San Pedro Nolasco Island

27°57′59″N 111°22′42″W

San Pedro Nolasco
Native name:
Spanish: Isla San Pedro Nolasco
Islands in the northern Gulf of California
Geography
LocationGulf of California
Coordinates27°57′59″N 111°22′42″W
Highest point1,075 feet (328 meters)
Administration
Mexico
StateSonora

San Pedro Nolasco Island, sometimes called Seal Island, is a small and rugged Mexican island in the Gulf of California. It is 4.2 km long by 1 km wide, and lies 15 km from the nearest point of the Mexican coast and about 28 km west of the resort town of San Carlos on the coast of the Sonoran Desert. The island is protected as a nature reserve and its coastal waters are well known as a sport fishing and diving site.[1]

Flora and fauna

The island is home to an endemic cactus Echinocereus websterianus.[2] Endemic fauna include the San Pedro Nolasco Island spinytail iguana (Ctenosaura nolascensis) and, formerly, Pemberton's deer mouse (Peromyscus pembertoni ), a rodent which is now extinct. Large numbers of California sea lions frequent its surrounding waters and use the island as a haul-out.

Sea lions playing at North Point dive site
Passer angelfish (juvenile) in natural habitat. Lighthouse dive site
Passer angelfish (adult)
Divemaster map San Pedro Nolasco Island overview
  • Magdalena Bay
  • Lighthouse
  • The Little Waterfall
  • The Cave
  • The Beach
  • La Lobera
  • North Point
  • The Window
  • Pelican Point
  • The Cavern
  • The Rookery
  • South Point

Magdalena Bay

Magdalena Bay is a beautiful little protected cove on the southeast corner of the island. The water depths inside the bay are shallow, making it an excellent site for novice divers and snorkelers. Consistent water clarity and amazing bio-diversity offers even the most advanced divers an unforgettable experience. The gravel beach seems to be a favorite resting place with the sea lions. Large numbers of sea lion pups, guarded by a dominant male can be observed during the summer months.

Giant hawkfish at Magdalena Bay
Sea lion bull at Magdalena Bay
Octopus at Magdalena Bay

Lighthouse
Reef fish at Lighthouse site
Cortez damselfish at Lighthouse site
Starfish at Lighthouse site

The Little Waterfall

The Cave

The Beach

La Lobera

North Point
Spiney lobsters on the wall at North Point

The Window

Pelican Point

The Cavern

The Rookery

South Point

Transportation and island access

Arrangements for transportation to and from San Pedro Nolasco Island can be made through numerous charter boat operators and dive shops in nearby San Carlos. However, to go ashore at San Pedro Nolasco as well as most of the Islands in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) a special permit must be purchased from the Mexican government. Such permits can be obtained at the local offices of the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas).

References
  1. "Isla San Pedro Nolasco". SeaSanCarlos. See the Seas. 2010-10-11. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  2. Faucon, Philippe. "Echinocereus websterianus". SeaSanCarlos. Desert Tropicals. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
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