Sea of Cortez · Mexico · Reef
Swanee Reef
Sea lions, rays and morays over coral heads in 11 m
Area photo: ProtoplasmaKid · CC BY-SA 4.0
Swanee Reef is a natural reef south of Isla Espiritu Santo, dived out of La Paz as a shallow, unhurried site rather than a technical one. Coral heads and walls hung with gorgonians sit in no more than 11 m of water, and the residents are the draw: sea lions, rays, moray eels and large schools of fish.
Where it is and how deep
24.3922° N, 110.3227° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The whole site sits inside easy recreational range. Cortez Club, which counts it among its divers' most cherished sites, puts the maximum depth at 11 m (35 ft), so a tank lasts a long time and there is no profile to manage beyond keeping an eye on the clock. The relief is coral heads scattered across the bottom with walls dressed in gorgonians, and the operator rates the visibility here as exceptional.
That leaves the dive to the animals. ScubaGo lists sea lions, rays, moray eels and large schools of fish on the reef, which makes this a dive spent working slowly around the coral heads and looking into the rock rather than covering ground. The same listing records the reef as also being the site of the Salvatierra ferry wreck, so the two names attach to one stretch of water south of Espiritu Santo.
Marine life and season
- Seals & sea lions
- Stingrays
- Reef fish swarms
| 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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Swanee Reef?+
The maximum depth is about 11 m (35 ft), so the site stays well inside no-decompression limits for a normal recreational dive.
Is Swanee Reef suitable for new divers?+
Yes. Cortez Club describes it as a novice introduction, and the shallow maximum depth means a long, straightforward dive on a single tank.
Sources
- Swanee Reef — ScubaGo — ScubaGo/SSI
- Dive Sites — Cortez Club — Cortez Club
In The Logbook
- Diving with seals and sea lionsBig animals · 17 min read
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