Dive Review of Rocio Del Mar in
Mexico (Western)/North Sea of Cortez, Midriff

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Rocio Del Mar, Jul, 2014, by Sandra Holloway, CA, US ( Reviewer 3 reports). Report 7696.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Great crew and great boat. I had a blast diving and photographing the sea lions (and had multiple opportunities to do so). Water temp in mid July was ~79-82ish. I dove in a thick skin / polartec with thin hood and thin gloves. A 2ml suit might be perfect. Lots of people in 3 ml and 5 ml suits - eventually got too warm and chose to dive in shorts. Clarity not so hot - but it was OK as the sea lions got quite close. During July the boat leaves out of Puerta Punesco and dives the Midriff Islands (Northern Sea of Cortez). You can fly to Phoenix and then take a shuttle for 4 hours to the boat. ($125 round trip). Easy Easy Easy. Some people just drove to Puerta Punesco and left their car in a parking lot. I've been on 14-15 liveaboards - mainly Dancer/Aggressor types and a few more regional type boats. The Rocio had the best physical layout and best, most cohesive crew, of any boat I have been on thus far. Lots of room - even with a full boat of 20 people. Rooms were small - but it worked out fine (a head / shower / sink in each room). No civilization for the entire week. We didn’t see a single structure, human or another boat until the last day, in the Bay of Los Angeles (area with the whale sharks - 7 of them). I was quite surprised that an area - so easily accessible from Phoenix - was that remote. Amazing scenery. Fish life only fair. Not much in terms of pretty reefs / corals or fish life. Some schools, a few turtles, not a single shark. GREAT fun with the sea lions (and multiple opportunities to dive with them). Think Cocos with sea lions instead of sharks (aka Pacific Diving). Even though it was beastly hot outside (wonderful hot and dry breezes) bring a sweater for inside the boat. No issue whatsoever with rough seas during the week I was there - but I imagine seas could get rough. Our seas were like glass. Crew was amazing. They worked long, long shifts and seemed to really enjoy they jobs and the guests. Crew knew our names, gear and cameras within the first day. A great experience. Far superior to any Aggressor / Dancer type boat (and crew). The Rocio is in a far superior league at a better price point. No chocolate on your pillow - but a cohesive, safety oriented crew. Better food too.
Websites	Rocio Del Mar
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Cocos, Indonesia, Lembeh, Caymans, Maldives, Bonaire, Bahamas, Palau, Thailand, Mexico, Burma,
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	79-82°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	1
Water Visibility	15-50 Ft/ 5-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	60 minute dives
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	> 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Our boat was FULL of photographers (photo class took 1/2 the boat). Smallish camera table - but fully equipped. Good lighting. Lots of BIG systems and go-pros alike. Great subjects for video. Macro subjects included frog fish, seahorses, blennys. Wide angle subjects included whale sharks (7 of them), dolphins, sea lions LOTS. Not a lot of pretty reefs.

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Dive Review of Rocio Del Mar in Mexico (Western)/North Sea of Cortez, Midriff

Rocio Del Mar, Jul, 2014,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Rocio Del Mar in
Mexico (Western)/North Sea of Cortez, Midriff