At the age of 23, Tiffany H. Carey moved from her hometown in Chicago to Lawrence, Kansas, where she attended the School of Journalism at the University of Kansas. After graduation, she moved to Manhattan Beach, California, following a proposal of marriage. This year she joined Skin Diver as its copy editor, and finding the enthusiasm for diving infectious, decided to get certified. She dived the Sea of Cortez only one week after her final certification dive off Catalina Island.

Michelle Danner has been a diver for five days. A UC Santa Barbara graduate and native of California, her fears of the Pacific Ocean kept her feet dry. After becoming the managing editor of Skin Diver magazine in February of 1999, she began to appreciate the beauty of the ocean. Following more than a year of harassment by her fellow staff, she jumped into a swimming pool in Los Angeles and finished her certification in Cabo San Lucas.

After becoming certified in 1991, Tamara Collins spent two weeks diving the reefs of Belize and vowed she would write about it for Skin Diver. Two years later she became the magazine's assistant editor. Now the editor of Skin Diver Online, Tamara organizes online stories of incredible scuba adventure taking place around the world. This time it's her turn to hit the road. With laptop in hand she's off to Cabo San Lucas and the Sea of Cortez.

Ty Sawyer, Skin Diver's Senior Editor, has been to every Cabo Dive Fiesta--this one and the last one. He plans to repair the good name of Skin Diver after Tamara, Michelle and Tiffany caused the town to drop to its knees and cry, "Mercy, for God's sake, mercy."

This year Ty has pledged to hide the treasures for the treasure hunt better than he did at the last Fiesta. And somewhere offshore awaits the damn baitball that eluded him last year. But don't expect him to come back with a tan, as the Mexican Navy uses the glare off his body as an aid to navigation.

Daryl Carson, assistant editor of Skin Diver, is a man of mystery. No one can figure out how he made the journey from his homeland in the south to glamorous LA. It is rumored that he learned to read while walking from his double wide trailer to the school bus stop. He was fascinated by billboards and spent hours staring at them, trying to sound out the words.

Through pure determination and better oral hygiene, Daryl landed a job at Skin Diver about two years ago. It was the perfect combination of words and water. Today, he is allowed to travel to places like Cabo, where he dives and stares at billboards, sounding out new, foreign words.

Weathering the Storm

The Skin Diver team heads to the Solmar V.

Saturday morning we awoke to dark clouds on the horizon. It looked threatening but not ominous; there was no wind and the seas were calm.

Guests board the Solmar V for a sunset cruise.

We were at the dive shop by 9:00 am. All our gear was awaiting us onboard the boat; the staff at Amigos Del Mar had rinsed our suits, BCs and regs the night before and had set it up for the dive that morning. The luxury of vacation diving!

Our intimate little group had grown to 12 divers that day. Al Hornsby, Marty Snyderman and Kathy Knoll had joined us for the dive, as well as the sponsors we had met the first night.

A view of Cabo from the bow of the boat.

With Munchas (Kevin's loyal sidekick) as our mascot, we posed for pictures, waiting for everyone to sign in. The longer we loitered the blacker and more dense the clouds became. Our spirits were high until the wind began to howl, picking up the leaves and dust and whipping them into a frenzy. We ran into the shop for cover and waited for Kevin to give us the word.

He strode out to the dock with Manchas at his heels, and when he returned, he brought news of white caps and churning seas. We still had high hopes that the storm would subside, so we gathered our belongings and walked to an outside cafe for breakfast.

John and Molly Fox and family and staff--Cabo Acuadeportes Dive Operation.

The storm did die down a little, but some of us had lost our momentum. Al and Marty decided they could put their cameras to better use at the bird sanctuary north of Cabo. Kathy suggested massages at the spa or a day beside the pool, and that sounded like heaven to Tamara, Tiffany and Jayde. Michelle's face fell as we made other plans. She would have to dive that day, rain or shine; she would face an unmerciless barrage of jabs from the guys in the office if she returned without a C-card. Tracey and Eric decided to brave the swells as well, and so our little group went its separate ways.

A Sunset Cruise

The Skin Diver crew: Jayde, Tamara, Tracey, Michelle and Tiffany.

That evening we rendezvoused at the marina for a sunset cruise on the Solmar V. The guests streamed onto the deck of the 112-foot live-aboard, grabbed some icy beverages and then wandered through the spacious cabins before loading up their plates with food.

Cabos famous arch.

The sun was still high in the sky as we headed out to sea. One of the divemasters from Amigos Del Mar told us to get our cameras ready; we were fast approaching Cabo's most photographed landmark--the arch. The guests gathered at the bow of the boat and snapped pictures of the scene, with their new-found friends in the foreground. At these events, divers never keep to themselves for long. There are always stories to tell and favorite dive sites to pass on. Brought together by a common passion, we mingle easily and become fast friends.

As the sun sank behind the mountains, we turned back toward Cabo and the twinkling lights of the marina. Dinner awaited, and afterward the dance floors of the Giggling Marlin and Squid Roe. The party had just begun.

Michelle's Dive Log | Tiffany's Dive Log | Tamara's Dive Log