Rocky Point/Puerto Penasco:

"American" Resort on the Sea of Cortez

By Linda Lee Walden Photo by Lynn Laymon

A town with two names , appropriate for this Sea of Cortez resort/fishing port of 40,000 which in many ways is as much American as Mexican.

Judging by its location , 60 miles (100 km) south of the U.S. border in the Mexican state of Sonora , you'd reasonably conclude that the Spanish name has simply been translated into English for the convenience of its many American residents and vacationers. Actually, the rocky promontory that defines the area was first named in 1826 by a retired English naval officer searching for gold and pearls.

Rocky Point became the site of a private club for American fishermen during the Prohibition years, and it wasn't until the 1930s that the name was finally translated into Spanish, literally, Punta Penasco. Commerical fishing and boat building flourished after World War II, and in 1952 the municipality was officially designated Puerto Penasco (Rocky Port).

The 1980s were a time of rapid growth for dive travel and for the burgeoning resort facilities at Rocky Point; the first local dive center opened in 1992. Rocky Point has become popular with scuba instructors as an open-water training site. Certified divers also make the easy trip across the border to enjoy the diversity of northern Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) waters.

Only 200 miles (322 km) southwest of Phoenix and the same distance west of Tucson, Rocky Point is the closest and easiest-to-reach saltwater scuba destination for Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, but divers regularly travel from as far as the Midwest and California. From the border crossing at Lukeville, Arizona, to Sonoita, Mexico, a modern four-lane highway leads through the Pinacate desert directly into the main street of the village. Because it is situated in the Mexican "free zone," no vehicle permits are necessary, although Mexican liability insurance is required for drivers.

Diving Details

Diving and snorkeling at local or remote sites in the Puerto Penasco area are as popular off the beach as by boat. The most popular of several beach sites frequented by U.S. dive center groups is the Sandy Beach camping area. Instructors set up a staging area just steps from a protected cove. Walk-in entries are easy and safe. At high tide, depths in the cove range from 3 to 20 feet (1 to 6 m), perfect for skill evaluations and students' first exposure to saltwater diving. Just outside, the sand and rock substrate slopes gradually to 40 feet (12 m). Diverse Cortez sea life, especially invertebrates such as nudibranchs, sea stars, sea cucumbers and spiny urchins, entertain students as they acclimate in non-threatening ocean conditions.

For certified divers and advanced training, the boulder-strewn face of the Rocky Point bluff itself offers an exciting shore entry. Typically, scuba divers ride the outgoing tide past undulating sea fans and tropical fish swimming nonchalantly against the current. Spiny lobsters, jewel morays, roughjaw frogfish and Gulf octopus peer back at curious divers from their boulder sanctuaries. Near-shore visibility commonly peaks at near 25 feet (8 m).

Tidal ranges are a consideration in Rocky Point shore diving. Beach entries are timed to coincide with high tides, as the periodic change in depth often measures 15 feet (5 m) or more. Extreme tidal changes are usually associated with more northerly latitudes, but the long, narrow shape of the Sea of Cortez restricts the free flow of seawater. As the flood tide reaches the northern end of the gulf there is no place for it to go and the restricted flow piles up on itself. With the delayed ebb, significant outgoing currents sometimes develop in exposed areas.

The calling card of Puerto Penasco boat diving is Bird Island (Isla San Jorge). Located 25 miles (40 km) southwest along the coast, this tiny island is home to 3,100 California sea lions, the largest colony in the Sea of Cortez. Barely three-fourths of a mile long and one-fourth of a mile at its widest point, its entire 150-foot (46-m) height is painted in the white guano of resident sea birds. Visiting boaters are serenaded by the continual squawking of boobies, pelicans and tropic birds accentuated by barking sea lions, in contrast to the relatively silent underwater ballet of the graceful marine mammals.

At Guano Pass Cove, snorkelers enjoy the fun as much as divers. Sea lions, especially the pups, cavort with visitors on the surface and underwater, seeming to gain as much pleasure from swooping in and darting away as the slow and awkward humans do from being teased.

Underwater, the island slopes to a depth of 60 feet (18 m), its rocky shoulders covered with white, red, orange and yellow sea fans. Nudibranchs are plentiful and commonly spied fishes include sargeant majors, yellowtail snapper, Mexican barracuda, Cortez angels, chub and various species of triggerfish, wrasse and damsels. Visibility can reach 60 feet (18 m) but averages 30-40 feet (9-12 m). Near Bird Island is a sea mount that drops to 130 feet (40 m), divable only on calm days.

Due to the relatively shallow diving in the northern Sea of Cortez, diving accidents are quite rare. Rocky Point does claim an efficient Red Cross (Cruz Roja Mexicana) ambulance service, several local medical clinics and a hospital. The nearest recompression chamber is in Phoenix; air evacuation is available.

Climatic Contrasts

Perched on the edge of the Sonoran desert near the north end of the 1,000-mile-long (1,600 km) Sea of Cortez, Puerto Penasco is subject to remarkable contrasts in climate and water conditions. Extreme tidal changes are one significant feature; the annual cycling of water temperature is another. From as high as 90A1F (32A1C) in the summer, water temperature drops to near 60A1F (16A1C) between November and February. In March, the prevailing winds shift from northerly to southerly, the current shifts and water temperature rises as much as two degrees per week. By late May wet suits are unnecessary. In mid-October the wind reverses and water temperature drops rapidly.

Although the winter night air temperature has been known to drop to as low as 40A1F (4A1C), the meeting of sea and desert moderates the extremes. Summer air temperatures can reach 100A1F (38A1C). However, winter temperatures hover comfortably in the 60s and 70s F (high teens to low 20s C). Summer is peak diving season, but winter is a good time to experience temperate-water diving and still remain comfortable out of the water.

Sea of Cortez marine life has adapted to the dramatic seasonal changes in water temperature. Yellowtail and grouper are more plentiful in the winter and spring. Deep-water migratory fish such as dolphin and marlin arrive in summer and fall (a fact more notable to fishermen than divers). The invertebrate population stays more or less constant throughout the year. The Sea of Cortez is unique , once upon a time it was open to the Caribbean; creatures found here are descendants of Pacific and Caribbean species.

Diving Plus

Puerto Penasco, or Rocky Point, is a destination frequented by a variety of resort-goers in addition to divers. Snowbirds call it home in the winter months; some have made it their permanent residence. Certain long weekends in spring the town rocks with the influx of college-age spring-breakers. In between, families and sunseekers enjoy the many treats of a Mexican town where everyone speaks English and the U.S. dollar is the preferred currency.

During nondiving hours there is plenty to do in and around Rocky Point. Miles of gently sloping beaches lend themselves to serious beachcoming and tidepool exploring when the tide is out. Other water activities include water skiing, parasailing, sport-fishing charters and sunset cruises. All-terrain vehicles can be rented for use in the sand dunes and on the beach. Golf is becoming increasingly popular as new courses are built.

The Old Port is the place to find Mexican crafts, fine art and clothing bargains. Restaurants in this quaint historic district range from international elegant to local cantina-style. A highlight is the open-air seafood market where visitors can purchase pounds of freshly-caught Gulf shrimp for a fraction of their U.S. price.

The Puerto Penasco area also offers opportunities for marine and natural history education. South of town the Cet-Mar aquarium features live displays of local Gulf inhabitants, including several interactive tanks. Nearby, CEDO, the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans, offers kayaking tours, lectures, exhibits and nature walks.

On your way to or from Rocky Point, the unique Sierra del Pinacate national park is worth a stop. This designated biosphere reserve consists of bizarre volcanic hills, immense craters and vast lava fields , reminiscent of the moon's surface. In fact, astronauts Alan Shepard, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong practiced at El Pinacate for their Apollo 14 moon landing.

Rocky Point/Puerto Penasco offers several advantages for divers: convenient travel, inexpensive accommodations and food, saltwater with mild ocean conditions, availability of basic and advanced training, boat and shore diving, warm- and cold-water experiences and diverse marine life. As its names suggest, it's a destination where North Americans can experience below-the-border atmosphere in above-the-border ease.

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