A Week of Diving the Amazing Midriff Islands in the Sea of Cortez

Please join our Triangle Scuba Group for a week of diving in the fabulous Sea of Cortez in August 2025.

If you are not familiar with diving in the SOC (Sea of Cortez), you really should be. You would expect a place like this to be far, far away: A world with no planes, very few boats, amazing sunsets, and starry milky-way nights. But you don't have to travel around the world to get to this magical world... the boat is only a van-ride from Phoenix International Airport (PHX)!

Above the water, the cliffs and pinnacles of the Baha landscape are just breathtakingly gorgeous, but under the surface is where it really gets spectacular. Dive on untouched walls and reefs abounding in marine life including forests of black coral.

Encounter whales and rays, schools of sardines and various other fish species, and see countless eels, octopus, fish, and jumping mobula rays.

Diving here is a photographer's dream, with many types of nudibranchs, colorful blennies, dancing jawfish, BIG sea horses (sorry no riding please), and frog fish.

And the week concludes with an afternoon snorkeling with whale sharks!

But if you ask most divers who come here, year after year, their absolute favorite part is diving with the playful, inquisitive sea lions who come out and swim, spin, and dance with us in a cross-species celebration of pure joy. And no, in SOC you don't have to put on a drysuit to hang with these guys. The water is typically warm (mid 80's! ) and even wetsuits are just optional.

We will be spending the week on the liveaboard Rocio Del Mar, known for its great food (3 meals daily, PLUS continental breakfast, snacks, and complementary beer and wine) and a fantastic customer service ethic.

The dive guides are local divers, each one exuding enthusiasm for diving and love for this unique, pristine place. And one night, they will make us authentic Mexican tacos..

Those of you who attend Down Under Dive Club meetings in Cary may remember a presentation about SOC given by Susan Long. This trip is one of those that Susan presented in that meeting.

Space on this trip is very limited, and the price is surprisingly affordable. (Any group discounts get shared among us). If, like most of us, your diving has been confined to the Caribbean, this is a great opportunity to see something new and wonderful without breaking the bank or spending days travelling.

If you think you might want to know more specifics, please send an email to trianglescubanc@gmail.com, and Paul will respond with the specifics.

A great video introduction to this diving can be found at: https://youtu.be/osElgbZodbU