Dive Review of Quino El Guardian in
Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez

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Quino El Guardian: "Lots of big stuff to see, and small ones if you're patient", Sep, 2021, by Cary Stegall, MN, US ( 1 report). Report 11689.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I wanted a sampler of a bit of everything that the Sea of Cortez offers, and that's exactly what this trip did. We started at the far north, and dived sites all the way down to Cabo Pulmo. The highlights for me were the big guys - whale sharks, hammerheads, and sea lions. Hammers were mainly hiding on this trip - waters were just too warm, but we saw half a dozen. But everything else delivered, and it was also my first time for the mobula night dive. Other divers spent lots of time finding the various types of blennies and other macro life. Snorkeling was with the whale sharks and a pod of dolphins that passed by. Cortez is not the right place for coral - there's some here but not like the Caribbean ideal. There were some signs of fishing residue, but in general the animals and sites were in very good shape. The Quino is a smaller boat - cabins are bunk beds shared by four. It's also more to the budget style, so I'd call it a good value for what it delivers, but there are more luxurious options if that's what you want. The staff were all friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable about the dive sites and surroundings. At about the half way point, there was enough coughing and sniffling moving around that the crew decided it was time for Covid tests for everyone. Fortunately all were negative and so we continued on with no dives lost. There was an extensive briefing on safety and emergency procedures. Battery chargers were encouraged to use the dive deck where they are isolated from the rooms. There were always 2 crew awake at night for watches.
Websites	Quino El Guardian
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	US, Cozumel, Roatan, Costa Rica, Australia, Caymans, Bonaire, Turks & Caicos, Belize, Curacao, Bahamas, Socorros
Closest Airport	Phoenix	Getting There	I flew to Phoenix and took a van to Puerto Penascos to board at the marina. Flew home from Cabo.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	81-86°F / 27-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Mainly just holding dives to 50 minutes. We were doing up to 4 dives a day, so that was reasonable. Lots of freedom to do what you like beyond that.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	> 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	I was only shooting GoPro this trip, so my needs were few. Photographers with bigger rigs had their own space to lay out cameras and gear, their own dunk tank, and the staff would hand cameras out separately at the start and end of all dives.

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Dive Review of Quino El Guardian in Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez

Quino El Guardian: "Lots of big stuff to see, and small ones if you're patient", Sep, 2021,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Quino El Guardian in
Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez