Cabo San Lucas Scuba Diving and Snorkeling

What to expect

The Sea of Cortez is home to the largest variety of marine life in the world. The unique location at the tip of the Baja Peninsula brings together sea life from both the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez. The warm waters, great weather, and preserved habitat make this the worlds largest playground for fish and other sea creatures.

When you visit Cabo San Lucas, do not pass up the opportunity to be face to face with the most spectacular marine life. You can get up close and personal with the giant Pacific manta rays, sea turtles, schools of tropical fish, tuna, playful seals, a white tip shark, or much more. There are dive locations that accommodate everyone from the first time divers to advanced divers looking for some unique sightings like underwater caves and open water dives.

Scuba diving in Cabo San Lucas is a safe and fun adventure for the entire family. Los Cabos scuba diving companies are a great value for an experience that you will remember forever. Create lasting memories with your family under the Sea of Cortez and see why Baja California is such a popular scuba diving destination.

Average Prices

If you are a beginner diver, you will need some sort of certification before you jump in the Sea of Cortez. Every single Los Cabos scuba diving operator will offer a “Discover Scuba Diving Resort” course. The prices for this basic 3 hour course range from $86-$115 and will certify you for the duration of your stay, but you only will be able to dive near shore and up to 40 feet in depth. Unfortunately, this course only gives you a temporary certification that cannot be used for Scuba Diving anywhere else or any other time.

Full open water certification is a bit pricier, but you will be rewarded with a permanent certification that will save you time and money everywhere in the world when you want to go scuba diving. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to scuba dive, Cabo San Lucas is the perfect place to start. All service operators will offer a full PADI Open Water certification couse. Prices range from a $300 entry level 2 day PADI open water course to a 4 day certification for $450.

Once you have PADI certification, Scuba Diving in Cabo San Lucas is a great value considering the low cost and spectacular marine life. With a certification, you can go on a two tank dive for around $75, an expedition out to the famous Cabo Pulmo dive spot for $150-$235, or even a one tank night dive for as low as $50. You can mix and match different packages, multiple day diving, or even advanced certifications to make the most of your trip to Baja. Most companies will offer equipment rental for $20/day (such as a B.C.D., regulator, wet suit, fins, mask and snorkel).

Popular Scuba Diving Sites

East Cape

Cabo Pulmo: Hands down the most famous diving spot in all of Los Cabos and one of the best in the world. Cabo Pulmo is home to the only living coral reef on the west coast of North America. The coral reef area is protected by the Mexican government and over the past 20 years has flourished and become home to a vibrant sea life. Thanks to strict conservation measures, Cabo Pulmo is still available today for scuba divers to enjoy. If you love scuba diving, do not miss your chance to see this beautiful marine sanctuary up close.
Gordo Banks: This spot may not have the beautiful living coral reef like Cabo Pulmo, but it is home to schools of some spectacular species. The location iis only for advanced divers only because the depth is at about 110’ to 130’ and can have strong currents. But if you make it down below, you will have plenty of sea life to watch. From schooling hammerheads, game fish, and jacks to the bull sharks, manta rays, and giant whale shark, you will be diving alongside some amazing creatures.

The Corridor

Chileno Reef: Just off the coast of the tourist corridor of Cabo San Lucas, the Chileno reef is a 40’ to 80’ dive great for beginners and snorkelers. The reef stretches from Chileno beach for one half of a mile out to sea and is filled with tropical life like starfish, flower urchins, eels, and even an occasional sea manta, sea bass, sea turtle, and nurse sharks.
Santa Maria: 20’-60’ depth dive with great reef and corals. The colorful dive is perfect for photos so bring your underwater camera. This is a great beginner to intermediate dive that delivers amazing sights and tons of sea life.
Blowhole: This is another great diving spot in the corridor area that is home to a huge rock covered in gorgonians. The site occasionally has bat rays, eagle rays, grouper fish, and even a few manta and whale sharks have been spotted. The location gets its name from a nearby blowhole onshore.

Near Cabo San Lucas

Pelican Rock - Sand Falls: One of the most popular diving spots for beginners is only 5 minutes from the Cabo Marina. The spot is out by Land’s End, alongside the rocky walls that are home to an abundance of sea fans, goat fish, puffers, eels, and parrotfish. The diving spot starts at only 20 foot depth, so people who opted to do the basic discover scuba course are allowed to dive here with some great views of life under the sea. For more advanced divers with PADI certification, you can dive down to 90 feet where the famous underwater sand waterfalls are. The sand is literally falling into the deep valley below and is a great site for photographers.
Neptune’s Finger (La Larga): Another great dive spot near Land’s End is Neptune’s Finger, perfect for intermediate to advanced divers. The dive goes from 25-130 feet in depth along a rock wall. You will see plenty of gorgonians and sea fans along with large schools of barracuda, tropicals, and an occasional tuna, shark, or manta ray. At the lower depths, you will also find another sandfall.
Land’s End (La Punta): This is one of the most unique dive spots in the world because you get to dive in the Sea of Cortez and Pacific Ocean during the same dive. The depths range from 20 to 90 feet and there is an abundance of sea life at this spot. You will see turtles, large sea bass, sea lions, gamefish, octopus, tropical fish, and even whale sharks and mantas. The site is generally for advanced divers only because of the strong currents.
North Wall (Las Cuevas): The North Wall is another great dive spot for beginners who have taken the resort course but also offers depths up to 130 feet for more experienced divers.The shallow waters have a reef that is provides amazing sites easily accessible by beginners and snorkelers.

Scuba Diving Providers in Cabo San Lucas

Amigos Del Mar: https://www.amigosdelmar.com/
Andromeda Divers: https://www.scubadivecabo.com
Baja Dive: https://www.scubadivingcabosanlucas.net/
*Cabo Adventures: https://www.cabo-adventures.com/tours/scuba
Cabo Sailing Dive Charters: https://www.cabosailing.com/sail-and-scuba/dive-charters/
Cabo San Lucas Tours: https://www.cabosanlucastours.net/Scuba-Diving.htm
Cabo Scuba Dive: https://caboscubadive.com/
Dive Cabo San Lucas: https://www.divecabosanlucas.com/
Eagle Divers: https://www.eaglediver.com/
Land’s End Divers: https://www.mexonline.com/landsend.htm
*Los Cabos Deep Blue: https://cabodeepblue.com/
Manta Scuba Diving: https://www.caboscuba.com/
Oceanus Los Cabos: https://www.oceanusloscabos.com.mx
Scuba Dive Cabo San Lucas: https://www.scubadivecabosanlucas.com/
*Sunshine Dive & Charter: https://www.divecabo.com/
*Tio Sports: https://www.tiosports.com/

*Top rated and reviewed service providers

F.A.Q.

Can I scuba dive in Cabo without any diving experience? Yes! Almost all of the Los Cabos scuba diving providers are certified and capable of providing everything from a basic education course for beginners to full deep water certification. Cabo San Lucas is a great place for your first scuba diving adventure.
Are sharks dangerous to swim around? The movie Jaws is just that, a movie. In real life, scuba diving around sharks is one of those most exciting experiences. These graceful creatures are some of the most misunderstood fish in the sea. The majority of sharks you will encounter are smaller and will likely remain far away from any scuba divers. It is highly improbably you will ever encounter a great white shark, especially since they do not live in the warm waters of Los Cabos. Your safety is a top concern in Cabo, and sharks are not a threat in the area.
Will I experience the “bends?” When you Scuba in Cabo, you are required to take at least a basic certification or education course. Preventing decompression sickness is as simple as following instructions and only descending or ascending slowly, usually stopping 15 feet before you surface for one last decompression. If you are just a beginner, you will probably not be diving deeper than 60 feet which is when “the bends” is usually an important factor to consider. Most divers have never experienced this and you probably won’t either.
When is the best time to go scuba diving in Cabo? The water starts to really warm up around July and stays warm, with good visibility, through January. During this time you can witness large schools of tuna, large marlin, and even whales who are migrating south.
Do I need my own gear? You do not need to bring any scuba diving gear with you to Cabo San Lucas unless you absolutely want to. There are multiple companies with high quality equipment available for rent, including wetsuits thick enough for the current water temperature.
Is it expensive to go scuba diving? The actual certification process can seem a little expensive, but once you are certified scuba diving is a fairly low cost sport. Renting equipment in the beginning is a great way to save money instead of trying to purchase all of the gear up front. If you compare the prices of scuba diving to another popular sport like fishing in Cabo San Lucas, you will see that you can Scuba dive for a much lower cost.
Is scuba diving dangerous? All adventure sports of some small risks, but scuba diving is one of the safest sports around. With a good certification course from a reputable instructor and new equipment, you should be able to have the time of your life without any risk of death or injury. Several decades ago when scuba diving was still a new sport, the technologically and knowledge was not advanced enough to protect everyone. Nowadays, many safety precautions are taken to insure you and your friends will have a safe experience.

Reviews

Greetings!! I must say that I had THE best time in Cabo recently. I booked my stay through this website and everything, and I mean everything, was perfect!! The price was unbeatable, first of all. The transportation that we booked couldn't have worked out better. The driver was right there waiting for us once we got off of the plane. The drive was smooth, the driver was pleasant and very informative. We were lucky and just missed the storm, so the weather was really nice. Humid, but nice. I have never written a review for anything before. I had to make certain to do that this time. It was our first time staying in Cabo. Check-in went smoothly, and, the best part, our room. It exceeded our expectations. It was just like the pictures. We had the perfect veiw and the accomodations were wonderful. Bob, on behalf of my party of 4, I would like to say Muchisimas Gracias! for helping us have an AWESOME vacation. I have already been spreading the word about this website and the Villa Del Arco to all of my friends and co-workers. The hotel is gorgeous!! We are already planning our next getaway for Cabo. We want the bigger room with the spa on the balcony. That just sounds so relaxing. I can't wait. Thanks again

Jessalyn Starks, Califonis

Thank you Bob. It was a great trip and very easy booking our accommodations thru Destination Vacations, will use again next year on our next trip to Cabo.

Kelly Lee, Wilton, CA

Bob, This is Sandy S. and we had a reservation at Villa La Estancia from July 16 & 20. I just want you to know how much I appreciate all the help and advice you gave me because our reservation and vacation was just fabulous. Our children, grandchildren, and best friends joined us on the trip because we were celebrating my husbands 60th birthday. We all were impressed with the facilities, location, and employees of the Villa La Estancia. Your room selection for us was perfect. We enjoyed the shade in the morning as we set on the balcony for hours and enjoyed the sunrise and view of the Sea of Cortez and Lands End. As we traveled around during our stay we all decided that our Villa was the best and we were so happy to be there. Check-out with our own separate room charges made the process so simple and fast. It really could not have been any more perfect! If we ever advise anyone traveling to Cabo, or vacation there again ourselves, I will definitely recommend you and Destination Cabo. Again, thanks for your help in making our vacation a fabulous one! Sandy

Hey Bob -- Just wanted to let you know that everything worked out great with our trip to Cabo. Accommodations with Villa del Arco went smoothly, shuttle to/from the airport right on time. Thanks for setting it up and making it easy for us.

Carlyn, Bothel, WA

My wife and I absolutely loved our 10 day stay at Villa La Estancia in Los Cabos. We stayed in Villa 1208 and the unit was amazing! With the hotel units being owned it is calmer and more elegant than most of the other resorts there. One of the highlights of our vacation was going out of the Marina on the "La Gringa Boat Tour" with our new friends. It is Cabo's newest powered catamaran tour, offering unforgettable whale watching, snorkeling and fun filled sunset tours that include the iconic Cabo Arch at Land's End on the confluence of the tranquil Sea of Cortez and mighty Pacific Ocean. The La Gringa crew was fun, informative, friendly and entertaining. They served us up a delicious lunch and snacks, chips, guacamole, and Mexican salsa with complementary open bar and soft drinks. We saw Blue whales and had a fantastic lunch then enjoyed snorkeling the calm, fish filled shallow waters off a secluded beach. The entire trip was first class and a great value, we are looking forward to going back soon. Thank you! David & Tricia

Dave and Tricia, Lake Oswego

Thank you Bob. Everything worked out perfect. Starting with transportation from the airport, to the amazing 2-bedroom suite with beautiful views, the pool, restaurants, and very friendly service of the staff. The six of us in the suite had all-inclusive, and that is the only way to go. We will be calling you for our next Cabo trip. Hopefully soon!!

Laura A., Hanford, CA

We had the most amazing time in Cabo, and the resort was much more than we imagined. It looks very nice on the internet, but to see it in person is so much more -- it was truly beautiful. The staff was so friendly and more than willing to assist us with any questions. We would also like to thank the two of you for all your patience and assistance throughout the planning of our vacation. You were so helpful and really put our minds at ease. We will definitely rent from you again on our next trip to Mexico.

Ed McKenna and Kris Dever, Seattle Washington

My wife and I could not have asked for a more beautiful villa to spend our 10 year anniversary at than in Bob and Sue's Villa 1208 at the Villa La Estancia! Every detail about their villa was phenomenal!! We enjoyed cooking meals in the kitchen and eating them outside in the warm August breezes. Their housekeeper, Yvonne, ws very nice and did a great job of cleaning things and keeping everything tidy. We loved hanging out at the pool every day and got to "ride out" our first tropical storm, Julio. I already told my wife that I could see us coming back to Villa 1208 every year!!! Thanks again! Todd and Nanette Seattle, WA

We loved it! Such an easy, fun, beautiful family vacation. Thank you for putting it all together for us. We hope to go again sometime.

Kathy K., Beverly Hills, CA

Hi bob. We had a wonderful time. I was a bit skeptical at first when I found you website that somehow I was going to get scammed. Obviously we did not. I would absolutely 100% recommend destination vacations based on my experience We did take the tour but were not prepared to invest. I did conclude that I would like to take advantage of their introductory package but am unable to find the person to whom I spoke. Perhaps with some more digging I can find that person. I believe the gals name was Donna to whom I last spoke and gave me the intro package offer. They only allowed me to take a picture of it. I would have some more questions before I could invest for sure or not Thanks

Thomas K, [email protected]