Swim with sea lions in La Paz?

[CowPrincess]

Has anyone done this? My DH really wants to do this, I'm a bit concerned about how long it runs. It is not offered through the ship, only through the private operator.

 

Any feedback on getting back to the ship on time?

 

Any feedback on how rough the sea lions play? We spoke with a couple who had done it and they were shocked at how"nippy" the sea lions were.

 

Any feedback on how safety concious the operators are?

 

Any feedback about the boat used? In the pics it looks pretty small and old-ish.

 

I wouldn't be doing it, just going along as an observer, but DH is REALLY interested. I just want to be able to relax on the boat while he swims, and not worry about making it back to the ship on time.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Laurie S.]

I did it as one of our two-tank dives. I didn't like how many snorkelers were out there, it was way too crowded. But then, I'm used to swimming with sea lions in San Carlos. I had fun with the sea lions, but one did grab one of my fins and another bit my upper arm. As long as you don't pull away, you don't get hurt. The best part of the day was on the way back and they let us swim with the whale sharks. That made the whole thing worthwhile.

[CowPrincess]

Thanks Laurie S. Wow, whale sharks :) Were you a group by yourselves, or were other people with you in the group? How long from start to finish, roughly?

 

Thanks for your reply!

[Laurie S.]

We had seven people (we met on our roll call) on our dive boat (five divers and two snorkels) I think it took about 30 minutes to get to the island. I was rather surprised at how many boats were there when we arrived, at least six, maybe more. I'm used to being the only boat in San Carlos. The water was teeming with people. LOL

 

We did one dive there, then did our surface interval on board while moving to the next dive spot, then cruised over to the whale sharks. We probably were on the water around three or four hours.

 

We were so amazed by our whale shark experience that every time we ran into each other on board, which was a lot, we yelled out "whale shark!" You can even hear it on the cruise video during the marriage game. I also ended up naming my boat that.

[CowPrincess]

Awesome info, thanks so much (not wild about the # of boats in the area, will definitely tell DH).... "whale shark" :D

[Laurie S.]

I should add that we had so much fun together, that one couple and I are still close friends and we've been on two more cruises together since. :)