The Cortez Club

The World's Aquarium

The Cortez Club sits on the waterfront in La Paz, Mexico, and holds a distinction no one else in Baja California Sur can claim: it is the only PADI 5* IDC Resort in the region. It looks out over the Sea of Cortez — the body of water Jacques Cousteau called the "World's Aquarium" — and that reputation is the whole reason divers make the trip.

What the club is known for is big-animal diving. Sea lions, whale sharks, dolphins and manta rays move through these waters alongside over 800 different species of fish. Day trips run as two-tank dives from USD 178, with full-day outings of three dives from USD 210 for those who want more time in the water.

New divers are well served here too. The Discover Scuba Diving experience takes about five hours, while the PADI Open Water Diver course runs across four days with an onsite training pool and classroom to work through. Ten PADI Instructors cover English, Spanish, French and Japanese.

The Cortez Club specialises in international groups, working with resorts and tour companies to shape a stay around what a group actually wants — which makes it a natural fit for travelling clubs as much as for solo divers.