Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) - Mexico

The maximum depth of the Sea of Cortez is roughly 10,000 feet. Located in the southern portion, particularly in the Guaymas trench, the deepest parts are caused by complex plate tectonics.

Site #193

Site #193

La Rancherita

Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) - Mexico

I spent the day at Playa Hermosa and Playa Bonita. I arrived in the morning at low tide, and high tide came in the afternoon. High tide is the best for swimming. This area is part of the Altar Desert, one of the driest, and hottest areas of the larger Sonoran Desert. Geologists estimate the gulf formed 12 to 35 million years ago due to a clash of tectonic plates that caused the Baja California peninsula to drift westward from Mexico's mainland. The area now containing the gulf subsided, allowing ocean water to flow in from the south.

Rocky Point has some of the most extreme tides in the world. The Sea of Cortez is a long narrow body of water. As the gravitational pull of the moon and sun pushes massive volumes of water north, the narrowing gulf acts as a funnel, forcing the water upward and causing extreme water fluctuations. The highest and lowest tides occur every month during the new moon and full moon phases, when the gravitational forces of the sun and moon align. There are typically two high tides and two low tides each day.

The maximum depth of the gulf is roughly 10,000 feet. Located in the southern portion, particularly in the Guaymas trench, the deepest parts are caused by complex plate tectonics. The northern portion is much shallower, typically less than 200-600 feet deep. It's profound depths are characterized by hydrothermal vents, specifically in the Guaymas basin. 

 

Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) - Mexico

Playa Hermosa at Puerto Peñasco.

North Ajo Mountain from camp.

Naco, Mexico

Naco is located on the border of the United States directly across from Naco, Arizona. The name Naco comes from the Opata language and means prickly pear cactus.

Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) - Mexico

Playa Hermosa at Puerto Peñasco.

Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) - Mexico

It was 94° in Puerto Peñasco, and the sea temperature was 84°. The ocean was much too warm to be refreshing and it was too hot to sit on the beach. Regardless, I spent the morning swimming at Sandy Beach, and most of the afternoon in the ocean at Playa Hermosa.

El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve

Left turn to Sandy Beach.

Sandy Beach

Sandy Beach

Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa