San Carlos, Mexico
Our Home Port
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San Carlos, Mexico, is a small, sleepy fishing village near the town of Guaymas. It is exactly due south from Tucson. If you already have your 6 month visa and car permit, you can make the trip in less than 6 hours. The highway is mostly a 4 lane, divided, high speed road, except in the towns where you must watch out for the "topes" or speed bumps. They are known in Mexico as Policia Dormiendo = Sleeping Policemen.
The road around Hermosillo is also crowded and a little rough in places although they have recently improved most of it. We have found that driving through Hermosillo, especially on Sunday, takes about the same amount of time and is much more scenic with its beautiful tree-lined boulevard.
Just before Guaymas, a big right turn takes you to the approach to San Carlos and our first view of the ocean. It is always exciting, after watching the brown desert and beautiful, but dry mountains for hours, to see the water. We usually leave Tucson early, around 0530, arriving in time to make the boat at 1400. We get in two local or coastal dives and then have dinner at one of the excellent restaurants. We stay at the only 4 star beach front hotel in the state of Sonora, the Plaza San Carlos on the edge of Catch 22 beach, from the movie of the same name. It has a huge central atrium, grand pool with palapa bar and beach-side water toys provided by Desert Divers' affiliate Blue Water Sports.
The Ocean Spirit is in Marina San Carlos, on its own dock on the same side of the marina as the retail /restaurant mustard colored building. There is a large parking lot right at the gate. Our store there is in the aforementioned mustard colored building and is called Ocean Sports. It is next door to the Marina Cantina with some of the best chow in the area.
On Saturday, we usually head out to San Pedro Nolasco Island. It is a little over an hour of beautiful cruising and provides a dozen or so wonderful dive sites, each with its own personality. One of the highlights is that the island is populated with sea lions and we often see them underwater and we smile as they dance and covort around us. Water temperature at the island is a couple degrees cooler than coastal because it is deeper. Expect mid to high 70s in late May, low 80s in June, mid-80s in July and perhaps even 90 degrees in August. Warm water diving continues until late October or early November. Winter water temperatures can be as low as the mid-50s, but the water at that time is crystal clear, the boat is uncrowded and there are often whales in the area.
Be sure to check out some of our pictures of the incredible sea life in the area. Although there is little coral because of the cooler winter temperatures, there is abundant sea life. At the coastal sights we often see octopus and the world's largest sea horses. The island sites are loaded with clouds of scissor tail damsels swimming with the endemic King Angels with the beautiful Cortez Angels nearby. We see puffers, surgeons, eels, and the occassional turtle. If we are very, very lucky we might spot a hammerhead shark. And of course, there are the sea lions.
On the way back to the marina, we often encounter pods of as many as 300 dolphins. No matter how many times we see them, they never lose the thrill as they do spontaneous flips in our wake and ride the bow wave.
We look forward to diving with you in our Home Port of San Carlos, Mexico.
