Mike in the Wild

I've written quite a bit about my snorkel adventures in Cabo San Lucas.  Even beating out whale watching and beachcombing, snorkeling is indeed my favorite activity in this resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.  As a cruise passenger, the easiest site to visit for underwater exploration may be Pelican Rock, a fast ride in a water taxi from the municipal dock.  I even wondered if it might be Cabo's best snorkeling spot when I wrote about it just over two years ago. (See  Pelican Rock .)  But I was recently reminded on a November cruise that there are two additional sites that are also both excellent for snorkeling and almost as easy to reach: Chileno Bay and Santa Maria Bay. I've actually visited those beaches before, on excursions while on other cruises.  Cruise lines sell tours that sail vacationers from Cabo's harbor to both bays in the Sea of Cortez.  Usually from a catamaran, I've snorkeled in the pristine water shelteri...

I knew I'd return and, finally, thirteen months later I did.  But on my recent visit to Pelican Rock in Cabo San Lucas, I left the diving equipment behind and only brought a mask, snorkel, and fins.  It had turned out I didn't like diving when I tried it on my previous visit; the bubbles, ear pressure, and hand signals flustered me.  Exploring unencumbered by weights and equipment at the water's surface was a much better fit for me.  And besides, for me, there were just as many discoveries close to sea level as at thirty feet below.  Cabo has many places to snorkel, mostly all of them on the Sea of Cortez side of the Baja California Peninsula.  On stops off of multiple cruises, I've booked various excursions by catamaran and zodiac to Chileno Bay and Santa Maria Cove.  Sea life abounds and coral reefs thrive just a short swim off of these beautiful beaches.  You can even drive up the scenic Federal Highway 1 and park at an adjacent resort on eithe...