Sea of Cortez · Mexico · Cave & cavern · Wall
Isla Ballena
Swim-through caves and a standing garden of conger eels
Area photo: ProtoplasmaKid · CC BY-SA 4.0
Isla Ballena is a small island off the west coast of Isla Espiritu Santo, dived for its cut-through caves rather than its depth. The profile runs from about 6 m to 18 m, one of the swim-throughs holds a pocket of trapped air divers can surface into, and a sandy shelf between the islands carries a garden of conger eels standing vertically out of the bottom.
Where it is and how deep
24.4829° N, 110.4029° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The island side is the structural half of the dive. Cortez Club describes several dive-through caves cut into the rock, one of them holding a pocket of air big enough to surface inside, and the depths across the site run from 20 to 60 feet (18 m), so the caves can be worked slowly without pushing a profile. It is described as a novice-friendly site, and the shallow end leaves plenty of gas for a long look at each opening.
Away from the rock the ground changes. A sandy shelf between the islands holds what the operator calls a garden of conger eels, their bodies extended vertically out of holes in the sea floor and withdrawing as divers approach, which rewards a slow, low approach over a direct swim. Schools of rays cross the same open ground, and pods of dolphins are reported passing the site.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Dolphins
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Sea of Cortez: Water warms June-November for the best hammerhead and pelagic action at El Bajo; winter is cooler with rougher boat crossings.
Know before you go
- One swim-through holds a trapped air pocket you can surface into; it is still an overhead environment, so keep the exit in sight, watch your gas, and do not breathe the pocket.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the dive at Isla Ballena?+
Depths run from about 6 m to 18 m (20 to 60 feet), so the site stays inside straightforward recreational limits throughout.
What is there to see at Isla Ballena?+
Several dive-through caves, one with a surfaceable air pocket, plus a conger eel garden on the sandy shelf between the islands and schools of rays crossing it.
Sources
- Dive Sites — Cortez Club — Cortez Club
- Isla Ballena — OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Sea of Cortez
Wreck
A scuttled navy hull in about 18 m of island water
Seamount
A hammerhead seamount with nothing showing at the surface
Wreck
A scuttled smuggling ship with multi-level penetration at 21 m
Pinnacle
A lighthouse islet with sea lions and passing mantas
Pinnacle
A current-swept pinnacle off Cerralvo with large groupers
Wall
Boulder wall to 27 m with summer mobula ray squadrons
A 1976 ferry wreck with her cargo trucks still aboard
Reef
Sea lions, rays and morays over coral heads in 11 m
Similar dives elsewhere
An air dome at the end of the first cave
A 5 m cave passage that comes out at Dofí Sud
Daylight drops through a collapsed roof into a 37 m (120-foot) chamber
Two caves and a wall, with fresh water on the ceiling