This beautiful body of water is known as the world’s youngest sea. The Baja Peninsula is the world’s third longest peninsula with over 2000 miles of coastline. The cool waters of the Pacific Ocean are found off the west coast and the much warmer Sea of Cortez is on the east. The Sea of Cortez is a thousand-mile ocean trench between the Baja on the west and the Sierra de la Madre Mountains of mainland Mexico on the east.
It is recorded that about 4-6 million years ago, a segment of the East Pacific Rise split, separating Baja from mainland Mexico shifting the Baja and much of southern California in a northwesterly direction. Organisms flourished in the sea created and the Sea of Cortez is now home to at least 3,000 species of marine creatures. It is known to have the richest abundance of sea life of anywhere on the planet.
The Sea of Cortez was discovered by Spaniard Francisco Ulloa in 1540. He named it for Hernan Cortes and although its official name is the Gulf of California, it’s widely known as the Sea of Cortes, the original name given.
The Colorado River empties into the northern end of the Sea of Cortes. At this point the area is flat and shallow with tides that vary by almost a mile between highs and lows and a heavily silted bottom.
The lower portion of the Sea of Cortes is a deep trough between the continental blocks that comprise the American continent and the Pacific shelf. The initial drop is about 2500 feet but just south of Cabo the depth increases to about 4,000 feet. The waters are warm ranging from 65 degrees in the winter to 88 degrees in the summer.
Most of the shoreline of the Baja is inaccessible by road and largely uninhabited. There are rugged islands surrounded by pristine bays that dot the Sea of Cortez. Jacques Cousteau, how explored the region, referred to the sea as the “world’s aquarium.” The Sea is renowned for its sport fishing, diving, snorkeling, boating and windsurfing. The amazing bounty includes shrimp, yellow fin tuna, dorado, red snapper, squid, black and striped marlin, sailfish and a huge variety of tropical reef fish.
Catch and release has become more common than not and the Mexican government has made efforts to prevent this rich sea from being fished dry. Cabo Pulmo, located on the East Cape has been designated as an underwater national park. Divers and snorkelers are welcome but no one may fish in this area.
A variety of water activities are offered in Cabo and there are several weeklong adventure and wildlife cruises that depart from Cabo, going as far north as Loreto. Whether you enjoy the Sea of Cortez in Los Cabos or take a longer cruise, this body of water is worth the adventure.
****Photo: Punta Chivato near Mulege on the Sea of Cortez
