Mexico Driving Tour Suggestions

[Quetzal]

Me and my brother and a friend are planning a driving diving trip to Mexico. Late Dec. 04 thru early Jan 05. probably 2 weeks.
1st idea was to cross a part of Mexico I haven't been to Chihuahua,and the rest of northern Mexico including Copper Canyon country and then taking a ferry over to Northern Baja centering on Mulega then driving north to California and returning on I-10 to Texas.
2nd idea was to go down the Gulf coast to say Tampico then cutting over to Puerto Vallarta and then traveling north and getting a ferry over to Baja.
My question is does anyone think its worth spending time n the gulf coast and the central Pacific and southern Baja or would I be happier from a diving stand point taking the 1st option?
Also is diving better in the northern mainland of Mexico or northern Baja sea of Cortez?
Any suggestions about diving spots in Mexico are welcomed. I have traveled through Mexico more than 12 times, but before I dove. By the way spearfishing is on the top of my list of things to do in Mexico. Anyone know regs or have experience on carrying spear gun into Mexico?
Thanks in advance for suggestions.
Allen

 

[WaterWayne]

Thanks in advance for suggestions.
Allen

Allen, both of those are inspired plans! Before I detail my suggestion below, you might skip it entirely, because you wouldn't dive for the first few days of the trip.

FWIW, here's my idea, based on my own travels in the mainland: since you've been to Mexico before, get off the tourist track! Skip the Mexican east coast by driving south through Monterrey on those good highways down to Zacatecas. That's off the gringo track and the most scenic of the colonial mining towns. You probably won't have time to drive farther southwest to Guadalajara, the most Mexican of Mexican cities, so you can head due west to the Pacific around Tepic (south of Mazatlan).

Then starts the dive exploration phase, heading north along the coast. You'll have to research the various Scubaboard mentions of those Pacific dive spots, which are less than spectacular but probably worth some bubbles. (Here's my hidden agenda: give us all some dive reports! ) Following this plan, you could still take that Guaymas ferry west across the Sea of Cortez. You may know that's an eight-hour trip on a wallowing ferry, not the Love Boat, but it's still better than the 18-hr ferry ride to Guaymas from Mazatlan.

For the northern Sea of Cortez spots, you could check out the Arizona Scubaboard cousins, starting with this thread about San Carlos. I don't think you would have time to drop south to Cabo Pulmo, but spearfishing is more common (and legal!) farther north in the Sea, anyway. Then I understand the Arizona line is a half-day's drive north, putting you back on I-10.

For Mexican driving, here's a link for inter-city mileage. That site also has maps.

Que le vaya bien,
Wayne