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San Felipe is known for extreme tidal action. The difference between high and low tide reaches a whopping 61 feet at times! Only the Bay of Funday in Newfoundland, Canada has tides that are extreme or surpass San Felipe. If you're on the sandy beach, the distance of the waves between high and low tides can be greater than 100 yards. Truly quite extreme.
Photo: Classic view of San Felipe, looking north toward El Macharro, the "Diamond Head" of San Felipe, and the iconic lighhouse, to the right of the photo. Despite the extreme geology, San Felipe is famous for being a fishing port, for both sport and commercial fishermen. Most of the small commercial fishermen use pangas as their vessel of choice, which can easily be dragged up the beach and tied-down near the malecon by highly-modified four-wheel drive trucks. But what about larger commercial fishermen and trawlers, that bring in much of the fish consumed in San Felipe, and Mexico in general? Dig a hole in the sand, surround it with rocks, put a fence around it, and you have the Port of San Felipe.
Photo: The Port of San Felipe, at very low tide. Note the shrimp boats high and dry, and the one that's resting at a crazy angle, high on the beach.
Photo: Commercial shrip boats tied up in the harbor, at low tide. The port of San Felipe is located a couple miles south of town, not far from the municipal airport. The sand and muck from the bottom of the sea have been dug out, and a breakwater has been formed using some of the muck from the bottom, held together by rip-rap, recycled concrete pieces, and boulders. There is a jetty to help calm the extreme tides, which the boats navigate to enter the port. Naturally, there are government buildings in the area, port offices, and a wharf where boats dock and unload their cargo. The wharf is quite extensive and can accommodate any fishing vessel that ply's the Sea of Cortez, and some of the commercial fishing boats are quite large, and could be classified as a small ship. What's in a name?
Photo: Note the extreme variation in the tide, as noted by the wharfs where the shrimp boats are tied to, and the breakwater in the background of the photo.
Photo: The Port of San Felipe, at very low tide, with the breakwater and the entrance to the Sea of Cortez in the right background of the photo. No mention of the Port of San Felipe would be complete without a view of the lighthouse. It is located north of the town of San Felipe on a rocky peninsula that juts out into the Sea of Cortez. It's painted white and is in operation. Just south of it, closer to the town, is a shrine on a hill, with steps leading up to the shrine. I'd heard about it and my curiosity got the best of me, so I took the long hike up to the shrine. The shrine is known as the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and features a standing madonna praying, with curtains in the background depicting the national colors of Mexico, red, white and green. Altogether, it is an interesting monument and well worth the hike.
Photo: The boatyard isn't located at the port, as it's located just north of the malecón, in the heart of San Felipe. Workers live aboard the large brown shrimp boat, in the left center of the photo. This photo was taken at extreme low tide. From the Shrine of Guadalupe, you are rewarded with a commanding view of the town of San Felipe, the San Felipe mountains to the west, the Sea of Cortez, and you can look to the south and see the Port of San Felipe. Truly a memorable and spectacular view. Copyright(c) 2009 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since January 19, 2005. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custom photography for any occasion...
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