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Sunken ship in Baja California becomes a tourist destination worldwide: Baja Window to the South

This is a great opportunity for scuba divers to explore a sunken vessel

Photo by: URIBE 121 Arrecife en Rosarito B.C.

By Sonia Zavala2022-04-09T00:37:00+00:00

On this episode of Baja Window to the South there were several guests, as well as advice, so that American tourists can get the most out of their visits to Baja California.

In the Baja Do’s & Don’ts segment, hosts Scott Koenig and Olga Sánchez de la Vega recommended visitors to visit Bahía de los Ángeles to get the chance to swim with whale sharks. It is located in Mar de Cortés where marine fauna is plentiful in its impeccable beaches. Regarding what one shouldn’t do, both advised not to leave valuable objects in your car when traveling to Baja California since these objects are very tempting for thieves. It is preferable that you carry your things with you or, if this is not possible, you should hide them in a very hidden place in your car.

The first guest of this show was Guillermo Campos, also known as Chef Oso, of Tacos Kokopelli, one of the first taquerias in Tijuana of its style. He graduated from Tijuana’s Culinary Art School, and he speaks about how the pandemic and the new normality has been making him think about ways to innovate in the kitchen without abandoning his roots.

Kokopelli is described by its hosts as an experience of different flavors with each visit and each bite. Campos added that part of his business plan is to make dishes that are not only visually appealing, but gastronomically too, so that they involve all of a person’s senses. His bestseller taco is the Kraken, which is composed of grilled octopus with a mixture of herbs and pesto style peppers. Likewise, one of his most famous spicy sauces is “Lágrimas de Lucifer” (Lucifer’s Tears), made out of habanero peppers and beets.

Kokopelli is also the result of different cultures since it mixes the multiculturalism of Tijuana such as its native, indigenous side. Its name comes from the god Hopi, who is associated with fertility, abundance, music, and dance, which is something that Campos wants to represent in his business.

In the Tacos With Muchachos segment, Scott and his guest Tony Tee went to Avenida Revolución to visit Tacos La Especial. This taqueria has existed since 1952 and serves delicious steamed tacos. On this occasion, Scott and Tony tried their famous tacos that are served with radishes, carrots, and Cambray onions. They highlighted their great taste and the meat’s seasoning, a unique experience with every bite.

The second guest was Francisco Ussel, President of Divers in Baja California, who stated that when he started to practice as a scuba diver he and his friends realized that there was an area of the sea floor in Playas de Tijuana that was practically a desert, in contrast with Coronado Island, found in front of this area. Because of this, they met the creator of the “dry suit” and the person in charge of sinking the HMCS Yukon. This gave Ussel an idea to do the same thing in Baja California by creating marine habitats with these structures and make it a tourist attraction for scuba divers.

Together with institutions such as the Center of Scientific and Higher Learning Research of Ensenada (CICESE), a collaboration took place to create a coral reef so that marine life could be restored through the sinking of a ship in 2015, near the Rosarito coasts. Besides being an attraction for scuba divers, it is also an artificial reef for more than 80 species of marine flora and fauna. Every month, a metal plate is collected that can be observed through a microscope to see what kinds of species have been growing on these surfaces since the date of the sinking.

The Uribe ship, home of all these species, has received visitors from Germany, the Middle East, Canada, and many more. It has become a tourist destination worldwide for expert scuba divers who want to know more about this beautiful sunk vessel at the bottom of the sea. Ussel also said that they are working in building an Artificial Reef Museum in Puerto Nuevo.