When winter settles over Arizona and the Southwest, you don’t have to put the gear away. San Carlos is a warm-water escape within driving distance — here’s what winter diving in the Sea of Cortez is like, and why it’s worth the trip.
Few places give an underwater photographer this much to work with — acrobatic sea lions, nudibranchs in impossible colours, wrecks and reefs full of life. Here’s a guide to the best photo subjects in San Carlos, and how to make the most of them.
A dive trip is even better with your people along. If you’re organizing a club outing or rounding up a group of friends, here’s how group trips to San Carlos come together, why they’re such good value, and how we help make them easy.
More days means more diving, but not everyone has a week to spare. Here’s an honest breakdown of what a 3-, 4- and 7-day San Carlos trip actually gets you, so you can pick the length that fits your time and your goals.
There’s a strong case for doing your final certification dives somewhere you’ll actually remember. If you’ve started your open water course at home, here’s how to finish it in the warm, clear water of the Sea of Cortez.
The big animals get the glory, but slow down and the reefs of the Sea of Cortez reveal a whole other world — nudibranchs in absurd colours, tiny shrimp, and critters most divers swim right past. Here’s how to see the small stuff.
Jacques Cousteau reportedly called the Sea of Cortez “the world’s aquarium,” and once you’ve dived it, the nickname stops sounding like marketing. Here’s what makes this stretch of water so extraordinarily alive, and why San Carlos is a front-row seat.
They’ll tug your fins, blow bubbles in your face and generally treat your dive like their personal playground. Here’s what to know about the sea lion rookery at San Pedro Nolasco before you drop in.
