Sustainable Practises 

Cortez  Expeditions strives to ensure that our business practices and services are environmentally sustainable, to safeguard the ocean environment for generations to come. These decisions are not taken lightly: they involve commitment, time, and funding. Our team has invested in finding and following standards and protocols that have propelled us forward as a sustainable leader in the dive industry. 
 
We have partnered with Fourth Element  to keep us moving in the right direction.  Through these organisations, we have joined the Mission 2020 movement.  https://www.mission2020.org/
 
The heart of our business plan is sustainable tourism – we realize that by being stewards of the natural environment we not only are protecting our livelihoods but allowing future generations to enjoy the same natural wonders we are privileged to experience in the Sea of Cortez.  We welcome any questions and discussion about our standards because we know that only through collaboration can we effectively protect the Ocean for those who come after us. 
 
We guarantee the following environmental practices at Cortez Expeditions:

• Our facilities and boats are 100% free of disposable plastic bottles and aluminum cans.  We use refillable jugs for water and tea and encourage guests to either use our reusable aluminum bottles or come with their personal reusable bottles.
• Our food is organic, sustainable, and locally sourced.  Not only is our food tasty, it is ethically sourced, transported, and treated.
• Our staff maintains the best environmental practices above and below the water.  Our dive briefings provide guests with necessary information for better understanding of the dive sites and how to minimize our impacts on the site. In addition, our staff practice diving protocols that help guests improve their techniques in the water, enabling guests to get the most out of every dive while cultivating a respect for the marine environment.

Our Sustainable Practices

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Our Rental Gear

Have you ever rented the most basic car from a car rental service? Did it feel safe? Lets face it, there is nothing wrong with your average rental car, but not after everyone has driven them and abused them all summer. 
Rental dive gear is the same. While all dive gear is fail safe and well made, most dive school rental gear is based on one thing being as cheap as possible. 
Your first experience in scuba should be with the best equipment available. That is why we choose Apeks equipment. Think of it as renting a Land Rover or Toyota Land Cruiser…Tough and reliable! The equipment you use, we use. We use the equipment for diving everyday and for deep diving in over 100m/330ft. 
We use environmentally sealed regulators that are serviced every 6 months, Gauges in both Imperial and Metric system. Plus weight integrated modern buoyancy control devices. We are virtually unique in the dive industry with this concept.

Diving equipment is about comfort and fit. Although we can supply you with mask, fins and suit, you should really have your own. We have found over the years that using your own mask and fins, specifically tried on & tested prior to class to ensure comfort and fit. Will make your whole experience underwater much better.

The same applies for a wetsuit. While we understand purchasing a wetsuit and other equipment might be cost prohibitive when first learning to dive, but again we come back to the issues of fit and comfort. We have access to rental suits, but strongly suggest you buy your own. There is a rumor in diving that divers pee in their wetsuits. If this is true, then do you really want a rental suit? ​

Safety Protocols 

Cortez Expeditions is equipped with full DAN trauma and Cardiac Care Kits. Our team is also equipped with SAT phones. We regularly drill our staff in safety protocols and consult with large institutions regarding safety procedure & risk assessments.

We are the chosen partner for many institutions and private expeditions because of our safety protocols and attention to detail in our risk assessments. We have provided dive supervision and risk assessment for the following institutions: BBC Natural History Unit, Discovery Networks, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Neptunic Shark suits, Playboy Television, National Geographic, PADI, Animal Planet, Silverback Films, Canal +