2022.11.12-13 | La Bufadora
This past weekend, I joined Chris, Doug, and Vishal for another trip to La Bufadora. Unlike my previous visits, we visited a few southern pinnacles this time. I frequently dove these pinnacles a few years ago. However, since then, the boat launch moved to the north, and getting there requires more effort with better conditions. This time the sea was flat, and we decided to go.
I arrived at our camping site with Doug on Friday night around 9:30 pm and set up my tent close to the cliff looking out the ocean. Recently the night has been cold. We went to sleep right after we finished setting up the tents.
In the morning, we met up with Chris, Vishal, and Captain Yeko at the boat launch. We were all excited to go to the south. The sea was lake-like, and the boat ride was smooth. The first dive site was the ‘candle stick’, featuring two similar pinnacles side-by-side. We geared up and dropped down. The site was relatively shallow, with the bottom at around 65 feet. I was surprised by so many sea stars. Sea stars suffered the ‘wasting disease,’ and in San Diego areas, they have not come back. Here, they were on the boulders and walls. Some were giant, and I frequently saw dense patches where they congregated. The visibility was less optimum, but it didn’t affect the color of La Bufadora in full display. Despite the beauty, I found many purple sea urchins, which have decimated most of the kelp.
Our second dive was a pinnacle not far. This pinnacle is famous for its submergence, with its tip barely visible in a low tide. I dove here many times before, but I need to find out whether it has an official name. Like what I remembered, the pinnacle was covered with bright golden algae. On the rocks, I found different sea stars, urchins, and patches of anemones. Schools of perch, blacksmith, and senorita swam around the pinnacle. What’s missing was the dense kelp that once covered the pinnacle. Most of it disappeared with the invasion of purple sea urchins.
We finished our dive. Following our routine, we took a break at the campsite and visited the famous street vendors. The sea was so calm that the blow hole only had a few sloppy splashes. We finished dinner, which could be its own story, chatted some, and all went to sleep. This night we were the only group at the campsite. Outside the warm tent was the wind and sound of the ocean. The camping itself was worth the trip.
On the second day, we woke up with a cloudy sky and cold air. We decided to load up all the gears, so we didn’t have to come back after the dive. We met with the captain at the boat launch and headed to Todos Santos Island. Overnight the swell built up. To me, it was an exciting crossing. As we got closer and closer to the island, the swell dissipated.
Our first dive was “the unknown” shipwreck again. Following the captain’s instructions, I dropped down, and the wreck emerged at about 65 feet of water. I dived the wreck every time I came here. As I cruised from the bow to the stern, a large school of blacksmiths descended to the wreck like a rain shower. Suddenly the wreck was alive. I was excited and approached them slowly. The fish touched the wreck, swirled around it, and ascended back to the shallower water. I slowly cruised the wreck and enjoyed seeing it once again.
The swell made most of the sites unsafe to dive. We motored back to La Bufadora and dove a less exposed pinnacle. This pinnacle had a ‘chimney’, where the water breaks in a narrow gap between two boulders. Unlike other sites, the kelp was thriving in the strong surge, as did the giant green anemones. Below the kelp was a massive vertical wall with all kinds of life. It was magnificent.
After the second dive, we returned to the dock and were excited to accomplish another adventure at La Bufadora. This place is full of energy, color, and life, and I look forward to my next adventure.