It departs from the Mexicali central station, so you’ll need to get there from the airport. It’s much slower than driving because of the stops along the way, up to 20 minutes in some towns. The trip ended up taking five and a half hours. At least it was a beautiful scenic drive through some lovely nature reserves.

I was not impressed by Puerto Penasco, and would probably not recommend arriving there early, as there’s not much to do.

Boarding the boat

I was delighted to arrive on the boat. I was greeted by our two divemasters, Peter and Luis. They showed me to my cabin and sorted out my diving gear. I was also offered a Corona, which was very welcome given that it was 40 degrees in Puerto Penasco and I had been traveling for 18 hours.

We had some snacks, followed by a general boat briefing. We practiced the emergency drill and tried on our life jackets. I appreciated the focus on safety.

We started to navigate out of Puerto Penasco during a very picturesque sunset. Sunsets are one of the reasons I love being on a boat. They always seem even better when you’re on the water.

The dinner was served at 7:30 pm. It was an early night for most of the guests, as like me, they’d traveled from far away to take this trip.

The Sea of Cortez diving liveaboard itinerary

 

Day 1: Getting acquainted with diving in the sea of Cortez

Our first night was a long one. We cruised for over 18 hours to get to the Midriff Islands. The sea was quite rough, and unfortunately, many passengers got seasick. It was an unlucky start as the sea was much rougher than it should be in this part of the world. Fortunately, our return trip was completely smooth sailing.

As soon as we made it to the islands, we entered protected areas, and the boat became a lot more stable. We had a briefing introducing the diving at noon, and we started to get ready for diving around 1 pm.

La Muela dive site

We did our check dive at La Muela, which was perfect because there was minimal current. We saw two turtles, a few nudibranchs, and, amazingly, at least a hundred stingrays—they were everywhere!

Los Nidos dive site

The dive site at Los Nidos is composed of rocks sticking out of the water on the north side of the island Angel de la Guarda. It’s quite a striking site and I was excited about this dive. We were looking for giant jawfish. There are also nudibranchs at this site, along with stingrays. A quick note: don’t dive there if you are afraid of spiders! There were so many arrow crabs here that looked like giant spiders. Visibility was about 10 meters. We didn’t see many big fishes, but we did see plenty of larva fishes and shrimps and orange throat jawfish. I think that the bad weather strongly affected the visibility on our first dive, taking away much of the light.

The landscape above water is spectacular with unique rock formations. Picture a view like the grand canyon with cactuses sticking out. The sun started to set and gave us one of nature’s most beautiful shows.

Overall, it was an excellent first day, even if the diving was not out of this world. I think the bad weather and windy conditions affected the visibility and overall colors of the dive sites.

Day 2: Swimming with the whale sharks in the Los Angeles Bay

Punta don Juan dive site

We were escorted to the dive site by pelicans, and maybe it’s a little silly, but I took that as a good sign. The water here was cold: about 24 degrees. This dive site was quite similar to the day one dive sites, but we did see a few more medium size fishes. We also saw jawfishes and three octopuses. Weirdly, we found a few dead jawfish that had been eaten by something.

Next, we had a lovely whale shark encounter. We boarded local boats in Bahia de Los Angeles and went looking for whale sharks. These giants of the sea are awe-inspiring. We found some small ones from about 3 meters, up to 7 meters. They are incredibly peaceful giants and didn’t seem bothered by having a few people swimming around them.

We all got multiple chances to swim and snorkel with them. The whole whale shark experience lasted about 4 hours. It was hard work keeping up with them, a real cardio workout, but it was so spectacular and definitely worth it. We all had huge smiles on our faces.

Back on board, we had another delicious lunch. As we navigated further south, we met hundreds of dolphins jumping in the water accompanied by pelicans.

I was so exhausted by the whale shark adventure that I skipped the last dive of the day. I decided to enjoy the sunset with a Corona beer. Definitely wasn’t a bad way to spend the evening.

After dinner, we realized that thousands of sardines surrounded our boat, attracted by the lights. Of course, those sardines attracted bigger predators. A barracuda and quite a few dolphins were hunting just around the boat! We also saw a sea snake. The pelicans didn’t want to be left out, and about 50 of them came to join in the hunt all around us. It was a thrilling moment to see all this action just around the boat. What a great day in the sea of Cortez!

Day 3: Full day of diving in the Sea of Cortez

El Lavadero dive site

This dive site gets its name from the rock formations that look like old washing stones. Despite poor visibility, it was my favorite dive in the sea of Cortez so far. The stone formations are very scenic, and the black coral bushes were impressive.

The next dive sites were Corona and Caballo. They were quite similar to El Lavadero. Caballo had a strong current. The water in this part of the sea of Cortez felt much warmer, at 29 degrees.

Day 4: Playing with sea lions

This morning we woke up to the sound of sea lions barking on the island San Pedro Martir

 

Moro dive site

On our fourth day of the trip, we went looking for sea lions at the Moro dive site. The Moro rock has the form of a horseshoe. We didn’t find any sea lions, but we did find a hammerhead shark hanging out after the drop-off. This dive site had excellent visibility and the most fishes we have seen so far. There is a nice area with black corals. It was a sportive dive, with a bit of current. We went through the channel to the other islands and probably covered a few kilometers. This is one of the most fantastic dive sites in the Sea of Cortez, so don’t miss it.

After the first dive, we got our briefing on how to dive with sea lions. Most of them are playful and friendly, but the alpha male usually doesn’t want to play. He if comes towards you barking and drawing a line of bubbles, it is time to back off.

Corral dive site

The corral dive site is at the bottom of a sea lion colony. We got to dive and play with over 50 sea lions. It is a very shallow dive, just about 5 meters. You get to just hang out and let the sea lions do the rest. They are very curious and would come to check us out and do their acrobatics. Truly an amazing experience that I’ll never forget.

Arrocco dive sites

Arroco is a pretty wall with black corals. Here we got a bit of a drift, which was lovely. This dive site is covered with triggerfishes’ nests, but fortunately, the triggerfishes were not aggressive. Some sea lions came to say hi at about 20 meters.

Interacting with sea lions at the Corral dive site was so cool that we went back there for the fourth dive. I decided to snorkel, and it was a great decision. I was eye to eye with sea lions, and they were even more playful on the surface. Towards the end, the alpha male sea lion became a bit aggressive with me. He came towards me very fast and stopped in front of my face. I kept backing off, but he kept coming. Great for an end of the day adrenaline rush, but I knew it was time to get back on the boat 🙂

Once we were back on board, we sat on the sun deck and ate a delicious barbecue dinner that the crew had prepared. We started with margaritas and watched the sunset. The scenery and the sunset were again spectacular. We then continued with dinner under the stars surrounded by sea lions. Again, everyone went to sleep with a massive smile on their face.

Day 5: Looking for whales

We got an earlier start since we were trying to fit three dives in before lunch, as well as an afternoon of whale watching. It was a busy day in the best way.

Chayos cave dive site

Chayos cave is located on the San Pedro de Martir island near the sea lion colonies. The dive started at an underwater cave at a depth of about 8 meters. A few female sea lions were playing in the cave.

We then continued to a wall and sloping reef with significant rock formations. Visibility was relatively good. We saw many Murray eels, starfishes, and the now usual sea lions. We also found an open shell. This dive site can have a strong current so expect a drift dive. Overall it was a very nice dive.

Chitchen Itza dive site

This dive site is located on the corner of the island, and the structure above water looks like a pyramid; hence its name, Chitchen Itza. It is a gentle slope that contains the most beautiful corals on this trip so far. It also had the largest number of small and medium-sized fish. We found turtles and of course sea lions. We also saw plenty of smaller creatures, like lobsters, nudibranchs, scorpionfishes (one of them orange!), and jellyfishes. This was a very beautiful dive site.

The sea lions at Chitchen Itza were even more curious. Dancing with those sea lions is a priceless experience. There are not that many places in the world where you can spend time with sea lions in their natural environment with no one else around.

In the afternoon, we decided to go looking for whales. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any, but we did see a group of dolphins and had a relaxing afternoon on the top deck while navigating.

We were moving all night, and in the morning, we were back at Isla Angel de la Guardia.

Day 6: Corals and cold waters

Punto Diablo dive site

Our first dive was at Punto Diablo, a rock formation that has a wall full of black corals. We spent a lot of time on the sandy bottom. We found many blennies, crabs, and jawfishes. The water temperature was cold, at about 25 degrees.

Nudi cave dive siteThis dive site starts with a little cave and then slopes down to a sandy bottom. There are areas with black corals and areas with a forest of seaweed. The topography is interesting, with plenty of cracks and corners attracting abundant wildlife. Nudibranches, octopuses, jawfishes, and we even found a guitar shark. This dive site has a dreamy feeling to it but was also very cold at 22 degrees.

Tip: bring layers and different wetsuits, as the water temperature varies widely from one day to the next. On our trip, it ranged from 22 degrees to 30 degrees.

This was the last dive of the trip. Once we were back on the boat, we started the long journey back to Puerto Penasco. We enjoyed the navigation on deck, watched our last sunset accompanied by birds, and went to sleep by the sound of the waves.

After the 12-hour trip, we reached Puerto Penasco in the early morning and boarded the shuttle to Phoenix at 7 am. The land border crossing from Mexico into the US was easier than I expected, and it only took us a few minutes. We then said goodbye to our fellow passengers and exchanged contact information with the hope of meeting again on another diving expedition.

Review of The Quino El Guardian and Rocio del Mar boats

The Sea of Cortez itinerary is currently done by very few boats, meaning very few divers get to explore this fantastic region each year. We came across only two fishing boats during the whole week, so we really felt like we were on our own out there. You can choose between two boats, the Quino El Guardian and the Rocio del Mar. Both are owned by the same company and share the same great staff. The Rocio del Mar is more luxurious as it has ensuite double cabins, and so it also gets booked up very quickly.

TIP: If you want the comfort of your personal cabin with an ensuite bathroom, book the Rocio del Mar very early as it is often fully booked.

I booked last minute, so I took the trip on the Quino El Guardian in a bunk bed cabin. Quino el Guardian has been redesigned to help people enjoy scuba diving and explore the underwater world. It’s also used for educational and scientific purposes. The boat allows many divers and visitors to explore the beautiful islands.

The boat is not going to win any beauty prizes, but it’s very well built and comfortable. The mission of the Quino is to provide casual camaraderie and a comfortable travel experience.

Review of The cabins on board the Quino El Guardian

The ship is 90ft long and can accommodate up to 16 passengers. It has a total of 5 cabins.

The bunk bed cabins and shared bathrooms make it look like a backpacker boat, but don’t be fooled. While the cabins are simple, the rest of the ship is very comfortable.  The beds have curtains to ensure maximum privacy. The cabins have a dresser for storage purposes. A cabin with two beds is also available for couples.

Tip: Don’t bring too much luggage, as there is not much storage space. Suitcases can be stored in an area behind the bedrooms, so it is okay to bring a suitcase, but you’ll have to have it stored away.

The Quino and all its cabins have individually controlled air-conditioning.

Tip: if you don’t like cold AC, take the bottom bunk bed. If you want it more cold, take the top bunk bed.

I also found that having the bathrooms on the dive deck was very practical to rinse off after coming back from a dive. There are four bathrooms. Each bathroom is assigned to a cabin, which means that travelers can leave their toiletries in the bathroom for the duration of the trip.

 

Review of The common space on the Quino El Guardian

The food and service aboard the Quino El Guardian are genuinely five-star. The crew is warm and welcoming, and that translates to a great atmosphere onboard and between the passengers.

There are plenty of very comfortable lounging areas onboard, and it was great to get to know everyone.

The dining area is spacious, seating up to 16-18 persons. The ship has wooden dining tables along with a comfortable sitting sofa. There is a drop-down screen in the dining area that was used for presentations.

Want to relax indoors? The lounge is perfectly soothing for this purpose. There are comfortable couches and sofas to relax on. There is a camera table for sorting out your underwater pictures. You can watch television as well.

The outer deck is completely organized and well-secured. The sundeck consists of chairs and loungers, perfect for enjoying the sunsets. The top floor is partly shaded, which provides an astounding view of the Mexican Coast.

The Passengers on the Quino El Guardian

About half the passengers were from the US and the other half from Europe. Most passengers were very experienced divers and had already been on multiple liveaboards. More than half the passengers on my trip were dive instructors, and most passengers had done thousands of dives. Ages ranged from 30 to 50 years old. People mingled easily and loved sharing diving stories after a good day of diving.

Tip: While most passengers on the boat were very experienced divers, it is not a requirement for the Sea of Cortez Itinerary, as all of the dives were very easy. Don’t let a lack of experience keep you from this amazing trip!

Review of The diving organization on the Quino El Guardian

As soon as you’re aboard, you can tell that the Quino El Guardian is a boat organized for divers. The dive deck is very spacious and practical. We were organized into 2 groups that would dive 15 minutes apart. That was great because it meant we would never meet any other divers underwater.

The Sea of Cortez is still an amazingly wild and unexplored area. We didn’t cross paths with any other boats while on the trip. It gave us the feeling of being on a discovery expedition.

We would reach the dive sites using a small inflatable boat. What is great is that the inflatable boat would dock on the rear platform, making loading and unloading very easy. The staff would help carry all our material in and out of the liveaboard.

There would usually be four dives a day, with the last dive being either a sunset dive or a night dive. The schedule was pretty much eating, dive, eat, dive, and repeat.

Review of The food on the Quino El Guardian

The food was delicious and varied. You could see the chef took pride in what he prepared. Not only was it tasty, but most dishes would also be Instagram-worthy. There were a lot of Mexican options like tacos, quesadillas or enchiladas, but also western food and seafood, including ribeye steak, salmon with asparagus, lasagna, and shrimp. This is among the best food I have ever had on a diving liveaboard.

TIP: I had packed some snacks but realized they were unnecessary. There is plenty of food, including snacks, available onboard at all times of the day.

Both the Quino El Guardian and the Rocio Del Mar are all-inclusive boats. Drinks offered included unlimited beers, wine, margaritas and I think even tequila. Soft drinks and juices were also available throughout the day.

Internet and telecommunication on the Sea of Cortez

I had bought a Mexican sim card  (SIMTEL)before the trip, but it was not helpful for this journey. While we got a 4G signal for about 1 hour after leaving Puerto Penasco, we then lost coverage for the rest of the trip. We did get a bit of signal on day 4 in San Pedro Martir Island, but it was so weak I wasn’t even able to send or receive an email. I did manage to send four WhatsApp messages… over 7 hours. So don’t count on getting an internet connection on this trip.

If you do need to communicate with the outside world, there is a satellite phone onboard the Quino el Guardian which you can use for 2 dollars a minute.

 

In Conclusion of my review of the Quino El Guardian liveaboard

The Sea of Cortez is a fantastic ecosystem that very few people get to explore. While the corals are underwhelming and visibility was not the best during our trip, there were plenty of animals to keep us entertained, including lots of sea lions. It was a wonderful trip with stunning landscapes, plenty of birds, and exciting dives.

If you are used to diving the reefs of Southeast Asia ( Raja Ampat, Komodo, Triton Bay)  and the Caribbean and are looking for something different, this trip is for you. Advanced photographers looking for endemic species will also be pleased.

The Quino El Guardian is a great boat. Cabins are not the most comfortable, but everything else is five stars. Food is fantastic, service outstanding and the common areas are very spacious. I highly recommend this trip and would love to come back to the Quino El Guardian.

 

For more information or to book this trip, check the Quino El Guardian website

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