#and the silly little shrimp and starfish

[utsuboarchive]

IM LOSING MY MMMMIND

THEY LOOK SO GOOD WHAT WHAT

[anotherscientist13]

so i kinda decided why not kinda add a few arachnids and like a few crustaceans (LAST TIME I DID NOT KNOW A SILLY PILL BUG WAS A CRUSTACEAN, I MEAN PAL HAS THE NAME BUG.)

So uhh, even though this is “BUG WARS” let’s give the arachnids and crustaceans a chance.

BTW WHAT EVER WINS THIS ROUND WILL GO TO ROUND 17 (ROUND 17 WILL INCLUDE BEES, MOTHS, AND THE WINNER OF CRUSTACEANS OR ARACHNIDS.)

CRUSTACEANS INCLUDE : PILL BUGS, STARFISH, SHRIMP, LOBSTER, and CRAB.

ARACHNIDS INCLUDE : TICKS, SCORPIONS, TARANTULAS/ SPIDERS, MITES, and ofc what I said earlier for the people who don’t like huge silly spiders we got normal SPIDERS.

LETS CONTINUE ROUND 17

oh yea btw if you did read this little part thanks, btw these special round where they are not bugs will be called uhhhhhhhhhh “ARACHNIDS OR CRUSTACEANS WARS” horrible idea but it works.

and yes I did google what in the world is a crustacean and a arachnid cuz I needed more than one. OMG SO MUCH TO READ.

[archaeocommunologist]

As I said in my comment, I do think that there is an ethical argument for veganism, and that this argument consists of several interlocking premises above and beyond what I refer to as "the suffering premise."

I think that you're also misunderstanding what the "suffering premise" entails a little bit. The fact that non-human animals eat other animals has to do with the suffering that causes; it has nothing to do with "basing human behavior on animal behavior." IF the problem with humans eating shrimp is that it causes the shrimp to suffer, THEN the exact same problem holds for a penguin eating shrimp, because the shrimp suffer the same way no matter what is eating them. You would need to introduce additional arguments (generally about the "necessity" of suffering) to avoid a ridiculous ethical commitment like "if it were possible, we would be obligated to prevent all forms of non-human carnivory world-wide."

Your first point, that animals don't have a choice whereas humans do, is actually the strongest vegan argument in my opinion. Because, yes indeed, humans have the moral agency to make these kinds of decisions and non-human animals don't. This gives humans a special responsibility to minimize the suffering caused by our need to eat (or so the argument would run).

However, I think many vegans would object to this framing as "speciesist," because it intrinsically posits humans as superior to all non-human animals. Humans are obligated to be vegan specifically because we have a superior capacity for moral action; we are superior to all other animals in that sense. If you're willing to accept that premise, I think you've got a good base for an ethical argument, and yet I've seen many, many tumblr vegans react very negatively to it.

The next argument you put forward is a weaker one; in my head, I refer to it as the "it's the least you can do" argument. I think this argument is fine, such as it is, but it's really not compatible with the kind of forceful suffering-based arguments that many vegans put forward. Same goes for the "starfish thrower" argument. Sure, the guy on the beach thinks he's doing something, but I don't think anybody else has a particularly good reason to agree!

As an example, you might say, "why not avoid eating shrimp if it doesn't cost you much and you can do a little bit of good?" to which I can very easily respond, "well, if it doesn't cost very much and only does a little bit of good, why don't I keep eating shrimp (because I enjoy it) and do something else that's more effective?"

At some point, this line of argumentation boils down to, "well, I think being vegan is the most ethical choice for me, personally." Which is a bulletproof argument for you, but it's not very effective at convincing other people, nor is it a good base for arguing that everybody should be vegan.

To address the last few bits, I think it's very naive to think that "being cooked alive" is the worst thing that happens to shrimp. Most predators are perfectly happy to eat their prey alive, sometimes in ways that appear to be shockingly painful and drawn-out. You can argue that "humane slaughter" doesn't exist for humans, but it definitely doesn't exist for non-human predators. "The suffering isn't as bad in the wild" is not a true statement.

And finally, I want to draw us back to those two premises I said we could take as given: that shrimp do suffer in a way comparable to humans, and that we therefore need to care in a way comparable to the way we care about human suffering.

I think both premises are quite obviously very silly, and I think you illustrate that when you ask "does the fact that human children suffer in cobalt mines mean we can't care about the suffering of individual shrimp?" My answer is: yes it does, full stop. I don't think the suffering of human children and the suffering of shrimp are at all comparable, even in the slightest. I do not think that individual shrimp merit any form of moral consideration at all.

Anyway, thanks for you reply, and for letting me develop some of my thoughts on the thing.

@watercolourpeony

OK. Let’s take as a given 1.) that shrimp do suffer, and that they suffer in a way that is meaningfully similar to human suffering and 2.) that because individual shrimp are capable of experiencing suffering, it is incumbent upon us as ethical actors to prevent or mitigate that suffering.

If both of those things are true, it’s easy to see how veganism as an ethical commitment falls out! But veganism is definitely not the only implication of these premises, and that’s where the problems start to crop up.

One problem is: what about everything else that eats shrimp? If the reason for me, as a human, to avoid eating shrimp is because it causes suffering to the individual shrimp I am eating, I don’t see how we can be blasé to all the fish, turtles, seals, and penguins who spend all-day-every-day eating shrimp. Shouldn’t we be doing something about that suffering? If not, why not? After all, even if every human stopped eating shrimp today, there would still be vast numbers of shrimp dying horrible, painful deaths!

Another problem: what about consumption that harms other humans, but indirectly? For example, we know that some large proportion of the world’s cobalt is mined using child slaves. Are you doing everything in your power to make sure your electronics don’t have child-slave cobalt in them? If not, how do you explain your ethical priorities? Shouldn’t the suffering of human children be at least as important as the suffering of shrimp?

In my view, the answer to both of these problems basically boils down to feasibility. We don’t do anything about the on-going genocide against shrimp that occurs in every ocean of the world every day of the year, because, well, what are we supposed to do? The penguins need to eat, and it’s difficult to see how we, as a human society, would helpfully intervene. Similarly, it’s very difficult to function in the developed world without a phone and laptop, and the supply chains that provide the cobalt for those electronics are obscured, so it’s hard to verify whether or not child slavery has been involved. Most of us it seems (including all the Tumblr vegans) buy what we can afford and hope for the best.

And that’s all fine, as far as it goes. But if you permit the feasibility exemption, it seriously weakens your categorical assertion that it is always wrong for humans to eat shrimp. If it’s OK for a penguin to eat shrimp because it must, and if it’s OK for you to have a smartphone because it’s hard to tell whether or not child slavery has been involved in its provenance, it seems a bit weak to then make strong claims about the moral necessity for all people to prevent the suffering of tiger prawns.

All of which is to say: you’re actually admitting that causing suffering is acceptable if it’s “necessary.” But then you need to work to define what is “necessary” because that definition will change wildly between people. Is it “necessary” for me, as a white person living in a developed country, to eat shrimp? What about a brown person from a fishing community in the developing world? What about a poor white person from a fishing community in the developed world who is working to revitalize their fading industry through aquaculture? And on and on. It’s disingenuous in the extreme to position yourself as the arbiter of “necessity” for all people everywhere.

I really do think that the suffering argument is the very weakest one that gets marshalled in defence of veganism, despite its enduring popularity.

[pinkanonwrites]

Leech Twins With a Mermaid S/O

I had a request for this and accidentally deleted it, so I wanted to do it right now before I forgot! Here you go, sorry I deleted it!!

On the surface, not much would be all that different in yours and Jade’s relationship than if you were a human. You being a mermaid is just another novelty to him, another curiosity about you that he wants to poke and prod at.

He has this almost predatory admiration for your mermaid form, always wanting to study and inspect you. Especially your beautiful scales. You’d let him have a few if he asked, wouldn’t you? Something special, a part of you that’s just for him to covet? What? Of course he’s referring to the ones you shed, did you think he wanted you to pull one off for him? Such a silly little fish.~

Takes you to all the beautiful places of the Coral Sea, in exchange for you going with him to wander the mountain trails looking for curious flowers and fungi. He loves to show you all the pretty places he enjoys.

Quickly exchanges the nickname ‘Shrimpy’ for whatever marine animal you most closely resemble. Why would he keep calling you a silly little shrimp when there’s a much more perfectly obvious fishy to be referring to you as?

While Jade takes you to beautiful coral reefs and elegant kelp forests, Floyd takes you to sunken ships he played in as a kid, sandbars where he and Jade would hunt for starfish and sand dollars. He shows you the places that feel most like home to him, and wants to share in those happy memories with you.

Constantly initiating races and games of chase while you’re both in your mer-forms. He loves to bolt off suddenly so you have no choice but to track him down, weaving in and out of the kelp beds as he teases you for being so slow. When you least expect it he’ll spring from the plants, coiling you up in his long, long tail for a surprise squeeze.

[patentlyabsurdrpgideas]

Lovecraftian Horror: Do’s & Don’ts

So, I was on @pwbi​‘s Discord, when someone posted a picture of a drawing of a fossil giant fish and it got called an Eldritch Abomination. This makes me feel angry and so it’s time for the Patently Absurd Guide to Incomprehensible Horror.

Eldritch Abomination is the generic term for a monster hearkening back to Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, but it has become so overused that TV Tropes at one point infamously called the titular witch’s ghost in Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost an Eldritch Abomination.

So, in the name of helping pop culture (or at least D&D) understand what it really means, there are a few key points I have identified, and if you’re lacking more than one then you generally don’t have an Eldritch Abomination.

Unfathomable Form: This is what everyone immediately thinks of. Unfortunately, because Lovecraft’s work popularized the trope and his breakout star is Cthulhu, everyone thinks you can add tentacles and you’re done. NO. Cthulhu is low-key a bitch in Lovecraft’s own work. He’s just a squid head, a man’s body, and bat wings.

Unfathomable Form means that whatever you are looking at is unfathomable - it’s not just that you don’t understand it, it’s that you can’t. We all crack jokes about game glitches - but imagine if one of those happened in real life.

“Ha ha ha! His ass is clipping through his face while he floats towards me... wait I’m not playing GMod right now!”

But how about we take something less seemingly silly. How about color? Most human eyes are sensitive to 3 wavelengths of light, resulting in the spectrum of colors we all know and love.

But let’s consider the mantis shrimp. Their eyes are sensitive to 12 wavelengths of light. Try imagining and adding 9 additional impossible colors to the rainbow. You cannot do it because you cannot fathom something you have no frame of reference for. You literally can’t understand the world as seen by the mantis shrimp, and that’s a real animal!

Incomprehensible Motives: Let’s talk about one of my other favorite franchises for a moment: The Elder Scrolls. Most people would probably expect me to cite Hermaeus Mora as an eldritch abomination, but he fails this particular test. Old Mora simply craves knowledge. He’s curious, and that is an inherently very human motive. But do you know which Daedric Prince does pass this test?

Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness. Because contrary to how he’s portrayed in-game, he’s not the Daedric Prince of “Ooh Shiny” he is the Daedric Prince of Madness - ALL forms of insanity at. The. Same. Time.

Have you ever been depressed? How about manic? Are you bored? Excited? He is all of those things and so many more at every moment of his entire existence. That is a state of mind that is literally incomprehensible to any human and we didn’t even have to start making up entirely new feelings.

Some people will comment with the “Blue and Orange Morality” trope, and that’s a fair analogy, but it still falls flat, because most of the time the moral compass being pained blue and orange is not incomprehensible, just different from our own.

Impossible Origins: Lovecraft codified this with his description of the Star Spawn, Cthulhu’s posse. The Elder Things - basically starfish aliens - look weird to humans, but are made of the same mundane matter. The Star Spawn and Cthulhu himself are made of some kind of matter but not the matter native to our universe. It has inherently different properties from ordinary matter that look like magic weirdness from a scientific perspective, strongly implied to be why Cthulhu’s face regenerates when a boat plows through it.

That ain’t regeneration, just what the stuff he’s made of does.

Hermaeus Mora flunked the motives test, but he passes this one with flying colors. He is reputedly made of concepts discarded during the creation of the Elder Scrolls universe as incompatible with the fundamental basis of reality. He is quite literally made of concepts that cannot exist. Perhaps something like a sharp sphere? Perhaps that’s too close to comprehensible to be one of them.

Bonus Criterion - Cosmic Insignificance: A lot of Lovecraft’s work hasn’t aged well, and not just because of the racism. His works simply don’t inspire fear. But to be fair, they’re not really aimed at creating fear, but at a sort of existential despair.

In the universe of the Cthulhu Mythos, humanity is nothing special. Everything we think we know about the universe is wrong. Physics is fundamentally different than what we believe. And on top of that, gods exist, but they aren’t any of the gods we’ve ever believed in, and these gods don’t really give a damn about our existence one way or another. Morality and religion are just lies we tell ourselves so that we can sleep better at night.

The Cthulhu Mythos is essentially a pessimist’s view of nihilism, and that’s why I’m making it a bonus category rather than a fundamental one. Nothing in the original works written by Lovecraft himself has an inherent “madness aura” like you see in D&D. In the works of Lovecraft, people go mad because they find out that everything they believe in is made up and wrong and they don’t cope well.

Except... most of us Millennials and the generations coming after us are also pretty nihilistic. The Boomers are ruining the world and we have no future to look forward to, so we’ve decided to enjoy life while we can using what little we have.

Lovecraft looked into the Abyss, and when the Abyss looked back it terrified him. My generation seems to have collectively looked into the Abyss, and when it looked back we decided to wave.

[thisisluxurytravel]

Wonderful diving live-aboard in the sea of Cortez with Quino El Guardian

I recently took an amazing cruise on the Quino Al Guardian liveaboard in the sea of Cortez. It felt exceptional being able to explore this remote part of the world. We dived with whale sharks, sea lions and many other critters that are native to this region, and we cruised through beautiful deserted landscapes. Read on for my review of the trip!

Getting to Puerto Penasco and the Sea of Cortez

The boat departs from Puerto Penasco, a town in the north of Mexico. The first option is to fly to Phoenix in the US and take a shuttle bus directly from the Phoenix airport to Puerto Penasco. The shuttle bus takes about 4 hours. The liveaboard can help you organize this shuttle bus, and the timing is coordinated with the boat departure time.

The other option, if you are already in Mexico, is to fly to Mexicali. Mexicali is about three and a half hours from Puerto Penasco. The most comfortable choice (if you like driving) is to rent a car. Alternatively, there is a bus with a company called ABC. It departs from the Mexicali central station, so you’ll need to get there from the airport. It’s much slower than driving because of the stops along the way, up to 20 minutes in some towns. The trip ended up taking five and a half hours. At least it was a beautiful scenic drive through some lovely nature reserves.

I was not impressed by Puerto Penasco, and would probably not recommend arriving there early, as there’s not much to do.

Boarding the boat

I was delighted to arrive on the boat. I was greeted by our two divemasters, Peter and Luis. They showed me to my cabin and sorted out my diving gear. I was also offered a Corona, which was very welcome given that it was 40 degrees in Puerto Penasco and I had been traveling for 18 hours.

We had some snacks, followed by a general boat briefing. We practiced the emergency drill and tried on our life jackets. I appreciated the focus on safety.

We started to navigate out of Puerto Penasco during a very picturesque sunset. Sunsets are one of the reasons I love being on a boat. They always seem even better when you’re on the water.

The dinner was served at 7:30 pm. It was an early night for most of the guests, as like me, they’d traveled from far away to take this trip.

The Sea of Cortez diving liveaboard itinerary

  Day 1: Getting acquainted with diving in the sea of Cortez

Our first night was a long one. We cruised for over 18 hours to get to the Midriff Islands. The sea was quite rough, and unfortunately, many passengers got seasick. It was an unlucky start as the sea was much rougher than it should be in this part of the world. Fortunately, our return trip was completely smooth sailing.

As soon as we made it to the islands, we entered protected areas, and the boat became a lot more stable. We had a briefing introducing the diving at noon, and we started to get ready for diving around 1 pm.

La Muela dive site

We did our check dive at La Muela, which was perfect because there was minimal current. We saw two turtles, a few nudibranchs and, amazingly, at least a hundred stingrays—they were everywhere!

Los Nidos dive site

The dive site at Los Nidos is composed of rocks sticking out of the water on the north side of island Angel de la Guarda. It’s quite a striking site and I was excited about this dive. We were looking for giant jawfish. There are also nudibranchs at this site, along with stingrays. A quick note: don’t dive there if you are afraid of spiders! There were so many giant spiders here. Visibility was about 10 meters. We didn’t see many big fishes, but we did see plenty of larva fishes and shrimps and orange throat jawfish. I think that the bad weather strongly affected the visibility on our first dive, taking away much of the light.

The landscape above water is spectacular with unique rock formations. Picture a view like the grand canyon with cactuses sticking out. The sun started to set and gave us one of nature’s most beautiful shows.

Overall, it was an excellent first day, even if the diving was not out of this world. I think the bad weather and windy conditions affected the visibility and overall colors of the dive sites.

Day 2: Swimming with the whale sharks in the Los Angeles Bay

Punta don Juan dive site

We were escorted to the dive site by pelicans, and maybe it’s a little silly, but I took that as a good sign. The water here was cold: about 24 degrees. This dive site was quite similar to the day one dive sites, but we did see a few more medium size fishes. We also saw jawfishes and three octopuses. Weirdly, we found a few dead jawfish that had been eaten by something.

Next, we had a lovely whale shark encounter. We boarded local boats in Bahia de Los Angeles and went looking for whale sharks. These giants of the sea are awe-inspiring. We found some small ones from about 3 meters, up to 7 meters. They are incredibly peaceful giants and didn’t seem bothered by having a few people swimming around them.

We all got multiple chances to swim and snorkel with them. The whole whale shark experience lasted about 4 hours. It was hard work keeping up with them, a real cardio workout, but it was so spectacular and definitely worth it. We all had huge smiles on our faces.

Back on board, we had another delicious lunch. As we navigated further south, we met hundreds of dolphins jumping in the water accompanied by pelicans.

I was so exhausted by the whale shark adventure that I skipped the last dive of the day. I decided to enjoy the sunset with a Corona beer. Definitely wasn’t a bad way to spend the evening.

After dinner, we realized that thousands of sardines surrounded our boat, attracted by the lights. Of course, those sardines attracted bigger predators. A barracuda and quite a few dolphins were hunting just around the boat! We also saw a sea snake. The pelicans didn’t want to be left out, and about 50 of them came to join in the hunt all around us. It was a thrilling moment to see all this action just around the boat. What a great day in the sea of Cortez!

Day 3: Full day of diving in the Sea of Cortez

El Lavadero dive site

This dive site gets its name from the rock formations that look like old washing stones. Despite poor visibility, it was my favorite dive in the sea of Cortez so far. The stone formations are very scenic, and the black coral bushes were impressive.

The next dive sites were Corona and Caballo. They were quite similar to El Lavadero. Caballo had a strong current. The water in this part of the sea of Cortez felt much warmer, at 29 degrees.

Day 4: Playing with sea lions

This morning we woke up to the sound of sea lions barking on the island San Pedro Martir

Moro dive site

On our fourth day of the trip, we went looking for sea lions at the Moro dive site. The Moro rock has the form of a horseshoe. We didn’t find any sea lions, but we did find a hammerhead shark hanging out after the drop-off. This dive site had excellent visibility and the most fishes we have seen so far. There is a nice area with black corals. It was a sportive dive, with a bit of current. We went through the channel to the other islands and probably covered a few kilometers. This is one of the most fantastic dive sites in the Sea of Cortez, so don’t miss it.

After the first dive, we got our briefing on how to dive with sea lions. Most of them are playful and friendly, but the alpha male usually doesn’t want to play. He if comes towards you barking and drawing a line of bubbles, it is time to back off.

Corral dive site

The corral dive site is at the bottom of a sea lion colony. We got to dive and play with over 50 sea lions. It is a very shallow dive, just about 5 meters. You get to just hang out and let the sea lions do the rest. They are very curious and would come to check us out and do their acrobatics. Truly an amazing experience that I’ll never forget.

Arrocco dive sites

Arroco is a pretty wall with black corals. Here we got a bit of a drift, which was lovely. This dive site is covered with triggerfishes’ nests, but fortunately, the triggerfishes were not aggressive. Some sea lions came to say hi at about 20 meters.

Interacting with sea lions at the Corral dive site was so cool that we went back there for the fourth dive. I decided to snorkel, and it was a great decision. I was eye to eye with sea lions, and they were even more playful on the surface. Towards the end, the alpha male sea lion became a bit aggressive with me. He came towards me very fast and stopped in front of my face. I kept backing off, but he kept coming. Great for an end of day adrenaline rush, but I knew it was time to get back on the boat 🙂

Once we were back on board, we sat on the sun deck and ate a delicious barbecue dinner that the crew had prepared. We started with margaritas and watched the sunset. The scenery and the sunset were again spectacular. We then continued with dinner under the stars surrounded by sea lions. Again, everyone went to sleep with a massive smile on their face.

Day 5: Looking for whales

We got an earlier start since we were trying to fit three dives in before lunch, as well as an afternoon of whale watching. It was a busy day in the best way.

Chayos cave dive site

Chayos cave is located on the San Pedro de Martir island near the sea lion colonies. The dive started at an underwater cave at a depth of about 8 meters. A few female sea lions were playing in the cave.

We then continued to a wall and sloping reef with significant rock formations. Visibility was relatively good. We saw many Murray eels, starfishes, and the now usual sea lions. We also found an open shell. This dive site can have strong current so expect a drift dive. Overall it was a very nice dive.

Chitchen Itza dive site

This dive site is located on the corner of the island, and the structure above water looks like a pyramid; hence its name, Chitchen Itza. It is a gentle slope that contains the most beautiful corals on this trip so far. It also had the largest number of small and medium-sized fishes. We found turtles and of course sea lions. We also saw plenty of smaller creatures, like lobsters, nudibranchs, scorpionfishes (one of them orange!), and jellyfishes. This was a a very beautiful dive site.

The sea lions at Chitchen Itza were even more curious. Dancing with those sea lions is a priceless experience. There are not that many places in the world where you can spend time with sea lions in their natural environment with no one else around.

In the afternoon, we decided to go looking for whales. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any, but we did see a group of dolphins and had a relaxing afternoon on the top deck while navigating.

We were moving all night, and in the morning, we were back at Isla Angel de la Guardia.

Day 6: Corals and cold waters

Punto Diablo dive site

Our first dive was at Punto Diablo, a rock formation that has a wall full of black corals. We spent a lot of time on the sandy bottom. We found many blennies, crabs, and jawfishes. The water temperature was cold, at about 25 degrees.

Nudi cave dive siteThis dive site starts with a little cave, and then slopes down to a sandy bottom. There are areas with black corals and areas with a forest of algues. The topography is interesting, with plenty of cracks and corners attracting abundant wildlife. Nudibranches, octopuses, jawfishes, and we even found a guitar shark. This dive site has a dreamy feeling to it but was also very cold at 22 degrees.

  Tip: bring layers and different wetsuits, as the water temperature varies widely from one day to the next. On our trip, it ranged from 22 degrees to 30 degrees.

This was the last dive of the trip. Once we were back on the boat, we started the long journey back to Puerto Penasco. We enjoyed the navigation on deck, watched our last sunset accompanied by birds, and went to sleep by the sound of the waves.

After the 12-hour trip, we reached Puerto Penasco in the early morning and boarded the shuttle to Phoenix at 7 am. The land border crossing from Mexico into the US was easier than I expected, and it only took us a few minutes. We then said goodbye to our fellow passengers and exchanged contact information with the hope of meeting again on another diving expedition.

The Quino El Guardian and Rocio del Mar boats

The Sea of Cortez itinerary is currently done by very few boats, meaning very few divers get to explore this fantastic region each year. We came across only two fishing boats during the whole week, so we really felt like we were on our own out there. You can choose between two boats, the Quino Al Guardian and the Rocio del Mar. Both are owned by the same company and share the same great staff. The Rocio del Mar is more luxurious as it has ensuite double cabins, and so it also gets booked up very quickly.

TIP: If you want the comfort of your personal cabin with an ensuite bathroom, book the Rocio del Mar very early as it is often fully booked.

I booked last minute, so I took the trip on the Quino El Guardian in a bunk bed cabin. Quino el Guardian has been redesigned to help people enjoy scuba diving and explore the underwater world. It’s also used for educational and scientific purposes. The boat allows many divers and visitors to explore the beautiful islands.

The boat is not going to win any beauty prizes, but it’s very well built and comfortable. The mission of the Quino is to provide casual camaraderie and comfortable travel experience.

The cabins on board the Quino El Guardian

The ship is 90ft long and can accommodate up to 16 passengers. It has a total of 5 cabins.

The bunk bed cabins and shared bathrooms make it look like a backpacker boat, but don’t be fooled. While the cabins are simple, the rest of the ship is very comfortable.  The beds have curtains to ensure maximum privacy. The cabins have a dresser for storage purposes. A cabin with two beds is also available for couples.

TIP: Don’t bring too much luggage, as there is not much storage space. Suitcases can be stored in an area behind the bedrooms, so it is okay to bring a suitcase, but you’ll have to have it stored away.

The Quino and all its cabins have individually controlled air-conditioning.

Tip: if you don’t like cold AC, take the bottom bunk bed. If you want it more cold, take the top bunk bed.

I also found that having the bathrooms on the dive deck was very practical to rinse off after coming back from a dive. There are four bathrooms. Each bathroom is assigned to a cabin, which means that travelers can leave their toiletries in the bathroom for the duration of the trip.

  The common space on the Quino El Guardian

The food and service aboard the Quino El Guardian are genuinely five-star. The crew is warm and welcoming, and that translates to a great atmosphere onboard and between the passengers.

There are plenty of very comfortable lounging areas onboard, and it was great to get to know everyone.

The dining area is spacious, seating up to 16-18 persons. The ship has wooden dining tables along with a comfortable sitting sofa. There is a drop-down screen in the dining area that was used for presentations.

Want to relax indoors? The lounge is perfectly soothing for this purpose. There are comfortable couches and sofas to relax on. There is a camera table for sorting out your underwater pictures. You can watch television as well.

The outer deck is completely organized and well-secured. The sundeck consists of chairs and loungers, perfect for enjoying the sunsets. The top floor is partly shaded, which provides an astounding view of the Mexican Coast.

The Passengers on the Quino El Guardian

About half the passengers were from the US and the other half from Europe. Most passengers were very experienced divers and had already been on multiple liveaboards. More than half the passengers on my trip were dive instructors, and most passengers had done thousands of dives. Ages ranged from 30 to 50 years old. People mingled easily and loved sharing diving stories after a good day of diving.

TIP: While most passengers on the boat were very experienced divers, it is not a requirement for the Sea of Cortez Itinerary, as all of the dives were very easy. Don’t let a lack of experience keep you from this amazing trip!

The diving organization on the Quino El Guardian

As soon as you’re aboard, you can tell that the Quino El Guardian is a boat organized for divers. The dive deck is very spacious and practical. We were organized into 2 groups that would dive 15 minutes apart. That was great because it meant we would never meet any other divers underwater.

The Sea of Cortez is still an amazingly wild and unexplored area. We didn’t cross paths any other boats while on the trip. It gave us the feeling of being in a discovery expedition.

We would reach the dive sites using a small inflatable boat. What is great is that the inflatable boat would dock on the rear platform, making loading and unloading very easy. The staff would help carry all our material in and out of the liveaboard.

There would usually be four dives a day, with the last dive being either a sunset dive or a night dive. The schedule was pretty much eating, dive, eat, dive, and repeat.

The food on the Quino El Guardian

The food was delicious and varied. You could see the chef took pride in what he prepared. Not only was it tasty, but most dishes would also be Instagram worthy. There were a lot of Mexican options like tacos, quesadillas or enchiladas, but also western food and seafood, including ribeye steak, salmon with asparagus, lasagna, and shrimp. This is among the best food I have ever had on a diving liveaboard.

TIP: I had packed some snacks but realized they were unnecessary. There is plenty of food, including snacks, available onboard at all time of the day.

Both the Quino El Guardian and the Rocio Del Mar are all-inclusive boats. Drinks offered included unlimited beers, wine, margaritas and I think even tequila. Soft drinks and juices were also available throughout the day.

Internet and telecommunication on the Sea of Cortez

I had bought a Mexican sim card  (SIMTEL)before the trip, but it was not helpful for this journey. While we got a 4G signal for about 1 hour after leaving Puerto Penasco, we then lost coverage for the rest of the trip. We did get a bit of signal on day 4 in San Pedro Martir Island, but it was so weak I wasn’t even able to send or receive an email. I did manage to send four WhatsApp messages… over 7 hours. So don’t count on getting an internet connection on this trip.

If you do need to communicate with the outside world, there is a satellite phone onboard the Quino el Guardian which you can use for 2 dollars a minute.

  Conclusion

The Sea of Cortez is a fantastic ecosystem that very few people get to explore. While the corals are underwhelming and visibility was not the best during our trip, there were plenty of animals to keep us entertained, including lots of sea lions. It was a wonderful trip with stunning landscapes, plenty of birds and exciting dives.

If you are used to diving the reefs of Southeast Asia ( Raja Ampat, Komodo, Triton Bay)  and the Caribbean and are looking for something different, this trip is for you. Advanced photographers looking for endemic species will also be pleased.

The Quino El Guardian is a great boat. Cabins are not the most comfortable, but everything else is five stars. Food is fantastic, service outstanding and the common areas are very spacious. I highly recommend this trip and would love to come back on the Quino El Guardian.

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