I was just trying to breathe.

I wouldn’t normally think of an expansive sea, over 700 miles (1,127 km) long and connected to the Pacific Ocean, as claustrophobic. But 33 feet (10 m) below the surface of the Sea of Cortez, enveloped in deep turquoise water and breathing only through a small plastic mouthpiece, I felt caged.

As a competitive open-water swimmer, I’m accustomed to waves. I’ve embraced the rhythm of deep, quick inhales and steady exhales. Bubbles trail behind as I cut through the water, and my braided hair stays tightly wrapped under a latex swim cap. Scuba diving was nothing like that.

At first I struggled to sink level with Nelson, our dive instructor. Minutes later, watching him begin to kick away with his long yellow dive fins, I unintentionally sprawled across the floor of tiny seashells.

Los Islotes is a popular dive spot because of its large number of sea lions.

Floating about like frayed rope, strands of my hair pulled tight, caught on something. Was I about to destroy the coral the divers repeatedly told us not to touch? All this concern about breathing, and I’d forgotten we were swimming with sea lions.

Apparently, sea lion pups like hair. And hands, feet, gloves, toes, just about anything they can get their teeth into. Five or six curious pups nibbled at our wetsuits, and turned circles swimming around us.

They paused to have a look at us pathetic swimmers. The smallest ones, no more than four feet (1.2 m) long, peered right into our masks. It was like being inside the tank at Sea World. The playful pups then continued on, their long gray bodies moving quickly through the water.

Back above water, the sea lions barked in language that sounded more like honking. Pups and burly adults sunned themselves on the jagged red rocks for hours.

Don’t even think about crossing the bulls. What appears an immovable lump of lard can chase young Casanovas away from the females faster than one would expect of an 800-pound (363 kg) animal.

My first scuba experience will be pretty tough to match. But then again, so will the private yacht trip that introduced me to Los Islotes, our Sea of Cortez dive spot and the sea lion hangout of choice.

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I, along with three other solo travelers, began my cruise at the newly opened CostaBaja Resort & Marina in La Paz, Mexico. Terra cotta and pale orange adobe-style condos surround the 250-slip marina, which holds everything from 30-foot (9 m) wood-detailed sailboats to 200-foot (61 m) mega yachts.

It was here that we met our lodging for the next few days, a 62-footer (19 m) by the name of Chaos. Suggested on a child’s whim and chosen because of the volatile nature of ocean and weather, the name seemed appropriate. Everybody needs a little chaos, says Bill, the big guy behind Cortez Cruises.

That’s the expanding company’s driving purpose — to make the yachting lifestyle available, if only for a week, to the less than rich and famous. A two-person crew keeps the cost relatively low, but passengers won’t miss out on gourmet meals, deserted beaches and the experience of a personalized trip. Wakeboard, dive, deep-sea fish or just booze on the deck. There’s no set cruise-liner schedule.