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By Patti Sweet The past few years have
seen many changes here in Rocky Point. Sandy Beach is starting to
look like Miami Beach with high-rise condos and luxury resorts.
There are seven stoplights now, where there once was one. Best
of all, many of the roads are paved instead of washboard. For all
the changes around the city, the underwater environment has not
been adversely effected — which is a good thing.
In fact, for inexplicable reasons, it seems there is actually
even more diversity in the fish being caught by fishermen and seen
by scuba divers.
Normally, the Dorado (Mahi Mahi or Dolphinfish) would show up
for a few weeks around September/October. Last year they caught
some in August, and this year they caught some in June. Yellowtail
and Jacks were once unheard of around here, and now they catch
juveniles frequently.
For divers, the frequency of spotting turtles and the giant
Pacific Seahorse are on the rise. The octopuses seem bigger than
they used to be too. Yet for all that, we still see just as many
of our regular favorites such as the beautiful Cortez Angel,
massive schools of striped Sergeant Majors, and inquisitive
spotted sand bass that follow you around like puppy dogs.
Happily, there have been very few Pacific Man-O-War Jellyfish
this year. The two years previous were uncharacteristically
plagued with those unwanted creatures.
In July the harbor turned into a bathtub full of assorted rays,
swimming on the surface for reasons unknown. It was a spectacular
sight and the fishermen were in a frenzy.
I wish I had been the lucky dive instructor who told me of the
time he was teaching a class in 20 feet of water offshore. He was
in the middle of reviewing dive skills when his students’ eyes got
as big as saucers.
He turned around in time to see a huge spotted whale shark
still cruising by. He couldn’t help himself but abandon his
students and catch a ride by hanging onto the dorsal fin of the
25-foot filter feeder.
The island closest to us is called Isla San Jorge and is a
year-round host to a colony of sea lions. The "wolf of the sea" as
the sea lion is called in Spanish, still gives birth to the next
generation in May and June like clockwork. At least some things
remain constant.
There are many wondrous things — both transitory and relatively
fixed — to marvel at when diving in the sea. In my opinion, the
best divers are the ones who take in what they "do see" for the
pleasure of experiencing "what is there" versus those who are
constantly comparing "what isn’t there" in relation to other
places they have been.
We invite you to come and see "what is here" under the
surface of the warm Sea of Cortez away from the hustle and bustle
of the world above. Visit us in Rocky Point at the Sun N’ Fun dive
shop, and we will guide you to a new experience.
For more information, visit
www.sunandfundivers.com
or call (800) 569-3598.
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September
2006