San Pedro Nolasco Island Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
San Pedro Nolasco
Native name: Spanish: Isla San Pedro Nolasco

Islands in the northern Gulf of California
Geography
Location	Gulf of California
Coordinates	27°57′59″N 111°22′42″W / 27.96639°N 111.37833°W / 27.96639; -111.37833
Highest point	1,075 feet (328 meters)
Administration
Mexico
State	Sonora

San Pedro Nolasco Island, also known as Seal Island, is a small, rocky island in Mexico. It is located in the Gulf of California, a large body of water between the Baja California Peninsula and the Mexican mainland. The island is about 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles) long and 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) wide.

San Pedro Nolasco Island is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the nearest coast of Mexico. It is also about 28 kilometers (17 miles) west of San Carlos, a popular resort town. The island is a protected nature reserve, meaning its plants and animals are kept safe. The waters around the island are famous for sport fishing and diving.

Amazing Plants and Animals
- Unique Island Plants
- Island Animals and Their Lives
Popular Diving Spots
Getting to the Island
Images for kids
See also

Amazing Plants and Animals

San Pedro Nolasco Island is home to many unique living things. Some of these are found only on this island, which means they are endemic.

Unique Island Plants

One special plant is the Echinocereus websterianus, a type of cactus that grows only here.

Island Animals and Their Lives

The San Pedro Nolasco Island spinytail iguana (Ctenosaura nolascensis) is a lizard found only on this island.
Sadly, Pemberton's deer mouse (Peromyscus pembertoni), a small rodent that once lived here, is now extinct.
Many California sea lions visit the waters around the island. They use the island as a resting place, called a haul-out site.

Sea lions playing near the island

A young Passer angelfish in its home

An adult Passer angelfish

Popular Diving Spots

The waters around San Pedro Nolasco Island are famous for diving. There are many great spots to explore the underwater world.

Magdalena Bay
Lighthouse
The Little Waterfall
The Cave
The Beach
La Lobera
North Point
The Window
Pelican Point
The Cavern
The Rookery
South Point

Magdalena Bay: A Calm Diving Spot

Magdalena Bay is a lovely, calm bay on the island's southeast side. The water here is not very deep, making it a perfect place for new divers and people who like to snorkel. The water is usually very clear, and you can see many different kinds of sea life. This makes it a great spot for even experienced divers.

The gravel beach at Magdalena Bay is a favorite resting place for sea lions. During the summer, you can often see many sea lion pups, guarded by a large male sea lion.

A giant hawkfish at Magdalena Bay

A male sea lion at Magdalena Bay

An octopus hiding at Magdalena Bay

Lighthouse Diving Site

Colorful reef fish at the Lighthouse site

A Cortez damselfish swimming near the lighthouse

A starfish resting on the ocean floor

North Point Diving Site

Spiny lobsters on a rock wall at North Point

Getting to the Island

If you want to visit San Pedro Nolasco Island, you can arrange a trip with boat companies or dive shops in nearby San Carlos. However, to go ashore on San Pedro Nolasco Island or most other islands in the Gulf of California, you need a special permit. You can get these permits from the Mexican government's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas).