Of course one of the attractions of Rocky Point, Mexico is the Sea of Cortez and all of the water sports activities such as snorkeling, diving, banana boats, fishing, kite surfing, kayaking and jet-skiing just to name a few. But low tide and extreme low tide hold just as much fun for those willing to brave the mushy sand and some thigh burning exercise.

Puerto Peñasco has one of the most extreme tides in the world – you know this if you’ve sat on your patio or on the beach watching the tide come in and out. On Sandy Beach, where the tide fluctuation is not too extreme one can walk out a few feet from their condo or hotel and search tide pools to find a variety of sea creatures caught in the pools of water in the lava rocks. From tiny fish to octopi, the tide pools are a great source of learning and family fun – or just plain fun. Other developments like Cholla Bay and Laguna Shores Master Planned Resort Community see the most severe tide fluctuation. When we have extreme low tide, the entire bay of Cholla empties out leaving oceanfront homes with no ocean. Same with Laguna Shores Resort: sometimes the water is so far out it seems as it may never make it back to shore. Being a self-proclaimed beachcomber and collector of odd things, I love extreme low tide because of the unique treasures I find as I head out toward the water. I do love the water at high tide, don’t get me wrong, but extreme low tide doesn’t happen nearly as much as high tide so it always seems like a gift.

 

Here at Laguna Shores I have an extreme low tide ritual – provided it lands within reasonable hours – 9:00 am as opposed to 6:00 am. I pack my light beach purse with the necessities (ie: snacks, lip balm, plastic bags, etc.). Add to that a jug of water, a pair of flip-flops and a lathering of sunscreen and I’m ready for my trek out to what I call “My Secret Shell Isle”. It’s not really secret since I have taken a few people out there and people have found it on their own, but it’s a secret treasure to me.

 

When the bay at Laguna Shores empties out, we are left with, in some places, a mucky kind of mud. It’s the stuff people get their ATV’s and vehicles stuck in all the time: it looks hard packed until you go to drive on it and down you go…kind of like quicksand. Not all of the bay is like that, but the longer the water seems to take to go out, the wetter it is and the harder it is to stay on top of. I am no athlete so it takes me anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to walk out to my “island”. A fellow neighbor has figured out exactly how many meters the tide needs to go down until the island is exposed. I prefer extreme low because it gives me more time out there. I plug in my iPod and get lost while I’m out there, so you can imagine that I have been trapped by the incoming tide more than once. Last time I got lucky and it was only knee-deep, but boy was it coming in fast. I was thankful I did not take the dogs with me that trip.

 

This past year the trek out to my isle has been easier since I finally figured out that the sand is more hard packed out in front of the 5,000 sq. ft. Trophy Pool area – which is where most people hang when they are here at Laguna Shores. It’s a wonder it’s taken me this long to figure that out. I don’t know if the sand/mud is just harder packed over there or the flow of the water makes it easier to walk, but since I have been taking that route I have yet to sink to my knees. I have found that by following the little streams of water that go with the tide, my walk to my shell island is much easier. It still takes about the same amount of time because I zig and zag and I live a bit south of the pool area, but it’s much more pleasant.

One of the things I have noticed over the years is that each beach around Rocky Point has different kinds of shells. On different legs of the beach, here at Laguna Shores, you will find completely different shells. This also goes for different times of the year. Fascinating stuff. Right now we are in a moss phase where California Trivia (my precious – a Lord of the Rings reference and if I have to explain it then it’s really not that funny) are extremely hard to find and larger shells are making their way to the high tide line.

“Shell Island” contains completely different shells than I find here on the beach. Why does this happen? I have no idea. I have tomes of shell books, but I have yet to read them from cover to cover – I just look at the pretty pictures. I find sand dollars out there, but have never seen one on the beach here. Beautiful large Calico Scallop Shells and Pink Tellins and Lion’s Paws – most of which I never find on shore. It’s just a completely different world out there. My caveat to you is…smell it before you bag it. I have picked up some beautiful shells to find out that the last tenant died there. OMG! Ick, the smell is most disgusting (hence the hand sanitizer addition to my beach purse). Most shells that end up on the beach, the residents have long vacated the premises.

There are other advantages to extreme low tide – like exercise – walking out to the water’s edge is great. Good exercise, great scenery and you may find treasures along the way. And clamming – I often see locals and visitors clamming at extreme low tide. I have no idea how they have the strength to haul back those large buckets full of clams, but they do.

So, don’t think of low tide being a disadvantage think of it as an advantage. What other master planned oceanfront resort community can boast the amenities and activities that Laguna Shores has AND a secret shell isle at extreme low tide? Just one more “Laguna Shores Advantage”. If you haven’t been in a while you really should come for a stay. And if you are looking to purchase real estate whether it be a home, lot or condo in Rocky Point, Mexico you really need to experience Laguna Shores’ low density master planned community – it is one of a kind.

Originally published in the Laguna Shores Resorts Blog