La Lancha

The two primary anchorages on the north shore of Isla Carmen share the same feature: in the Spring/Summer, the dominant SE winds funnel through the Salinas flats and rocket through these anchorages. It’s offshore, with no fetch, but the breeze can be, shall we say, impressive. But it can help keep you cool, and the excellent swimming and snorkeling will keep you coming back here anyway.

Approach:

Give room along the entire shore here, as there are off lying rocks and reefs. In particular make certain to not cut close to Fisherman Rocks (you’ll know why we named it that when viewed from the anchorage) that mark the west end of the bay.

Anchoring:

There is a band of darker water in 25-30 feet that indicates a grassy area. Everything inside of that is good holding sand from wall to wall. We typically anchor in 15-20 feet here.

created by dji camera

Ashore:

There are two small rocky beach areas where you can land a dinghy, but the main one (west) is clearly an easier landing. There are some hiking/sheep paths to explore if you dare, but keep in mind the whole island is a private hunting camp.

Don’t Miss:

Snorkeling anywhere along the north shore of Carmen is quite excellent, but our current favorite little spot is the area around Fisherman Rocks. Wow. HUGE grouper, snapper, parrot fish, angel fish, and triggers, circling around and through the interesting rock formations. Not to be missed, but mind the current. Sorry, no spearfishing, as you’re still well within the Loreto Bay National Park.