Rocky Point vs. San Carlos

[Ryan Nelson]

I have a couple questions on these two areas.

Rocky Point- I cannot seem to find any info online about diving here. I have heard that it's not all that good but being 3.5 hrs from Tucson (current city) it's worth it if only just to check it off the list I've never been diving in Mexico and its an easy day trip. Anyone have first hand experience diving there? Going to be in mexico the first week of January.

San Carlos- this seems to be the tucson locals favorite place but again I cannot find much info online about it. The YouTube videos show a VERY bare, rocky, and not interesting bottom. Is this the norm? Are there specific places I should look?

lastly, what are the general winter conditions like? I'm a seasoned NorCal diver so I consider anything above 55 bath water and 10 ft viz a reason to call off work.

 

[boulderjohn]

I have only dived San Carlos, and only in the beginning of the fall when it was still pretty darn hot.

The best diving in San Carlos is a long boat ride out to an island that does, indeed, have a rocky floor. Don't look for coral. The main attraction is the sea lions that will play with you whilst doing that dive. Still, it's diving, and the terrain is reasonably interesting. I think the area in which San Carlos is located is quite beautiful, and there are some fun places to hang out. It is my understanding that the water temperature changes dramatically during the year, ranging from almost undivably warm to dry suit temperatures. That brings with it a wide variety of sea life depending upon the season.

My son used to visit Rocky Point frequently when he lived in Tempe, but he was not a diver. From talking to him about those trips, I gathered it is not a very popular dive site.

 

[Ryan Nelson]

Is there a place between rocky point and San carlos? What about the other side like baja california?

 

[diversteve]

San Carlos is fairly popular with dive operations in Phoenix and Tucson. A few options are here: San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Diving
Less so in the winter months since it can get to +/- 60^o - after being in the mid-80's in early fall.
Desert Divers in Tucson has their own boat there. San Carlos Dive Trips | Desert Divers

I've dove there fairly recently - it's decent rocky bottom diving. Not a lot of big corals but the warm water means we'll usually see puffers, some angelfish, often octo's and the ever present sea lions at the island. On a fast boat it's about an hour from the harbor. It's typically two dives and return by mid/late afternoon. The best dive there is probably deeper off the south end of the island near where the submarine canyon starts. Most shops won't go there if they have any newer divers on board. In mid-October large schools of scalloped Hammerheads converge there before heading south.

Rocky Point suffers from being the farthest point north in the Sea of Cortez so water conditions can be good to dismal depending on the tidal exchange. My only experience has been one spring when it was pretty bad. A couple of the operators have boats and go out to Bird Island - it's not overly deep. RP is pretty shallow and flat in some areas - makes a great beach for spring break parties but not diving.

Afaik Sun and Fun is the only shop there now - Rocky Point Dive - Puerto Penasco Dive: Sun N Fun Dive Center in Rocky Point - Puerto Penasco Dive Center - the other ops - like Rocky Point Scuba do private trips off chartered vessels.

My friend has done both and prefers San Carlos even though it's a farther drive.

 

[Laurie S.]

San Carlos is a great place to dive, and there are a lot of sandy areas, but the local shops rarely go there. I've photographed all sorts of corals around here. Again, you'll get much better dives either shore diving or on private boats. I find the island to be my least favorite place to dive here, you see one sea lion, you've seen them all. We're headed out this weekend to Ensenada Grande to catch some king crab for dinner, and maybe the canyon beyond Isla Venado to get some big groupers.

 

[Ryan Nelson]

Laurie- as an experienced bug diver the thought of grabbing some crab is sweet. Would you be willing to point me in the right direction on where to look? Not looking for your personal spot just some general beta. We are headed up that way this Sunday from Tucson. Also is there a specific mexican fishing license? We have our CA license.

 

[AZTinman]

Hi Ryan,

I've done quite a bit of diving at Rocky Point and San Carlos. I think I logged around forty dives at San Carlos this past year. I'm making another San Carlos trip on Friday.

Diving at Rocky Point has one highlight. This is Isla San Jorge (locally known as Bird Island). It's a bit of a boat ride south, but the operator I go with has a very large, comfortable boat and knows how to treat clients. The boat ride out is about an hour and a half. The main attraction out at the island is sea lions, but the island has a decent variety of nudibranchs as well. The bottom around the island is basically a rock pile. I can hook you up with the operator I use if you would like to PM me.

San Carlos offers a much greater diversity than Rocky Point. As noted in others' posts, San Carlos is a regular destination for several Tucson dive shops. I know several Phoenix area shops also schedule trips to San Carlos as well. At least one Tucson shop and one Phoenix shop have 'sister' shops in San Carlos. Both of these shops have very nice, fast dive boats and run exceptionally good dive trips.

Diving San Carlos typically includes a trip or two out to Isla San Pedro Nolasco (Seal Island). Personally, I really enjoy diving the island. The island is about an hour boat ride. Sea lions are a major attraction, but there's more to diving the island than sea lions. Sea turtles were present at sites off the island this past summer. I've had encounters with very large, free-swimming octopuses there too. Seasonal water temperature shifts create species changes. Visibility at the island can be exceptional. I've had days where visibility is 100+ feet. Isla San Pedro Nolasco is separated from mainland Mexico by a very deep underwater canyon. The canyon is a major route for all kinds of critters. Scalloped hammerheads school just off the south point of the island in the fall. One of the guys I dive San Carlos with frequently got a very nice photo of a bull shark out at the island in November. The local dive sites around San Carlos are quite good too. There are a lot of local sites. I've seldom dove local sites without seeing both green and jeweled morays.

I live between Phoenix and Tucson. the drive to Rocky Point takes about two and a half hours. The drive to San Carlos takes around six hours.

There are some decent places to dive between Rocky Point (south of the Mayan) and San Carlos, but my sources concerning safe travel in Mexico don't recommend travel in those areas. It's kinda the 'wild west' right now in the area between Rocky Point and Bahia Kino. It's also a long stretch of road with no major emergency services. I've heard that there may be some small dive ops at Bahia Kino, but I don't know for sure what's available there.

If you'd like more information drop me a PM. I'm not affiliated with any dive shops.

-AZTinman

 

[Dive-aholic]

Another vote for San Carlos. I went down to Rocky Point once to check out possible dive sites. There wasn't anything I could see that looked all that inviting as far as shore entry. Sun and Fun, or whatever the shop there is called, also didn't seem too thrilled about the diving when we stopped in. They seem to cater more to snorkelers and spring breakers.

San Carlos has a lot to offer for being only 6 hours from Tucson. We used to leave early Friday morning, arrive in time for an afternoon and night dive at Lalo Beach and then do a couple of boat trips Saturday and Sunday. The island is definitely the best dive site as far as marine life. However, one of the two places I've come across sea horses was Martini Bay just outside the marina. The other place was off a small remote beach about an hour north of San Carlos. Others are correct that water temps can change drastically there, and so can visibility. We were there one year in the beginning of October with temps in the mid-80s and the best visibility we had ever seen there. We went back two weeks later and water temps had dropped to the high 60s and visibility was about 5'. Completely different conditions.

 

[Ryan Nelson]

Thanks guys! Looks like San Carlos it is.

 

[Laurie S.]

Laurie- as an experienced bug diver the thought of grabbing some crab is sweet. Would you be willing to point me in the right direction on where to look? Not looking for your personal spot just some general beta. We are headed up that way this Sunday from Tucson. Also is there a specific mexican fishing license? We have our CA license.

I'm down here right now, staying through January 6th. Where will you be staying? My house is right across the street from Hotel Marinaterra. PM me and I'll give you my cell number. We're putting my boat in the water probably tomorrow and you're welcome to join us, if you want. It's a cigarette boat and lots of fun. No license is necessary for crab, but if you go for lobsters, you must have a Mexican on board. My captain covers that requirement.