ANDREA TOMBA'S DIVING REPORT

Feb. 25, 2005, Andrea Tomba, Desea, La Paz, Mexico Fishing & Diving Report:

I was just out spear fishing with some clients at El Bajo earlier this week, and it was beautiful. It seemed like summer, as the winds haven't taken their toll as we are accustomed to this year. It was flat, sunny and felt like June, not February.

The La Paz water temperature was a cool 71 degrees at the surface, but didn't drop very much within a 60-foot depth. Although the first 10-foot layer was a little milky, you could still see the top of the mount from the surface, and once past the surface, the visibility really opened up. It was full of life down there, with yellowtail cruising around the mount from about 50 feet, and we saw several hammerhead sharks leisurely cruising past at around 50 to 60 feet. There were big gatherings of huachinango relatively shallow at about 60 feet, as well as some pargo, and lots of bait fish.

On the contrary, I was out at La Reina on Sunday, and it was very quiet out there fishwise. Visibility was about 30 feet, and the water temperature was also around 71 degrees, but apart from shoals of Mexican barracuda, there was not a lot going on.

Earlier, surprisingly enough for February, we had over two days of continuous rain here in Southern Baja, leaving a lot of flooded potholes along the highway, and some VERY muddy patches off-road. The water temperature in the La Paz vacation diving area dropped significantly, during the period, to around 68 degrees.

Around Las Arenas, and further south of La Paz, the water temperature has got some warmer currents, especially around the 88 bank and by Los Barriles, which has seen some surprising catches of dorado (mahi-mahi), yellowfin tuna, and some striped marlin hook ups, so it makes sure that it is keeping everybody on their toes.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from La Paz and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for La Paz may be found at Mexfish.com's main La Paz page.