The truth is, nobody comes to Mazatlán for the diving. But, once here looking at all that water, the urge to get down under it can grow on you. This may not be the limpid Caribbean, but if you really want to get underwater and poke around, there are some interesting places to do it. And don’t worry if you pick a day with heavy waves or murky water, because all the Mazatlán snorkeling locations are fun spots with as much to do on shore as down under the sea. You can take party catamarans to visit them...or even ride a giant robot shark. First a word on SCUBA diving. You know...the kind where people rely on tanks and other prosthetics to spend time underwater. The lack of prime dive locations here has led to a lack of diving facilities. The only reliable place to get tanks and a boat is the El Cid waterfront center, which we will come back to later on. Most diving in Mazatlán would be of the lungpower type, using fins, mask and snorkel to explore the shallows where the colorful fish hang out. These tropical waters teem with fish, and most of the ones you see around rocks near shore are the decorative variety. Multi-neoned wrasse are bountiful everywhere, as are several colorful varieties of angels. The rocks swarm with my favorite; the midnight blue damselfish spangled with electric blue stars. You see flashes of orange, blue, lime green, and gold all over down there. The problem is, there is not a great deal of visibility most of the time. Big swells tend to turn local waters murky and silty. The solution is to seek out sheltered spots and stick to shallows with lots of rocks in order to get the best view. The usual spiel for snorkeling in Mazatlán involves nearby Isla de la Piedra, and “Stone Island” tours always mention snorkeling. Well, it’s not a bad place to practice, or for swimmers strong enough to continue around the island out to deeper water, but not much to write home about generally. On the other hand, you walk in to a gentle, waveless little bay and swim around a protective rock berm to a bottom strewn with boulders that generally shelter lots of colored fish. As you round the edge of the island, the swell gets stronger, the rocks bigger, and the water deeper. On a good day, it’s a very fun swim. And again, on a bad day, you are still on the Island, which is a very cool place to hang out. There are palapa restaurants with hammocks instead of barstools, a long empty beach for walking or swimming, horseback riding, volleyball, and various pursuits such as jet skis and “banana” rides. You can book tours of the island, which will take you and a boatload of fellow partiers to all of these scenes and include snorkel gear rental. Or you can “self-guide” by taking the Sabalo Centro bus to the end of the line, grabbing a ten peso boat across to the Island, and walking right for the snorkel bay and straight ahead for the restaurants and tourist facilities. A good, casual, walk-in dive. The best local diving—and the most fun place to get to—is Deer Island, directly across from the Golden Zone. The way to get out there (it’s a bit far to swim) is through the El Cid waterfront

center, located on the beach side of the huge El Cid hotel tower. You can rent a kayak or Hobie Cat and head over, but the fun way to go is to ride over on a World War II surplus amphibious landing craft called a “DUCK” and painted with a huge shark’s mouth full of teeth. Great photo op in itself. The amphib pulls right up on the sand at either end of the trip, shifts to propeller for a swooping ride out to Deer Island. It leaves at 10, 12, and 2, only 80 pesos round trip (don’t miss the last trip back at 4 PM or you will find yourself on an overnight campout). Another 80 pesos will rent snorkeling gear for the day. The island has a nice beach with volleyball nets and a pop stand, but no place to buy food, so bring your own rations. Great place for a picnic. You can walk in on sand and snorkel off in either direction. A lot depends on tide depth, direction of swells, and time of year, but generally the dive to the north (left as you face the water)is better, especially for children and beginners.You poke along over a boring bottom for a ways, then start passing big rocks bearing red sea fans, sponges, and bunches of colored fish. You also see starfish out here, and sometimes even turtles or big eagle rays, though both are rare. Bright colored, flitting little suckers are not rare at all. As you round the point into swells, the rocks get bigger and so do the fish. This is a very relaxing area, with just enough motion, sea life, and safety to please the average snorkeler. You will see lots of shells on the bottom, including some conches and big clam shells. To the south, there is a wide rock shelf, which is covered with sea urchins and hard to cope with at low tides. But there are lots of fish to see there and stronger swimmers and the more adventurous might enjoy continuing along the shore until it gives onto the smaller neighboring island, which is an easy swim across in normal seas. And again, between dives this is an excellent place to spend time. Sitting on an uninhabited tropic isle, brought there on the back of a mechanical shark, watching volleyball, eyeing the Mazatlán skyline against the backdrop of the Sierra range, sipping a cold pop or beer, and getting ready for another dive. Hard to beat. Getting back to tank divers for a moment. The El Cid center also offers one tank SCUBA dives from launches for 540 pesos per diver. Snorkelers can go along. If you want to self-guide to the islands, a kayak costs 100 pesos per hour, per person, or rent a Hobie Cat for 300 pesos an hour and set sail. Maximum of 4 persons, including an El Cid tillerman if you aren’t a sailor. The luxury version of all this is a bargain. For 420 pesos per person you can ship out on the graceful catamaran “Kolonahe” for a tour that includes the whole works. Leave at 9:30 for a tour of the bay, then drop anchor at Deer Island to do some kayaking, snorkeling, and volleyball, with all gear furnished. The cruise includes eats and drinks and will get you back to the beach at El Cid by mid afternoon...just in time for happy hour. So. Is it worth coming to Mazatlán for the diving? No. Once here, is it worth going to some cool island beaches to snorkel. Absolutely. Just remember to bring one of those disposable underwater cameras.