(3-minute read)
I’m back on the move again and landed in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico! I was here for a month and worked with Luke Inman and The Dive Gurus as well as Tiburón Ballena México (Whale Shark México), an NGO that focuses on conservation, education and sustainable management of whale sharks!
Here I was able to practice my Spanish, finish my PADI Divemaster course, and work so closely with whale sharks…I loved it! After this month I am eager to continue working with sharks and I am hoping to pursue more advanced dive certifications in the near future.
Diving in La Paz
When I first arrived in La Paz, I stayed with Luke Inman and focused on my mid-year video and diving.
I had the opportunity to take a regulator service class during this time and learned about every little part of the regulator. Taking it apart and putting it back together was daunting at first, but with enough questions and references, I successfully completed the class.
I was also able to do the iconic Los Islotes sea lion dive as well as the Fang Ming wreck dive. Both gorgeous dive sites and it was so nice to be back in warmer waters with such playful megafauna!
Later in the month, I was able to do even more diving with The Dive Gurus and learn more about working as a Divemaster with a shop! Moving and cleaning gear, making conversation with customers, and helping out where I could was really fun.
The last thing I was able to do with Luke and his dive shop before leaving was finally finish my Divemaster course! I have been trying to complete it since the beginning of 2023 and it feels so good to be done and I am looking forward to continue advancing my dive career throughout my scholarship year.
Whale Sharks in La Paz
The next portion of my trip involved volunteering with the organization, Whale Shark Mexico. This organization is responsible for a continuous monitoring program on the distribution and abundance of the species in the Gulf of California. This is one of the few places in the world where whale sharks can be found as both juveniles and adult pregnant females.
When I first started volunteering here, we initially weren’t able to do much due to Hurricane Norma rolling in (and I experienced my first hurricane!). The port was closed for a few days and we were stuck inside as the storm had passed.
After the storm, there was a lot of debris near the ocean, and before jumping back into the water, we made sure to help out with clean up where we could. I have seen aftermaths of hurricanes and big storms on social media before, but seeing it in person and seeing the amount of trash left me reflecting on my own plastic consumption.
Once the water cleared, we got right back to work. We would spend hours searching for whale sharks all along La Paz Bay and if one was spotted we would get in the water and do a full work up. This included taking photos, getting measurements, documenting injuries, etc. We would later upload this data to a local and global database.
After the whale shark season is over, this organization focuses primarily on whale shark injuries data that was collected. The injuries were categorized based on severity from little nicks and lacerations to amputations from passing boats. This data will then be presented to the Mexican government to discuss how laws can change to prevent this species from being further injured in the future. It was really cool to be able to contribute to such a project!
NGOs work so hard to live by their mission and goals and I think that it is such an inspiring thing to witness.
Overall, it was really wonderful finally spending more time with whale sharks, and throughout my year I hope to continue finding my place in the world of shark conservation!
Thank you so much to Luke Inman and The Dive Gurus for taking me out diving and helping me finish my Divemaster course and thank you to Tiburón Ballena México for an amazing few weeks of working with these amazing animals.
Thank you to the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society and our sponsor Rolex for making this scholarship experience a possibility. I would also like to thank Reef Photo and Video, Nauticam and Light and Motion for my underwater camera setup as well as Aqualung, Fourth Element, Suunto, Halcyon, and DUI for my diving equipment.
