Excerpt from article in Boat Mexico’s Dive Loft by Dive Expert, Rodolfo De Lamprecht:

Los Arcos are composed by 5 rocky islets covered with grass, cactus and small trees. The islets are a natural sanctuary for pelicans, sea hawks, blue-footed Booby birds and swallows. The unforgiving effect of erosion has formed amazing tunnels and arches; and, the sea life is abundant. The site is rich with more underwater biodiversity than in any other part of the Bay of Banderas…

…Another great dive site is Los Arcos Outside, this site starts at the south edge of The Canyon and is a drift dive along the west face of the biggest islet of Los Arcos, it is also a multilevel dive starting at 40 ft to 60 ft and ending the dive in 20 ft to 25 ft. This is a very enjoyable dive and offers good interaction with Eagle Rays.

 … The Canyon and the Devil’s Jaw are excellent dive spots for…

See more great underwater shots and read more about Mexico diving in BoatMexico’s Diving Loft hosted by Dive Expert Rodolfo De Lamprecht, owner and operator of Chico’s Dive Shop in Puerto Vallarta. BoatMexico’s annual premium memberships are a great bargain right now: only $25 and you have Premium access to things to do in and around Mexico.

BoatMexico not only gives you the information your need for boating Mexican waters, but they bring introduce you to the culture of Mexico as well. They have the most comprehensive website available offering a wide range of diverse topics. There truly is a lot for everyone on their site. You will discover what people mean when they say “BoatMexico is connectinig boaters in Mexico”. They not only do it literally with their unique members messaging system, but they also take you to fun and interesting cultural events. And they offer the only float plans for boats, increasing the safety factor for boaters far from home. You will find BoatMexico more than 38 areas of useful information at www.boatmexico.com. Get your Premium membership for 50% off while the introductory sales lasts. You will be glad you did!!

Photography Loft is available for members to post and read articles dealing with the subject of Photography.

We encourage articles and photos dealing with all the many aspects of boating, water,  and Mexican culture.

Photography Loft requires only a basic membership, but right now a Premium membership is on sale for less than the Basic. Enjoy posting your own articles, having access to all our experts’ articles, and use trip tracker now for only $25/year while this offer lasts.

The season is opening strong in another month. You will be able to locate and communicate with other members whom you meet during your cruising without having to know their email address, etc. Get a fellow member to bring you a part when you’re stuck outside of the few areas that have parts in Mexico.

Keep your friends and family up to date with your progress via your Captain’s Log. Advertise for crew or for anything else you want to buy or trade using our classified ads that cost you nothing beyond your membership. For more information review more of this blog, then go to www.boatmexico.com and click on “More Info”.

When You Take Over the Wheel, Remember…

A WHEEL WATCH IS A VERY SERIOUS RESPONSIBILITY

         The safety of the boat, crew and other vessels is now squarely in your hands. Being alert and responsive to situations on your vessel or the surrounding area often means the difference between a successful season or not. Get immediate help if something is not clear, or the situation is becoming confusing.

Before taking the helm…

This article is available in full in Safety Loft at www.boatmexico.com. Eight experts regularly contribute articles to their area of expertise. approximately 30 other areas of information exist for connecting boaters in mexico (r) with information to make their Mexican boating and shore excursion experiences safer, more enjoyable, and more culturally involved. Special limited time pricing is in effect at the time of this article’s publication for a limited time. Get a full Premium One Year membership to BoatMexico for only $25 U.S., a 50% savings discount! This offer won’t last, so sign up now at BoatMexico. You will find the most comprehensive website for boaters in Mexico!!

Don Anderson of S/V Summer Passage and of Mexico boating weather forecasting fame is BoatMexico’s weather expert.

Don has just posted an incredibly detailed and interesting article into how he went about determining the information for his weather broadcast yesterday. Reading how Don works his way through the charts and some of the ones that he uses provides a good lesson in marine meteorology, including a look at a potential hurricane threat.

For example:

Forecasting Southeast Pacific Hurricanes

Don Anderson – Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Here is an example of how I went about forecasting weather today for the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

We begin by looking at the big picture.

For this we use the GRIB files.

First we look for the NE Pacific high and find it is blocked by a fairly deep low between Vancouver Island and The Queen Charlottes.  However we see a weak high in the form of a Horse Latitude west of the Baja California coast.  Therefore our forecast for the outside of the Baja, Ensenada to Cabo Falso is for very light winds NW 4 to 10 knots increasing to 10 to 15 knots close to shore in the afternoons.

Looking in the Socorro to Isla Clarion Islands area we see a weak low.  This is too far offshore to have any effect on coastal winds but it could give some small enhancement to the light NW winds along the Baja coast south of Magdalena Bay.

Now we look at the Sea of Cortez and find no surface pressure gradient so all we can expect with any degree of confidence are land and sea breezes at the usual times along the mainland or eastern shores.

Now we move to the most recent QuikSCAT Satellite Scatterometer images for the Pacific coast of Mexico.  The barbs are calculated surface wind vectors.

We can confirm the weak dissipating low over the Socorro Island area.  We see more wind than expected in the Northern Sea of Cortez, but the Southern portion is calm as expected.  What is of particular interest is the nasty weather along the coast between Acapulco and the Gulf of Tehuantepec.  Winds are up to 35 knots with very heavy rain.  The black arrows are the Scatterometer’s way of showing this.  Furthermore, there is a well-defined LLCC (Low Level Cyclonic Circulation), clearly the result of a surface low-pressure system.  Thus it appears that we could see some cyclogenesis in the area during the next 48 hours.

Next we go to the GOES-east geostationary satellite color encoded infrared image generated by the Servicio Meteolórico National (Mexico’s National Weather Service).

We see the clouds of the weak dissipating low over Socorro Island and the band of clouds being drawn off the tops of that low by the jet stream and carried as fear east as Texas and the Gulf of Mexico.  We can confirm…

To read more of Don’s article and much more, join BoatMexico at www.boatmexico.com. For a limited time only, premium memberships are 50% off, costing only $25 for a full year and give members access to over 38 lofts of information. Our content is building and we offer computer float plans to help track your trips and automatically email your emergency contact if you don’t arrive by the time you plan plus your custom chosen margin for reasonable delays. See much more about BoatMexico, the number one boating website for Mexico at www.boatmexico.com. We are connecting boaters in Mexico with each other, the necessary information and services, and the Mexican culture.

Fishing Loft

I’ve been in Puerto Vallarta for several years now, long enough to know what’s normal and what isn’t. This year has been the most abnormal year I’ve ever seen since opening Master Baiter’s. When it comes to Yellowfin Tuna, you can normally expect to see football Tuna in the mid June time frame with larger Yellowfin in the 100 pound plus range by mid July. Buy Mid August Puerto Vallarta is bustling with Anglers anxious to hook into their first Yellowfin Monster, looking for that “Fighting Chair Battle” of their life. Many wait a lifetime for an opportunity to boat one of these beauties. But this year we’ve seen a very, very late Yellowfin Season.

…Well, it appears that on the Yellowfin front, things have changed. With the recent Hurricane that passed Puerto Vallarta (PV) and a Tropical Storm that passed shortly after…

… Yellowfin Tuna aren’t the only things happening out at our world famous fishing grounds amigo. Black Marlin have been at El Banco and Corbetena all along and they’re still there. You can expect a 75% or better chance of hooking up with a Blue or Black Marlin over 350 lbs. Sailfish are…

Read more of this story and weekly fishing reports in BoatMexico’s Fishing Loft. A premium membership to the entire site is available now with our early season special price of only $25! You have access to 8 experts writing articles on topics ranging from matters concerning boaters in legal, medical, onboard gourmet Mexican Cooking, to diving and getting published. And that’s just the beginning of your perks! Free advertising for crew or boats to crew on, classified ads and an easy member locater based on names, home ports, or other info that you remember in order to find that fellow snorkler you met a few harbors back when you didn’t get the email address. Join now during the preseason bargain!! www.boatmexico.com

By Dr. Luis Suarez, BoatMexico Medical Expert

The rainy season has arrived, and with it, the risk for acquire dengue fever increases…Dengue Virus is a serious febrile disease transmitted through a bite of mosquito named AEDES AEGYPTY, so if …

Dr. Luis Suarez is an M.D., internal medicine specialist, with certification in Travelers Medicine. His columns appear regularly in the Medical Loft in BoatMexico, the most comprehensive website for boaters traveling or planning to travel to Mexico. A premium membership is now available during our pre-season promotion half-price, ONLY $25 for 12 months, for the entire website. There are 7 other specialists like Dr. Suarez in categories like diving, Mexican cooking, fishing, etc. Go to www.boatmexico.com for more information. Look for our new ad in Latitude 38’s October issue. If you are a Baha Ha-Ha participants and otherwise headed south, you can improve the quality and safety of your cruise with a membership in Mexico’s most up and coming website with the most features available.

John Moore, commodore of Vallarta Yacht Club (VYC), confirmed yesterday that Boat Mexico and VYC will work cooperatively to promote their similar missions. VYC brings an established network of members and business relationships to BoatMexico’s new website venture that strives to serve the boaters and communities of Mexico. Together, they will bring synergistic energies and assets to their members. Daniel Russell, President of BoatMexico, is very appreciative of this new relationship and says he looks forward to providing the boaters the additional information and services that will evolve.

Get access to our expert lofts, trip tracker, weather briefer, and all the benefits of a premium member for only $25 for an entire year! During this preseason period, we are busy uploading content into many of the areas and you benefit. If you are sailing to Mexico this year, then you are going to want to be a BoatMexico premium member. Do it now. We just opened and by becoming one of the founding members, you will have premium access throughout the entire 2008-2009 season for less than a limited basic membership costs.

Get tips right now that will save you a lot more than your nominal membership fee. BoatMexico is bringing you essential information and resources not available anywhere else. You can take advantage of this now by going to Signup Now. Use your credit card or Paypal account to join. No Paypal account is needed. Just use your credit card process using Paypal’s SSL secure checkout. Want more information, go to BoatMexico.

Our experts:

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Don Anderson (Summer Passage), Mexico Weather expert on HF: Weather Loft

 Dr. Luis Suarez, M.D., Traveler’s Medicine, Internal Medicine: Medical Loft

A specialist in Internal Medicine & Traveler Health, Dr. Suarez is a self-motivated professional with a strong commitment to provide “state of the art” Medical Care, supported by the most updated and evidence-based medical knowledge through the latest information technology/computing. He is additionally certificated by the International Society of Travel Medicine.

Doug Danielson, Marine Surveyor, Author: Maintenance, Writing Lofts

Doug is a highly proficient captain with extensive experience on both power and sailing vessels. He has piloted the waters of the Pacific Coast from Oregon to Hawaii to the Panama Canal. He has also made passages through the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas, and the Intercoastal waters of Florida. He is a knowledgeable marine surveyor, experienced mechanic, meticulous navigator, good cook, and published writer.

Jerry Dzugan, Internationally Renown Marine Safety Expert: Safety Loft

 Jerry Dzugan has been involved with marine safety for over 22 years as trainer and Executive Director for the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) - www.amsea.org. During this time, AMSEA has trained over 900 marine safety instructors who work on all coasts of the U.S. and has also trained instructors from Europe and Asia. This instructor network has trained over 130,000 mariners in safety. He also writes numerous publications on marine safety and develops marine safety videos and other instructional materials.

Jerry has a Masters degree in Marine Education & Training from World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden. He has lived in Sitka, Alaska since 1979. He is still an ocean kayaker and owns and lovingly maintains a 50-year-old Bill Garden designed wooden sailboat, S/V Wyldewind.

 Rodolfo De Lamprecht, Owner Chico’s Dive Shop: Diving Loft

Text of Rodolfo’s bio is pending.

 Laura Joachin, Attorney: Legal Loft

Laura’s career has featured different positions in places as diverse as the Mexican Stock Market and the Human Rights Commission: she has been a litigant, advisor and researcher in different law firms across the country;  taught in some of the most prestigious universities in México, including her alma mater, UNAM, and the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. She fluently speaks Spanish and English, with a basic knowledge of French.

 Dolores Brittingham, Cooking Instructor, Mexican Cuisine Specialist: Food Loft

 Dolores has been in the teaching/cooking business for over 28 years and has specialized in developing techniques for cooking shortcuts that still meet the gourmet definition. Her ability to cook gourmet using shortcuts is one of the unique assets that make her the perfect expert for our boaters. She knows how to make gourmet Mexican meals with time saving and space saving approaches.

 Stan Gabruk - Professional Fisherman: Fishing Loft

Stan Gabruk is the owner of Master Baiter’s Sportfishing and Tackle located in Marina Vallarta on the marina Malecon between Dock G and the Light house. Master Baiter’s was established in 2000 and is one of the oldest and most reputable fishing charter companies in Puerto Vallarta.

Stan’s brother, John Gabruk,  started the company with his then wife and built the company from the ground up. Stan moved to Puerto Vallarta in 2002 and took over the business shortly after that. Stan retired from Boeing as a Manufacturing Engineer. / Business Consultant / Financial and has owned several businesses before taking over Master Baiter’s in 2002.

Master Baiter’s the company is world famous as World Champion Marlin Anglers with tournament creditentials that are hard to beat.

In 2001 John, won the WBS Billfish Series as Grand Champion. Master Baiter’s had the Captain of the Year, Angler of the Year and Boat of the year! In 2002, they repeated it all over again!! This is impressive since you have to win a WBS Series tournament to qualify for entry into the Billfish series championship.

As a two time World Champion Company with a long list of other tournament wins under their belt they are considered a World Class Charter Fishing Company. With Magazine coverage like Marlin Mag., Saltwater Magazine and others, Master Baiter’s is world renown for being one of the finest Sportfishing charter companies in all of Mexico.

Today, Stan runs the company alone. His brother has moved on to other career opportunities. Stan has several charter boats and is well known throughout Puerto Vallarta for his Fishing and for his charitable work with the Fire Fighters (Bomberos).

Stan grew up in Southern California where his father introduced him to fishing while he was in diapers. After years of fishing the California Cost line he brought his experience, knowledge and enthusiasm to Puerto Vallarta, enabling clients to have the fishing trips of their dreams.

Stan has been published in various publications across the United States and Europe. Master Baiter’s is also recommended in Fodor’s Travel Guide for 2007 and 2008.

REGULATIONS FOR PRIVATE VESSELS MOVING FROM PORT TO PORT IN MEXICO

Here is the latest on the paper-work shuffle for south of the border. As of 29 April 2005 (and amended 5 July 2005), Mexico changed its check-in and check-out procedures for private yachts (foreign and national flag) only for coastal navigation (Mexican port to Mexican port).

Mexico International Arrivals & Departures Were Unchanged

Vessels entering and leaving Mexico at their first and last port of entry, must still …

… navigating between Mexican ports is relatively easy only if you stay in marinas. This is where the confusion comes in, the new law…

Read more of this and other similar articles in our Mexico Immigration & Customs Loft at www.boatmexico.com.