Divorce Cove

We visited this little paradise on our weekend move north to find another anchorage with internet so we could setup camp for another week or so. We knew that there would be internet available off Loreto, which is one of the largest towns on the Baja California coast and it was only 20 Nm north. We also knew that there were some amazing little anchorages around here that all had amazing dive spots near by.

So we found the bay that is referred to by cruisers as Divorce Cove. There are two possible reasons for this, one could be that Honeymoon Cove is just north of here, but more likely because if you are willing to try to anchor here you will find yourself anchored in a bay that shallows very quickly and is surrounded by rocky reefs. There is barely enough room to drop your anchor in sufficient depth to give you any swing room.

Luckily for us the day was beautiful and the waters were an amazing turquoise blue so we could slowly circle the bay to see any hazards before dropping the hook as close to the middle as we could. Even after doing this and backing up we felt like we were hanging off the edge of the sand.

We got settled in and ready for a snorkel. Unfortunately the bees found us before we were able to get in the water so we retreated below so they could do their investigation on our vessel.

They were mostly interested in the dinghy and as the temperature rose they retreated to the shore allowing us escape the confines of the inside of the boat and jump in the water for a snorkel.

We snorkeled along the southern shore of the bay where the flat sand bottom turned to rock boulders. There were a lot of fish here and a few moray eels, Ashley's least favourite of the sea creatures we have encountered. As we headed to the point outside the bay the fish got bigger and the depths were quickly deeper than we were able to dive. I preferred to go into the shallows to explore above the coral and the outer reef fish. Here if you move slowly enough all sorts of creatures can be found.

We headed back to the boat to get out of the sun and spent the rest of the day enjoying the beautiful bay we were hiding in. As the sunset we got our snorkeling gear ready once more. I had decided it would be a really cool place for a night snorkel. so with torches charged we slipped into the dark water and swam back across to the shore to see what different creatures would be out enjoying the night.

It was a completely different world down there in the dark. All sorts of crazy creatures that looked like they were from an alien movie. There were these sea slugs that seemed to be stuck to each other's butts. They were all over the place. Not moving quickly but every time we saw them there was always three or four of them, like blind men leading each other on to wherever they were going.

The coolest were these tube like creature with feeding arms coming out of them at one end. They were mainly in the shallower water, but super cool to watch. We had not seen anything like these two creatures in any of our snorkels to date and we have no idea where they were hiding during the day.

We didn't spend a huge amount of time over deep water, the coolest creatures seemed to be in the shallows. We did venture out to the point but only saw one eel so that was good.

It was on the way back in from the point that we got the shock of the night. We were in fairly shallow maybe 5 ft of water when I saw the out of the corner of my mask a shape moving. It was a 6ft long moray that swam past us. I felt something grab my leg. It was Ashley, she also saw it, it was time to head out of there and into some more maneuverable water. Now this eel seemed interested in us, as we continued back toward our launch spot, it circled us. Each time our rate of kicking increased. It probably circled us four times, swimming under us in about 10 ft of water then turning into the shallows swimming back in front of us and then coming back towards us.

It was time to head back to the boat. We made the 100 m swim to the swim ladder.

Apart from the eel incident at the end it was an awesome snorkel. it was a completely different world to the one we had snorkeled a few hours earlier.

When we woke in the morning we were under siege, the bees were back. They had found our friend Minty the mint plant and decided to have a family gathering on him.

We closed up the boards and went below, but they weren't going a way so we decided a rescue mission was going to be required. I snuck out while they were distracted, and got the give gallon bucket out of the lazarette. Then, armed with oven mitts and tongs I placed minty in the bucket at the back of the cockpit.

Whilst the mission was successful with no casualties, a follow up mission was going to be required. The party was now getting out of control. Before too long they were crawling in and out of the 2 holes drilled into the side of the bucket. A third and final mission was launched. We took another board out and covered those holes.

After about 30 minutes most of the bees had dispersed. We ventured outside to check on Minty. He had survived, we picked him out of the bucket away from the 50 dead bees and brought him down below. After that, I decided that I should venture ashore to set a water station away from our boat in hope to deter the bees from coming to the boat.

It was as I was getting into the dinghy that I got stung. You try to help a fellow out and it comes back to bite you or in this case sting you. The bee got under my shorts and stung me on the inner thigh as I was stepping from the swim platform into the dinghy.

I went back to the boat and back down below for treatment and anti-histamine.

After 2 hrs or resting and a tennis ball sized lump on my leg we decided that going for a snorkel was a good idea.

We jumped in and headed across to the southern point again. Ashley was armed with our Hawaiian Sling Spear. It was a good place to practice spearing as the bottom was divable and there were plenty of reasonable sized fish about. After a few practice shots (and maybe a rock or two), Ashley finally had a fish cornered. She lined up the shot and fired. It was a great shot hitting the fish right where it should. To her dismay however. The spear did not kill the fish, it more stunned it. By the time she surfaced to tell me and I swam down, the fish was hiding up in the rocks. There was no blood in the water. I retrieved the spear and we headed back to the boat.

We went for a snorkel in the after noon to the other side of the bay. It was quite different. much more shallow, and open. Ashley some how found an octopus in a rock crevice in the shallows. We swam around several mushroom shaped rocks, one of which had a cave inside. We hid on one side of the rock and could watch the large fish swim out of their protection, then they sensed danger and went back in. Perhaps they had already heard about Ashley from the fish she shot earlier in the day.

The evening was spent relaxing in the hammock and watching the sunset.

The next morning we scampered up the cliff that made the southern end of the bay. Negotiating the cacti we found a few really cool spots for taking photos. We weren't able to stay long. It was already getting hot and our sweat was starting to attract interest from bees.

So we slid down the small path we had climbed and headed back to the boat. It was time to head north to another bay.