My first time in Rocky Point with friends, this is where I ended up. Very nice place at first, the beach is huge and there's plenty of room for everyone. There's a nice view of tall buildings that makes it even prettier. The sand is also relatively soft and the shore is just beautiful. Warm crystal clear water, what more could you ask for?
But here's why I had a bad experience here and I'm not likely to return...
STINGRAYS!!!
I'll repeat it, stingrays! You know the cute black fish you pet at aquariums? (Or at least I did many times), their tale is very venomous, if you step on it, the creature of course will not hesitate to sting. And that's exactly what happened to me. First 10 minutes in the water splashing around all excited cause living in Phoenix I don't have the ocean every day, I accidentally stepped on one and got stung. It felt like a very sharp hook and the pain afterwards was EXCRUCIATING!
Did I know there are stingrays in the ocean? Well yes. Did I know this beach is FULL OF STINGRAYS and people (including children) are swimming around them with NO SIGN or warning about it? Well NO!
Usually where there's a particular hazard in the area, there's a written sign warning tourists to watch their steps. Like written signs on some beaches talking about sharks or jellyfishes. You might still want to swim there but at least you're aware of the danger.
I swear I HAD NO IDEA, seeing so many people with bare feet being in the water with no issues. I thought I was safe. It was not my first time experiencing the Pacific Ocean, so how I was supposed to know????
After being stung I immediately got out, my heel was bleeding and the pain continued spreading through my right leg (because of the venom) up until paramedics arrived to treat the wound. The only thing they could do was to clean the wound from dirt and debris with isopropyl alcohol and injecting a dose of narcotic. I don't speak the language but being a pharmacy tech I know only narcotic opioids and hypnotics are able to treat severe pain and make the area numb. The ones that we call "controlled substances" here in the United States. Over there they don't tell you what it is. They just ask you: "do you have any allergies?" Well at least that! I didn't exactly know what it was but I'm glad it worked.
The funny thing about it is that paramedics are used to treat people with these kind of injuries. The main guy told me with the very few English words he knew that they have at least one case every day at that beach. After my wound was treated, I saw them providing first aid to another girl who, apparently, got unlucky as well.
No wonder why they go around "dispensing" opioids like if they were candies!!!
Concluding? Once I got back to Phoenix I had to go to an urgent care cause I couldn't walk on it and the ibuprofen was not sufficient to the healing. I'm currently taking two different types of antibiotics, the "prescription ibuprofen" (400 mg tablets) and a narcotic acetaminophen with codeine.
I will be fine and I surely learned a lesson down there, but jeez, do we want to spend these 200 pesos for a written warning sign you Mexican people????????!!!!!!!
I'm blessed I'm not having allergic reaction to the venom or it could have been worse.
Now I hope it's clear why I have to give two stars to this beach. Tourists have the right to know. If I was wearing closed toe shoes I would have probably had an amazing experience. IF I KNEW!
Besides, the negative review also goes to the public restrooms having no soap, no running water, the flush not working, and you still have to pay for it.
Again, nice beach if you don't swim and you don't go to the bathroom. But next time I'll definitely drive two more hours to make it to California where all the preventive measures are taken.
I hope many yelpers who end up here will read this review BEFORE getting injured. Trust me that you definitely want to waste this 5 minutes before getting the pain I went through.
Mexico was just too wild for my taste, again. Too bad, you lost a tourist. read more