Anchorage· Bahía Tenacatita· Mexico
Bahía Tenacatita Anchorage
19° 17.9′ N · 104° 50.3′ W
The Gold Coast's social anchorage: a big, well-protected corner of Bahía Tenacatita tucked behind Punta Chubasco, where 25 to 60 boats once settled in for weeks of jungle-river trips, snorkeling, swims to shore and nightly dinghy raft-ups. Dolphins and whales pass through, and the beach palapa is the hub ashore.
Practical
Position from a cruiser's log (Pacific Bliss, May 2001: 19°17.9'N 104°50.3'W), in the northwest lobe of the bay. Enter by passing Roca Central (Center Rock) — about a third of a mile east of Punta Chubasco — on your port side, then pick a spot. Depths 15-40 ft; one boat reported good holding in 30 ft and no swell. Good protection from most weather except severe southerlies. Dinghy landings on the gently sloping beach are notoriously difficult because the surf breaks turbulently over shallow water; a cruising boat went aground in the surf here in February 2009. No stores nearby: provision at La Manzanilla across the bay. The beach area was the subject of a 2010 land dispute in which residents were evicted and armed guards patrolled; cruisers were chased off the beach and out of that anchorage for part of the 2010-11 season — check current access on the Gold Coast net (VHF 22, 9:00 am). Red tide and jellyfish blooms occur some winters. A whale struck a cruising boat just outside the anchorage in March 2011: keep watch in whale season.
Best for
Weeks at anchor with a ready-made cruising community
Season
Nov-Apr; exposed in severe southerlies; hurricane season May 15-Nov 30
Nearby
- Tenacatita Cruiser Raft-Up and Bocce0.1 NM away
- Tenacatita Mangrove River Dinghy Trip0.2 NM away
- Tenacatita Whale and Dolphin Watching0.7 NM away
- Red Tide and Water Clarity (Costalegre)0.8 NM away
- Boca de Iguanas Beach1.2 NM away
- Tenacatita Aquarium Snorkel2.4 NM away
- La Manzanilla Crocodile Sanctuary2.9 NM away
- Bahía Azul Restaurant (La Manzanilla)3 NM away