Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, México – The marina seemed much quieter today. My wife suggested it may have been because all of the spring breakers were still asleep…or hung over. That was fine with us. Less of a crowd to deal with.
When we first arrived at the marina, we were looking for a way to get over to Mango Deck. A friend of my wife’s told her that we should visit there. A debate ensued: Do we want go where the party’s at, or do we want to try and find a nice place to enjoy some peace and quiet? We choose the peace and quiet. But we did want to find out why Mango Deck is so popular.
We looked for the guy we met at the marina yesterday who told us about all of the activities he could arrange for us, but we didn’t see him. It may have been too early. We found another guy who hooked us up with a round-trip via water taxi. For US$6 he’d have a boat take us on a tour of Land’s End, drop us off by Mango Deck, and come get us a few hours later. We got a tour of Land’s End the last two times we were here but we gladly went again. This time, because it was earlier in the morning, it was less crowded on the water and the lighting was much better. And, it was basically a private tour; my wife and I were the only passengers.
Land’s End marks the end of the Baja California Peninsula and is at the confluence of the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California or Sea of Cortés. If you were to sail due south from this point, the next land mass you’d reach would be Antarctica.
Our guide pointed out the famous granite rock formations as we passed them. He even slowed the boat occasionally to give us a chance to take a few pictures.
Pelican Rock is one of the first formations our guide pointed out. We didn’t see any pelicans as we sailed by, but we did see a couple of humans jumping off the rock. I wondered how they got up there, much less how they got to the rock to begin with. Then I saw their small boat wedged in between some of the smaller rocks at the base. Pelican Rock is also great dive site.
Two minutes later we came upon a very interesting sight. Jutting out the water was a tall, slender, jagged formation called Neptune’s Finger. If you look at it from a certain angle, it looks like a lightning bolt striking the sea. Word has it that this is another good dive site.
Lover’s Beach (Playa de los Amantes) or Love Beach (Playa del Amor) greeted us next. This is a pretty popular spot both to photograph and to relax on. Get there early enough and you can have the beach all to yourself; for a while at least. But rest assured, a small crowd will soon arrive. There is a roped-off section directly in front of the beach. That marks an area where motorized boats are not permitted; in order to protect swimmers, I guess.
Oddly enough, just opposite Lover’s Beach on the Pacific side is Divorce Beach. You have to time the tide just right to be able to get a boat close enough to safely land there. Not only that, there are rough waves and a strong rip current to deal with. Swimming is not prohibited, but the tide and current make it dangerous to do so.
There’s this joke: Want to know why it’s called Divorce Beach? Try taking your spouse there. I imagine that joke referred to taking your spouse there via the Pacific Ocean entrance. Don’t despair, though. You can easily get to Divorce Beach by just walking across from Lover’s Beach. And your marriage will remain intact. Supposedly, it is a very nice beach with great views of Land’s End and the open Pacific Ocean.
I didn’t remember any of the guides pointing out the next formation during our previous visits. Our guide said it is called Scooby-Doo Rock. When viewed from the right angle, you can make out the ears and snout. You can then understand how this formation got its name.
There was another boat in front of us when we reached this point. Our water taxi driver thoughtfully cut the engine, allowing us to drift around until the other boat left. We then had an unobstructed view of Scooby-Doo Rock, nicely framed between The Friars.
Right around this area is a small keyhole-like opening in the rock, appropriately named Window to the Pacific. The view is not the same when viewed from the Pacific side. Even the color of the water is different. On the cooler Pacific side, it’s bluer. The warmer Sea of Cortés has waters that are more of a teal shade.
It was interesting watching the water rush through the ‘window’; waves from the Pacific crash through to the Sea of Cortés, then recede back from whence they came. I wonder what the situation would be like here during a storm. I wouldn’t want to be in the area, but I would like to see a video of it.
Probably the most iconic sight in Cabo San Lucas is El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, or El Arco (The Arch) for short. When you search for images of Cabo San Lucas, I can pretty much guarantee you that El Arco will show up high and often in the results. It is pretty much synonymous with Cabo San Lucas.
The best time to photograph this formation is before the sun climbs too high in the sky. By then, the natural brown and tan colors of the formation turn grayish as its details become washed out by the sun. Or, wait until sunset. By that time, the colors of the sea and sky frame the arch and the other formations very nicely.
We hung out here for a bit admiring the features of this iconic natural wonder and appreciating the lighting. No matter how many times I’ve see this formation, I still find it fascinating. During my visits I’ve captured several images of El Arco, from the sea and from the air. Still trying to get that perfect shot. I shouldn’t feel too bad, though. Using wind and water erosion to sculpt the arch and the other surrounding formations, nature has been working on this landmark for 30 million years.
We continued out toward Land’s End, the end of Baja California. Which put us by La Lobera, also called The Rookery. Sea lions love to climb up on this rock and sun themselves. We happened to catch them as they took their mid-morning snooze. They looked so content up there and seemed to take absolutely no interest in us. Maybe they were recovering from last night’s Spring Break revelry, too.
The rock formations at the tip of the southern peninsula are known as Los Frailes (The Friars). We didn’t spend much time here, instead quickly rounding the tip of the peninsula and crossing over into the Pacific. The water was rougher here. Our guide explained the dangers of getting too close to the rocks in this area. The boat slowed and we began to bob up and down along with each swell, giving us a taste of how much of a difference there is between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortés.
The engine started back up. From The Friars, we circled back between them and El Arco. Our guide pointed out some other formations along the way, including the famous Pirate’s Cave. The entrance to the cave is inaccessible by land. The only way in is by water. The cave and surrounding area along the peninsula made an excellent location from which 16th, 17th, and 18th century pirates (or privateers, depending on whose ship you were aboard) could ambush unsuspecting treasure-laden vessels that were headed for Aguada Segura in nearby San José del Cabo to get fresh water. Land’s End provided a very effective natural cover for their operation.
Less than half an hour after we passed by Lover’s Beach on the way down to Land’s End, we passed again on the way back. By this time it was already starting to get crowded. Maybe a half dozen people were already on the beach. Two catamarans were anchored nearby. A smaller boat full of tourists cruised by. A handful of kayakers were making their way ashore. All of which meant no more uncluttered photos of the beach. Yet another thing that made me glad we started our tour early.
As we got closer to the marina, I looked for the pelicans I usually see taking advantage of the ground effects as they skimmed just inches above the water, but they weren’t around; well, except for the one we saw resting on a ledge of The Rookery. Veering off from the marina’s entrance, our guide headed for a section of beach near Mango Deck and dropped us off. We’d meet him back here in a couple of hours. At least that was the plan.
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