Any reputable dive shops/operations in Rocky Point/Puerto Penasco?

[mfox007]

Hey All,

My brother-in-law and I just got PADI OW certified. He is heading down to Rocky Point the first week of October with some friends (Non dive related trip). He asked me if I wanted to go, and see if we can find a reputable dive shop to take us diving down there. Anyone know of any reputable shops or operations down there? Is it worth the trip? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!!!

- Mike

 

[AZTinman]

Yeah, there may be a couple of shops in the Rocky Point. Rocky Point is more of a party town than a diving destination.

I have a cousin who's dove there a few times and reported that there's lots of sand, some schools of fish, a few sea lions, and an area of rocks (Rocky Point). She told me it's pretty boring diving.

According to another Scubaboard member, someone has started a small dive shop in the Sonoran Sea.

-AZTinman

 

[mfox007]

Thanks for the info Tinman!

I see you're in Casa Grande... I'm in Maricopa!

 

[diversteve]

There's a few. I haven't been there in years so can't recommend any of them.

Rocky Point Dive - Puerto Penasco Dive: Sun N Fun Dive Center in Rocky Point - Puerto Penasco Dive Center
Rocky Point Scuba Dive - Diving in Puerto Penasco - Lea used to teach out of my old LDS so I've met her once or twice.
Hammer Scuba and Fishing Charters

Most do boat dives out to Bird Island, it's fairly decent. Shore diving near town is pretty sandy and shallow.
There's also a large tidal exchange that mucks up the viz further occasionally.

 

[AZTinman]

My cousin agrees that the Rocky Point boat dive thing at Bird Island is decent when there are enough divers to make the trip a go; she's tried to book numerous times and often the trips didn't have enough divers to make the minimums. Perhaps others have encountered better timing than she has. She's something of a party animal so Rocky Point works okay for her. She did tell me diving at Rocky Point is better than not diving at all. Interestingly, another Scubaboard member told me the same thing awhile back.

Lots of the Phoenix and Tucson shops gravitate to San Carlos. I'm headed there with a Tucson shop early Friday morning. One of my teachers was in San Carlos a couple of weeks ago and returned with a great dive report. Hopefully, diving conditions this weekend will be similar to those she had.

-AZTinman

 

[USFpsychDiver]

I did a shore dive with the Sonoran Sea shop (really just a guy and his wife with a little hotel lobby shop). Was down on a weekend and neither Sun N Fun nor Sonoran Scuba could get enough divers to do out to Bird Island (Sun N Fun needed 4 and Sonoran needed 3 as I recall, and there was just me). So I did the shore dive off the point -- don't need the guide now that I know where it is. Not really worth the drive for the shore dive -- shallow, low vis, some stuff to look at but nothing to blow you away. San Carlos has more options. I liked the Isla San Pedro dive in San Carlos the best, by far, for the seals and sea lions, and I think you can get that at Rocky Point too on Bird Island if you can get out there. Sonoran Scuba has a facebook page (SonoranScuba).

 

[mfox007]

We should get a group to go down to Rocky Point to dive Bird Island. How much rather is San Carlos versus Rocky Point?

 

[diversteve]

From the PHX airport to Guaymas is 440 miles. San Carlos is a turn off slightly before you enter Guaymas. So just about double the distance to Rocky Point. Sometimes there's a hold-up crossing the border. The road from Nogales to Guaymas is pretty decent also. Everything about San Carlos:
San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico

El Mar has a bus chartered for their trip next month - Oct. 11-14th. I'll bet they think that's the Scalloped Hammerhead schooling week - it could very well be. We guessed wrong a few years ago a week later. Missed them completely. They also have their own boat down there - a 36' Newton dive boat. El Mar Diving Center, Your San Carlos Mexico Scuba Diving Center

Several of the other local shops caravan down there also routinely. A group of my friends just did a couple weeks ago. There's some really nice multi-bedroom beachfront houses/condos that rent by the weekend. MarinaTerra just outside of town is where some groups of divers stay since there's restaurants nearby and all the dive boats leave from the marina behind the hotel. We walked our gear over from there. USAirways also flies there non-stop for around $425 r/t.

There's also a big swing in water temperature. Around now it starts being wetsuit temperature and can go as low as 65^o or so in Jan. - even colder at depth. In the late summer I've read it can reach 90^o in shallower spots. I've seen low 80's in Sept.

 

[Laurie S.]

I'm in San Carlos right now. The water was 81 degrees today with about 50 feet visibility.

 

[AZTinman]

Just returned from San Carlos last night. I'll post a more complete narrative of the trip later this afternoon. Hammerheads were sighted off the south point of the island on September 20. Several members of our group tried to get into them, but current prevented them from getting into the area where the sharks typically school.

-AZTinman