Anchorage· Isla de Venados· Mexico
Isla de Venados Day Anchorage
23° 14.1′ N · 106° 27.6′ W · approximate
A lunch-hook stop off the sandy east-facing beach of Deer Island, the largest of Mazatlán's three offshore islands and about 2 nm south of the Sábalo marina entrance. It's the easiest swim-and-snorkel escape from a marina slip, with the city skyline across the water.
Practical
Day anchorage in settled weather only: the island (about 1,850 m long and 250–700 m wide, per Wikipedia) shelters the beach from the open-Pacific W–NW swell, but the spot is open to anything from the S or E and to the afternoon sea breeze. No published depth or bottom data was found, so sound your way in and anchor in sand clear of the rocky shoreline and reef patches. Expect company: the El Cid trimaran Kolonahe lands day-trippers here daily from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, and pangas shuttle visitors from the Golden Zone, so keep clear of their landing and swim area. Land the dinghy on the beach. Divers report a thermocline near 30 ft and visibility that drops quickly once the wind picks up, so snorkel in the morning. Return to the marina or the harbor before dark, because the rocks between Venados, Lobos and Pájaros make night passages risky. Coordinate is derived from the OpenStreetMap 'Deer Island Beach' outline (way 139759556), about 300 m off the beach, and is not surveyed.
Best for
Morning swim, snorkel and beach stop from the Mazatlán marinas
Season
Nov–May in settled weather; leave if S or E wind or swell builds
Nearby
- Deer Island Beach (Isla de Venados)0.2 NM away
- Isla de Venados Snorkel0.2 NM away
- North End Isla de Venados Dive Site0.4 NM away
- Venados–Lobos Cove Dive Site0.5 NM away
- Aqua Sport Center (Mazatlán Dive Operator)0.7 NM away
- Isla de Lobos (Mazatlán)0.7 NM away
- Joe's Oyster Bar (Mazatlán)0.7 NM away
- Eagle's Head (Isla de Lobos) Dive Site0.9 NM away