WIND SURFERS ENJOY EAST CAPE DIVING AREA

Dec. 3, 2005, Mark Rayor, Vista Sea Sport, Buena Vista, East Cape Diving, Baja Sur, Mexico:

At the beginning of the week, it was wind surfers 3, and divers 0. Those guys were smiling as the wind ripped and we couldn't get off the beach.

East Cape weather then turned around in a hurry and the Sea of Cortez went flat. Divers made a spectacular come back and won the week 4 days to 3.

It looks like we may get another nice day or two before the wind surfers get their way.

East Cape diving conditions have been excellent. The water is 75 to 78 degrees at depth with visibility from 50 to 100 feet.

On the calm days, I swear you could see a dime on the bottom in 50 feet. Today I dove Cerro Verde just north of Los Barriles. In 40 feet of water schools of grunts were so thick over our heads it impaired the light. Rays and jacks were also abundant. We sighted several colorful nudibranchs, the first I have seen in a while. This is a sure sign of cooler water. Electric rays are also starting to pile up along the edge of our reef. They also seem to migrate in as the water cools.