Rocky Point Divers: "Calm Gulf of California/Baja diving With Typical Baja Wildlife", Aug, 2018,by Joel Snyder, AZ, US (![]() |
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Accommodations | N/A | Food | ![]() |
Service and Attitude | ![]() |
Environmental Sensitivity | ![]() |
Dive Operation | ![]() |
Shore Diving | N/A |
Snorkeling | N/A | ||
Overall Rating |
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Value for $$ | ![]() |
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Beginners | ![]() |
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Advanced | ![]() |
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Comments |
Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) doesn't have a great reputation for diving, so we hadn't tried it before, but an opportunity to get in a couple of dives presented itself so we headed off with Rocky Point Divers (the only dive shop in town, as far as I can tell). They picked us up, took us to the shop near the dock, and then we all loaded a small boat (with another couple) for the ride to Bird Island, about 90 minutes that day. They told us the ride can be from 60-90 minutes depending on current and weather. Diving at Bird Island is dominated by the sound of the sea lions, which are plentiful (hundreds) on all sides. We were visited multiple times on our dive, but elected to stay away from them as we've had lots of sea lion time before down in San Carlos. The dives were shallow and easy---bottom was at about 45 feet, about 40-60 foot visibility (we were told it can be worse), with no current. For 2 dives, we used air. Sea life is very reminiscent of other Baja dive trips---lots of Cortez angels, octopus, schools of small fish, parrots, triggers. It's not a particularly colorful coral bottom, mostly sand and rock, but the rock was well colonized and covered. If you like Sea of Cortez diving and want a nice break, this is a great chance to get wet and not have to go as far south as San Carlos. We were told that you can also dive the new under-construction cruise ship pier, which has added tons of rubble to the bay and has been heavily colonized and makes for interesting diving. Experienced divers won't want to make this a destination, but if you're looking to do some gentle diving and get more experience under your belt, this is a really good option. Friendly staff and service, Spanish and English fluent. We were also told that there can be bad weather, which I guess means "winds." We had beautiful cloud cover for the ride out, then sun while we were under water. Oh, yeah, also, during the surface interval: whale sharks. So there was that. |
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Reporter and Travel |
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Dive Experience | 501-1000 dives | ||
Where else diving | Asia; Carib; Mexico; Hawaii; Red Sea | ||
Closest Airport | Rocky Point/Puerto Penasco | Getting There | An easy drive from Phoenix/Tucson/San Diego |
Dive Conditions |
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Weather | sunny | Seas | calm |
Water Temp | 86-86°F / 30-30°C | Wetsuit Thickness | |
Water Visibility | 40-60 Ft/ 12-18 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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Dive own profile | yes | ||
Enforced diving restrictions | No restrictions; we were free to follow guide or do our own thing. With no current and a shallow profile, we went off on our own. | ||
Liveaboard? | no | Nitrox Available? | N/A |
What I Saw |
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Sharks | None | Mantas | None |
Dolphins | None | Whale Sharks | 1 or 2 |
Turtles | None | Whales | None |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
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Corals | ![]() |
Tropical Fish | ![]() |
Small Critters | ![]() |
Large Fish | ![]() |
Large Pelagics | ![]() |
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Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Subject Matter | ![]() |
Boat Facilities | N/A |
Overall rating for UWP's | ![]() |
Shore Facilities | N/A |
UW Photo Comments | [None] |
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