My dive club chartered a three tank dive day for sixteen divers with Baja Diving Adventures, to explore the wreck of Uribe 121 and surrounding area of El Descanso Bay. They are a PADI Dive Resort, still quite new, built into one side of Puerto Nuevo Hotel and Villas. We were eager to see some of the new dive sites now accessible to us so close to our home in San Diego.
The shop layout is very nicely planned with a classroom, gift shop, big rinse tanks, gear drying lockers, and hot showers in case you've already checked out of your hotel room. You can drive your gear right up to the patio if you bring your own equipment.
We shuttled to a marina about fifteen minutes away. The boat does not have a compressor on board but was spacious enough to hold all of us with our rebreathers and variously sized three tanks each. (They have AL80s in DIN or yoke and weights, but a lot of us like to bring our own gear everywhere.) There is a small dry storage area below and a bathroom with enough room to use without taking off your drysuit. Gear bags were stored above and personal dive gear in crates below the benches.
Guides led us around and through the Uribe, and we dove on our own in the kelp forest. Because the Uribe has tilted to the starboard side months after sinking, it was good to go with someone who knows the layout well. We are used to unguided dives in California, so we were given that option for dive three. Everyone on staff was friendly and professional. It was truly a pleasure working with them and we hope to plan another trip soon! read more