Dive Review of MS Valentina in
Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez

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MS Valentina: "Luxury 5 day liveaboard adventure so close to home", Aug, 2019, by Eric Schindler, AZ, US ( Contributor 16 reports with 19 Helpful votes). Report 11092 has 2 Helpful votes.
No photos available at this time
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	The Sea of Cortez is such a unique environment that makes it a must on the bucket list. Highlights on this trip were the large schools of different fish on each dive - hundreds of mobula rays on one, barracuda on another. You thought you have seen morays but at "moray condominium" 13 four footers were all in the same large hole fighting for space and your photographs, while 20 more were in neighboring holes. And of course sea lions are always unique and fun to dive with, usually at the end of the dive while you and they play in the shallows. Visibility varied significantly, and one must always be prepared for thermoclines. At times the temp dropped ten degrees in five feet, and the hazy blending zone is always intriguing. No sharks this trip, thought whale sharks and hammerheads are occasional treats according to the dive master. What makes this trip stand out is the extraordinary service, camaraderie of the crew, excellent food, and large outside facing cabins. We were lucky that only 9 passengers were on our cruise (capacity is 20), and two were snorkelers (who had ample sites to explore), so lots of attention and space. See the Feb 2017 Undercurrent issue for a full article, which was quite accurate. Much better and more diverse than any Caribbean experience of late, and a place to go when an Indo-Pacific destination is not on the menu, for a change.
Websites	MS Valentina
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Indonesia, Coral Triangle, Caribbean, Mexico, Pacific, etc.
Closest Airport	La Paz	Getting There	Two choices: Tijuana airport to La Paz is fastest and cheapest, once you get to San Diego and walk across the Cross Border Express Bridge to TIJ. Or you can fly to Cabo and take a 3 hour shuttle to La Paz
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, surge, no currents
Water Temp	70-80°F / 21-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-90 Ft/ 9-27 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	All dives were guided, loosely. Normal expectations - no deco diving, if you run low on air before group dive ends, ascend early. Most dives were 50-55 minutes long to allow for four a day
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 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	Large camera table, big rinse tanks, perhaps with a large group competition for charging ports would be an issue. Crew quite supportive of

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of MS Valentina in Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez

MS Valentina: "Luxury 5 day liveaboard adventure so close to home", Aug, 2019,

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 MS Valentina in
Mexico (Western)/Sea of Cortez