Close Encounters of the Cabo Kind

There's been a lot of space news lately, with rocket launches and release of "X-Files," but you don't need to go to other planets to have close encounters with amazing creatures.

No matter how many times we snorkel, it always feels like visiting an alien planet.  We can fly with remarkable denizens of the seas through scenic coral landscapes.

While visiting new snorkel spots can add a bit of mystery, returning to favorite spots like Hilo's Richardson Beach, Bermuda's Tobacco Bay and Cabo San Lucas can still delight and dazzle.

We had a double dip of Cabo during our recent Mexican Riviera cruise aboard Royal Princess.  A police raid on a drug cartel in Puerto Vallarta a couple of weeks before our cruise resulted in Princess and other cruise lines diverting ships to avoid PV.

Fortunately, Princess added a second day in Cabo to make up for missing Puerto Vallarta.

The last time we went to Cabo, we met a guy who said he'd walked to Pelican Rock.  Always happy to save money, we decided to try strolling instead of taking a boat on this lovely March day, with morning temperatures in the low 70s.

As it turned out, the water level was a bit too high to get all the way to the snorkel beach without swimming, so we set up camp by a little stretch of beach a few hundred yards away and then went one at a time to snorkel.

The water was considerably cooler than we'd encountered in Costa Rica, but with a rash guard, it was quite comfortable, especially once exerting energy to swim.

Appropriate to the name of the area, two huge pelicans stood sentry on a craggy rock perch, and fortunately they decided I wasn't likely to endanger their prey.

As to whether Pelican Rock was more crowded because it has become better known to cruise passengers or because detoured itineraries brought an extra ship there, I can't say for sure, but next time we may have to seek a more distant snorkel spot.

A lot of small tour boats hovered near the best snorkel area.  When motoring around, the boats stir up sediments and bubbles that obscure underwater views.

In any case, there were lots of fishy friends to swim with.  There was also a huge sea lion who seemed a bit territorial.

Each snorkel dive is unique, never to be repeated again.  It is such a special experience, one I wish my dad would have experienced before he passed away, but he was not a swimmer.  He loved all animals, including swimming pets in multiple aquariums, all purchased at Tex's Tropical Fish on East 2nd Street in Belmont Shores 

We enjoyed a lovely day before walking back on what became an 80-plus degree day, catching the tender back to the ship.  We thought about going back to shore, but as often happens, once on the ship late in the day, it is tempting to stay there. We enjoy lounge chairs in the sun looking out at shore or up at Movies Under the Stars.

That might have been the day when I lingered to watch Carlos Santana Live at Montreux while I sat in a hot tub when Julie went to shower in preparation for another great evening of dining and entertainment. 

The next morning, the same destination was at the door of our floating resort.

We were determined to go whale watching.  We spoke with another couple on the tender boat who said they had a reservation for a similar trip.

Rather than going to the pirate tour sales booths right by the pier where we have bought similar boat trips before, we decided to go to an official whale watching tour company.  As it happened, the other couple was walking that same direction.

We went into the official whale watching excursion vendor's nice office to get a quote.  The price was considerably higher than we would have preferred, and this wasn't the kind of place for haggling, it seemed.  Even at half price, they would have been high.

As we left, another pirate tour seller was standing there and offered a similar trip for the price we wanted to pay, so we told him to lead on.

We ended up on the same boat as the other couple, and we were the only passengers for this day trip.

The captain was a good sailor but had limited English skills, so there wouldn't be much of a narration to go along with what we saw, but he took us to the arches and caves for which Cabo is known.

The other couple was a retired history teacher and his wife, both from Ohio.

As it turned out, they were lively conversationalists, so perhaps the guide did speak English but couldn't get a word in edgewise.

When he spotted a whale, he didn't need words to describe the excitement of a close encounter with a beast considerably larger than our boat of questionable durability.

As to how much the other couple paid relative to how much we paid, I can't tell you, but we had negotiated to be dropped at Pelican Rock after whale watching, and then theoretically our captain would return to pick us up a couple of hours later.

There's always a question mark in our minds as to what will happen on these pirate excursions, as comedienne Kathleen Madigan does a good job capturing.

A couple of guys from shore helped us off the boat as it rocked in the shore breaks.  We managed to not only stay on our feet but to get our shore bag onto the rocks that served as our beach chair that day.

One of the guys who helped us off immediately offered his services to get us set up, but we declined his a la carte offers.

"Cerveza?"

"Maybe later."

Being much closer to the snorkel area makes it easier, but the sandy beach we had the prior day was preferable while basking in the sun between dives.

Before long, I got a Pacifico Beer for $5, putting it on a tab after explaining that digging into my wife's carefully packed bag would not be happening at that moment.  He laughed and handed me a Pacifico.

When I brought him $5 an hour later, the entrepreneur laughed and said he'd forgotten about that.

Not long after that, our captain returned as he promised he would.

Our rock and brew concierge helped us on the boat.

"Tip?"  He wasn't shy about asking for the reward for being a helpful host, but he did not make it a demand in advance.  I handed him a few dollars, basically splitting the tip we intended to give the captain, because we never bring more money ashore than we think we'll use.

Photo purists may note that the snorkel photos were all taken the first day in Cabo, and of course whale-watching was all taken the second day.

One of our "neighbor" cruise ships, Carnival Panorama

Back on board, we enjoyed the usual great evening activities, with a return to the Elite Lounge where Julie had white wine while I savored what became my regular happy hour $8 drink, a Boulevardier --- a rye cousin of the Negroni --- along with tasty tapas.

Happy Hour was interrupted briefly when the Royal Princess Captain announced we were passing whales.  Julie hustled outside to get some photos, including a spouting whale.  I guarded the drinks and tapas from the unlikely appearance of marauding pirates on the high seas.

I'm happy to report that life is still good when cruising the Mexican Riviera, even if there is a detour!