COST ESTIMATE: around $200 for the weekend. That's the $30 deposit + 2 days diving + insurance, gas, tolls, Everything. (carpooling)
Let's say two (2) of you dive both days, and carpool down. Prepaid Deposit =$30 ea. which covers 2 days parking/camping fees, bunks if you don't camp, 2 breakfasts, bottled water, tankandweight haulers, tips, snacks, sodas, organization, etc.
Two boat rides and 4 tank rentals = $80. Insurance =$26?, and gas = $30? and road tolls total $16. You are up to $146 each. More carpooling would make it cheaper, as would not diving on either day. Now add money for restaurants, souveniers, margaritas, etc. Total, $30 deposit prepaid and oh, $170 cash on you. And bring cash - no checks, no credit cards, 10 miles to the nearest ATM.
Driving Down: Most folks prefer to drive Friday afternoon and get there before dark to claim a good bunk or campsite. Figure 3 hours driving. You will get printed road directions. If anybody there asks for $10 parking fees ($5/day/vehicle. Tell them "No, Dive Animals is paying". They may write down your license plate number like they do many cars entering the compound.
If you need to carpool, tell me, so we can match people ahead of time. Tell me if you have room in that huge bulbous SUV you bought.
Sleeping arrangements: Some will sleep in "Dale's Bunkhouse", which is on a 20' bluff overlooking the launch cove. It has one dorm style bedroom with bunkbeds. Bunkers need to bring their bedrolls, pillows and jammies. This half star accommodation features a gas range, sink with clean looking but suspect water, a water heater for the showers, an indoor flush potty and a fantastic view. Campers will be right in the bunkhouse "front yard", and use the facilities and amenities.
To cut down on gear transport, we will supply breakfasts, so you won't have to cook anything. Fruit, sodas, toilet paper will be there. In the evening we can walk over to some fine Mexican restaurants for dinner. In the afternoon, the Bufadora strip features cheap fish tacos, beer, and all sorts of other goodies. You might want to bring a cooler for your beer. You should have some drinking water in your car, say 1/2 gallon.
DIVE PLAN: In the morning, we will launch in 3 boats to different places. I will list the dive sites and we can preassign you to Boat 20foot, 22foot or 24foot (AKA, Chico, Medio & Grande)
The first boat is held while divers load gear = 2 tanks, and a bag with your suit top, hood, light, fins, and such. You wear wetsuit bottoms and booties. Put your BC on one tank, but load the other tank first. NOTE, the water is at least as cold as San Diego water.
The boatmen know divers lag, so they won't bring boats to shore until they see a pile of gear on the sand. Preferably 3 piles. Dale's truck will carry tanks & weights down the ramp, and then we set them on the beach. There will be a couple helpers.
Each person is responsible for getting his own gear on the boat. If you rented tanks, you should know them by sight, to be sure you got them on the boat. Choose a seat on the boat, and try to get your bag, weights and BC'd tank placed by/under your seat. Then little people get in, and big people push the boat into the next good wave as they jump in.
At the dive site, gear up and fall backwards off the boat. This can be a wall dive with surge. If a wall, take a compass heading on it and drop down about 30' with your buddy, then level off and swim to it. You must have good bouyancy control. The diving is 40 to 60' for the prettiest stuff, but the bottom could be 100+. Surge may move you back and forth. Go ahead and grab the rocks - they are covered with sponge. Don't grab a sea urchin. If you have not done this sort of thing before, we suggest you buddy with someone who has; not your sweety who knows no more than yourself. Bring a dive light.
After the dive, swim back away from the rock wall and then surface. The boat will come to you. Hand your weight belt to someone in the boat, and then give up your rig. Then struggle up over the side yourself. We change tanks in the surface interval.
After the second tank, the boat returns, and the helpers carry stuff and we wash gear. People may take a nap. You gotta walk over to the famous La Bufadora. It is a Mexican tourist spot and offers great souvenier shopping.
Sunday we do it all over again.
You can bring your own tanks, but a fill is $5 and a rental is the same. You can also rent any equipment there, except light or dive computer. If you want bigger than 80 cu ft, you have to bring it yourself, but high pressure tanks can be filled there.
AUTO INSURANCE: Your American auto insurance is no good down there. You buy 48 hours worth at the border, like at the San Ysidro exit on 805. The Mexicans are not unreasonable, but if you wreck something, your check or promise to go home and get some money to pay for it is no good. If you are uninsured, they impound your car, and if you hurt somebody, they impound you. Insured? - No problem.
YOU DO KNOW ABOUT THE POTTY? The plumbing in the bunkhouse, has very little outflow drop, so like many Mexican toilets, paper doesn't go down it. For paper, there is a fine bucket next to the toilet. All utility water is trucked in. Flushing for #1 is wasteful. There will be a trough for dunking sandy booties. Gear is dunked in water barrel #1 and then rinsed in water barrel #2.
ASSURANCES: Getting sick has not been a problem. Any food establishment uses bottled water. The locals know who is supposed to be in the compound and who isn't. We leave piles of gear lying about and nobody bothers it.
The dive shop can rent you most anything, except lights and computers. High pressure tanks can be filled there, though not rented.