La
Bufadora 3 hour drive to a different world
has been a long time popular destination of many club
members. DASC has been been going to La Bufadora through the years
with trips most recently organized by Bill Whitmarsh or Chris Toth. Located a bit south of Ensenada
Mexico in Punta
Banda, we are normally there for two days of diving. In the morning,
we do a 2-tank boat dive. Most people relax in the afternoon and
visit the tourist shops and La Bufadora (Spanish - The Snorter). La
Bufadora is one of the natural wonders of the North American Pacific
coast - an ocean blow hole which attracts tourists like a Mexican
"Old Faithful" geyser. Nearby, is some of the most interesting
diving to be found anywhere in the world.
The Diving
The diving includes vertical walls covered with an amazing abundance
and variety of life. Giant rock scallops and giant green anemones,
nudibranchs of many types and colors, cowries, gold and purple
beaded top snails, big ling cod, morays, the occasional harbor seal
or sea lion - it's impossible to adequately describe the diving in a
few lines. From 30 to 70 feet depth every square inch is covered
with colorful creatures fighting for a toehold; algae, sponges,
tunicates, cup coral anemones. This diving is not for
beginners. The water will be a little colder than San
Diego. The vertical walls can go down well past 100 foot, and good
habitual depth awareness and buoyancy control are required for safe
diving. Depth gauge and compass are a must. If you tend to get
seasick, bobbing about in a panga will do it to you. Have your sea
legs, or Dramamine or Bonine. The boatman can't ferry you back
between dives. It should not be a problem for you to drop into
kelp, or to hover at a depth with no bottom in sight. Surge to
moving you back and forth should not be an issue.
The Dive
Plan In the morning, we will launch in 3 boats to
different places. Your organizer will list the dive sites and we
can preassign you to boats 20 foot, 22 foot or 24 foot (AKA, Chico,
Medio & Grande) The boats are loaded at the shore. You don your
wetsuit bottom & booties or drysuit, put your BC/reg on one of your
tanks. You then load your other tank and a bag with your remaining
gear. The boatmen know divers lag, so they won't bring boats to
shore until they see a pile of gear on the sand. Preferably 3 piles.
Dale's truck will carry tanks & weights down the ramp. There will be
a couple helpers. Each person is responsible for getting their own
gear on their assigned boat. If you rented tanks, you should know
them by sight, to be sure you got them on the boat. Choose a seat on
the boat, and try to get your bag, weights and BC'd tank placed
by/under your seat. Then smaller people get in first. Bigger folks
then all help push the boat into the next good wave and then jump
in. At the dive site, gear up and roll backwards off the boat. If a
wall, take a compass heading on it and drop down about 30' with your
buddy, then level off and swim to it. Go ahead and grab the rocks -
they are covered with sponge. Don't grab a sea urchin. If you have
not done this sort of thing before, we suggest you buddy with
someone who has; not your sweetie who knows no more than yourself.
Bring a dive light. After the dive, swim back away from the rock
wall and then surface. The boat will come to you. Hand your weight
belt to someone in the boat, inflate your BC and remove it in the
water. You will then hand it up to the panga drivers to haul into
the boat. Then haul yourself up into the boat. We change tanks
in the surface interval. After the second dive the boat returns to
home base. There will be helpers get your gear to where we will be
washing it. There will be a trough for dunking sandy booties. Gear
is dunked in water barrel #1 and then rinsed in water barrel #2.
Sunday we do it all over again. You can bring your own tanks, but a
fill is $5 and a rental is the same. You can also rent any
equipment there, except light or dive computer. If you want bigger
than 80 cu ft, you have to bring it yourself, but high pressure
tanks can be filled there.
The
Accommodations You can camp, or sleep in "Dale's
Bunkhouse", on a 30' bluff overlooking the launch cove. There are 5
triple bed spaces. Bunkers need to bring their bedrolls, pillows and
jammies. This half star accommodation features a gas range, sink
with clean looking but suspect running water, a water heater for the
showers, an indoor flush potty and a fantastic view. Campers will be
right in the bunkhouse "front yard", and use the facilities and
amenities. Plumbing etiquette of note: The plumbing in the
bunkhouse, has very little outflow drop, so like many Mexican
toilets, paper doesn't go down it. For paper, there is a fine
bucket next to the toilet. All utility water is trucked in.
Flushing for #1 is wasteful. More info about Dale's Bunkhouse
www.labufadoradive.com
Bunk Room
Kitchen
Dining
Meals
To cut down on gear transport, we supply breakfast, so you won't
have to cook anything. Fruit, sodas, toilet paper, parking fees, are
taken care of. In the evening we can walk over to some fine Mexican
restaurants for dinner. In the afternoon, the Bufadora strip
features cheap fish tacos, beer, and all sorts of other goodies. You
might want to bring a cooler for your beer.
Everyone should have some drinking water, say 1/2 gallon.
Assurances
Getting sick has not been a problem. Any food establishment uses
bottled water. The locals know who is supposed to be in the compound
and who isn't. We leave piles of gear lying about and have never had
a problem with anything disappearing.
Auto Insurance
Your American auto insurance is no good down there. You buy 48
hours worth at the border, like at the San Ysidro exit on 805. The
Mexicans are not unreasonable, but if you wreck something, your
check or promise to go home and get some money to pay for it is no
good. If you are uninsured, they impound your car, and if you hurt
somebody, they impound you. Insured? - No problem.
Click here for driving directions
Costs
Let's say two (2) of you dive both days, and carpool down. Prepaid
Deposit =$30 ea. which covers 2 days parking/camping fees, bunks if
you don't camp, 2 breakfasts, bottled water, tank and weight
haulers, tips, snacks, sodas, organization, etc. Two boat rides and
4 tank rentals = $80. Insurance =$26?, gas = $30? and road tolls
total $16. You are up to $146 each. More carpooling would make it
cheaper, as would not diving on either day. Now add money for
restaurants, souvenirs, margaritas, etc. Total, $30 deposit prepaid
and oh, $170 cash on you. And bring cash - no checks, no credit
cards, 10 miles to the nearest ATM.
