Day 223: May 9, 2025 – Acapulco, Mexico

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Acapulco are the professional Cliff Divers of La Quebrada, who perform daily shows. They dive down 135 feet from cliffs at 52 miles an hour through a narrow ravine into the Pacific Ocean, where the water depth is only 13 feet. There are no nets or ropes, and in order to do the jump they first have to climb up the cliffs without any equipment. There is an excellent article about the cliff divers here.

I managed to get a couple shots of the divers before I had to put away my camera after almost passing out from heat stroke. It was a blistering 94°F when we walked to the cliffs from the ship, and I’ve never done well in the heat. I was grateful to have some of my shipmates around to keep an eye on me. Electrolytes from Katrina gave me a quick boost, and Mark provided a bit of shade with a sun umbrella as I slowly made my way back up the steps (which seemed a lot steeper than when I walked DOWN them!) And Jim M graciously carried my backpack with 6 pounds of camera equipment up the steps. I love my Odyssey community!

Earlier in the day, there was a heavy military police presence on the streets of Acapulco. That was partly because the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, was scheduled to arrive in the same port as our ship. We had been told she was interested in stopping by the Odyssey for a visit, and our captain and crew were ready for her. She ended up being delayed though and just waved to us as she drove by. Still a bit of a thrill…