Straight south of Tucson, Arizona, 350 miles on the Sea of Cortez and 11 miles from Guymas lies beautiful San Carlos, Mexico. Sometime, you'll want to dive all over the Sea of Cortez, from the mainland side, or the Baja Peninsula ...start here. San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico is the best ocean dive for the money available to the southwest region for us land locked aficionados. It has a wide variety of conditions and sports, and over 400 species of flora & fauna.

I've been to San Carlos Mexico about 30 times since 1984, and hope to go 100 more. Granted, we are driving in a third world country, and it can be a little tricky getting there sometimes. We have never had serious problems or scares ...just minor inconveniences. The hotels are clean, functional, and affordable. Restaurants serve good food, even picky eaters can survive. The water is purified, and the dive operations are wonderful. They work hard for your diving enjoyment, and safety.

Beach diving is usually good in a variety of locations. If you have an inflatable boat, or ocean kayak, you can really enjoy beach locations. Winter water temperatures are in the lower 60s. In summer the water is 85 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit. Visibility ranges from 20 to 100 feet, but is usually in the 40 to 60 ft. range. You can even dive a shipwrecked ferry boat, upright, deck at 30 ft., bottom at 60 ft. with a sandy bottom and usually a current. Deep sea fish to your dive locations, dive, lunch, and nap back to San Carlos for the night spots.