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Join us for some warm water diving in the Sea of Cortez Available trip dates:
Basic Student packages start at $709 and include:
Make your reservation today and join us for fun in the Mexico sun! The History of San Carlos, Mexico
Prolific underwater
life also exists on local mainland dives. One of the best is a local site
called Eagles, where you’ll dive amongst a very cool black coral garden at
80-feet. Keep on lookout for large sea horses hanging out among the branches of
the yellow-polyp black coral.
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The Sea of Cortez (also
called the Gulf of California) is a unique ocean environment formed millions of
years ago when Baja California slid westward due to geological activity in the
San Andreas Fault. The clear, mild waters of the sea are influenced by the warm
tropical eastern Pacific, and attract many tropical marine species. It has over
800 species of fish, and over 400 species of shell, as well as several species
of animals found in this unique area that occur nowhere else in the world. The
Sea of Cortez is a dynamic body of water whose beaches are continually washed
by the gentle waves. When you combine the extensive marine life with the
superior diving conditions in the summer and their wreck dives as well as the
sea lion colony and fish life on Seal Island, I'm sure you'll agree that San
Carlos is one of the top diving destinations in the world in the summer, and
offers a pleasant alternative to the Caribbean.
San Carlos is a small, but
busy tourist town located just 4 hours by bus from the border town of Nogales
Arizona. It has been a longtime favorite with retired gringos and
weekend warriors from the nearby cities of Guaymas and Hermosillo. San Carlos
has sandy beaches, comfortable hotels, delicious restaurants, a variety of
shops, and is SCUBA diving central for the northern gulf. The best underwater
conditions in the Gulf of California are in the summer when temps and
visibility peak.
There are dozens of dive
sites within 10 miles of San Carlos, both along the coast and at the half-dozen
offshore islands nearby. Prime attractions include Isla San Pedro, a seamount
rising from an 800-foot bottom that's home to a big sea lion rookery. Look for
an underwater cave here with whalebones in it. Kevin's Rock has a 40-foot
wreck, a 120-foot wreck and piles of shells hiding hundreds of octopuses.
Sharks can often be found under a ledge at Isla San Nicolas, and not far away
is Window Rock, a 20-foot underwater arch where manta rays are common.
Water temperatures average
in the mid-80s. In fact, the surface temps can go into the 90's in July with
the average maximum visibility around 50 feet with some days approaching 100
feet. The water in the area doesn't have Caribbean clarity, nor does it have
hard reef-forming corals or the colorful splendor of a coral reef. What it does
have is a good variety of fish and other sea life, beautiful black coral
gardens and warm tropical water. Pelagics are possible on the San Pedro dives
where mantas, hammerheads and whale sharks are sometimes encountered.
Many times on your trip to San
Pedro, pods of dolphins will greet your boat on the 17-mile offshore journey.
Upon arrival to the island, the large sea lion colony will welcome you with
their distinctive yelps, as they know “playtime” is about to begin. The pups
are usually the first in the water, but beware of their protective parents! The
large bulls are impressive when they cruise overhead like silly whiskered
dirigibles, but can be dangerous. Sightings of large sea turtles are not
uncommon and above water, spectacular and peculiar things such as flying fish
and large breaching rays and sailfish can often be seen.
