Cruising the Baja Coast Exploring The Gulf Of California It started out as a secret, and it still isn't all that well-known. Years ago, a few intrepid snowbird RV-ers began making the trip south down Baja California in the wintertime to enjoy the stellar combination of extremely affordable traveling, desert warmth and ocean views. Mexico has responded to northern visitors with a welcome addition: paved and maintained roads that let you drive all the way from the border to Cabo San Lucas at land's end. If you're diving around San Felipe, near the northern end of Baja's east coast, an SUV and a dive kayak are still a good idea. They let you seek out sites such as Black Mountain, a place that is somewhat of a legend among anglers, and you'll see why the moment you get to depth: Golden grouper grow to monstrous sizes here, as do Mexican hogfish. A paved road only about two years old leads south from San Felipe, although the traditional drive to the skinnier latitudes backtracks to Ensenada, providing the bonus of a second ocean view (the Pacific). From there, it's south past burros, giant saguaro and cardon cacti and the harsh beauty of the Cataviña Boulder Fields, then back to the East Coast to take in the Gulf of California again, before heading inland, once again, to La Paz. Diving off La Paz, you begin to get an idea of the theme of Baja diving: It's all about the animals. At El Bajo Seamounts, hammerheads congregate, while the small island of Las Animas is known for the variety of sharks on the prowl. Farther south still, you come to the Los Cabos ("Capes") area. Cabo Pulmo has its own National Marine Park, and offers the full guidebook assortment of undersea life. You'll find thick curtains of porkfish, butterflyfish and snapper. At El Bajo de los Meros, a narrow reef about half a mile long, everything from porpoises to mantas and whale sharks has been known to show up, accompanied by a cast-of-thousands assortment of tropical reef fish. Finally, literally at the end of the road, there's Cabo San Lucas, Baja's best-known dive destination, a reputation it deserves. At Cabo, you have a wide choice of land-based operators, or you can join a live-aboard for a trip out to the Boiler in the faraway Revillagigados Islands, arguably the greatest manta cleaning station and encounter in the world. Or hop on a live-aboard and cruise back up the Gulf of California and watch cruising whale sharks, play with curious sea lions and glimpse sailfish hunting in packs. Eight PADI Dive Resorts, one PADI Five-Star Dive Center and a PADI Five-Star IDC are congregated here, where one of the best-known sites is aptly known as Land's End - and is a magnet for sea lions, huge sea bass and morays - and has a shipwreck, to boot. Cabo also has the Sand Falls - a phenomenon reported on by Jacques Cousteau in his pioneering trips to the area - a good assortment of wall dives, and all the underwater action you'd expect in a place where the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California meet. Quick Guide: Must Do: No Road, No Problem - Get a taste of the old-fashioned (and heart-pounding) way of crossing Baja with Baja Bora off-road. Must Dive: Black Mountain (San Felipe), El Bajo Seamounts (La Paz), El Bajo de los Meros (Cabo Pulmo), the Boiler (San Benedicto, Revillagigedos), Sand Falls (Cabo San Lucas)