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

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

Wanted to get back to you and let you know we had a great trip and the rooms were tremendous! We all really enjoyed the penthouse - it was over the top! Thanks again!

Jeff B., San Mateo, CA

We had a great vacation. We had stayed in Pal Mar 10 years ago, La Estancia 3 times since then and Del Arco for the first time this trip. We have done the tour probably 3 times, both in La Estancia and Del Arco this last time. We think the location of the Villa properties is the best in Cabo by far. We loved the staff in Del Arco and look forward to going back again. In our family having both teenagers and younger boys, its the perfect vacation for everyone. I became quite friendly with Angelica the concierge and Jorge the concierge at the pool. Also Ernesto with whom we had breakfast every morning. I'm the type of person who likes to get to know the staff, I feel we get better service that way. We look forward to going back again for Spring Break next year and I hope we can get a similar arrangement as this year with breakfast included etc. That worked great for us. I will be in touch regarding booking later in the year. Del Arco has become our favorite now I think, as we were very much La Estancia people until this vacation. Also your car service was great and our driver was very helpful and informative. Thanks for everything, best regards, Margaret.

Margaret D.

We had a great time! The villa was excellent & the transportation to & from airport was right on time! Perfect- we'd do it again!

Lisa F., Roseville, CA

We had a fantastic trip!!!! Villa Del Arco was perfect with very spacious, clean rooms. It was great having the pool and beach so acessible. Your recommendation of doing the All-Inclusive was also so nice. The service, food, and restaurants were superb. In fact La Perla cooked the tuna that we caught three different ways and all were delicious. We will definitely go back and book with you.

Rita H., Texas

We thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to Cabo. The accommodations were exceptional--loved 1707--view was breathtaking from the balcony. Did not really realize the topography of the area--were very surprised by the mountain, desert, and sea views. Loved our panga ride around Lands End. My husband and I had the king bedroom and bath and were very comfortable. The main living area was awesome except for the fact that the dishwasher was broken--discovered it by a wet kitchen floor when we arrived. We called maintenance and they came immediately, but the dishwasher was not useable. It ended up not being a problem because of the every other day maid service--she washed the dishes for us. The couple we were with had the second bedroom and I think they were just a little disappointed after seeing our accommodations with the king bedroom and bath. Tried some of your recommendations for restaurants and absolutely loved Salvatore's--great food at great prices. Asked the concierge for a recommendation for an authentic Mexican restaurant with reasonable prices and found Maria Coronas to be an excellent choice. Spent Valentine's dinner at Ruth's Chris (our favorite American dining spot) and were not disappointed as usual--food and service there is always replicated. Spent a lot of time at the beach bars (The Office, Billygans, and Mango Beach Deck)--great Cabo atmosphere. Also liked shopping in the marina area. We feel that the $7 cab ride to the mall area was well worth the expense--walking the streets with occasional sidewalks was scary at times. Thanks for allowing us to use your condo--overall our first experience in Cabo was very memorable. Sincerely, Beth M

Beth Mason, Covington Indiana

Thank you! We had a great time. No complaints at all about the resort and I didn't hear of any from any of the 30+ people who accompanied us either. I'd recommend Villa la Estancia to anyone and I actually did to my boss and to a friend who are both looking for some place to go for a special occasion. I've passed your info along to them and hopefully they'll book and head there as well.

Christopher M., Edwardsville, IL

Mel and I had a wonderful stay! As we arrived home in Portland to snow flurries late last night, I reminisced about the warm sunshine we had so loved this last week. The incredible location, however, was only the window dressing for a most stellar suite. The accomodations were amazing and the service pleasant. I would give Villa Del Arco a 10, a 5-star rating! We will remember it always! I want to thank you for all your help through the booking and confirmation of our destination. My sincere thanks for your attentiveness. Please, at your convenience, would you please send me recommendations of resorts in Puerto Vallarta that would be suitable for our future vacations. Thanks again. We have no doubt that friends and family of ours will someday be guests at Villa Del Arco!

Harriet V., Oregon

We just got back from Cabo -- wanted to let you know we had a WONDERFUL time. The place was everything you said it would be, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I want to thank you both for being so professional and handling everything very thoroughly. There's always a nagging bit of doubt whenever you go over the Internet -- the 'will I really have a place to stay' thought-but it was PERFECT!

Darrin and Michele M, Poway California

Very nice place. Staff was able to repair the master bedroom toilet that had a sticky valve. Everything else was fabulous. The unit layout is perfect. On the extremely positive side, my business partner has a number of investment type properties and has been staying in different type properties around the world, and yours is the best he's ever been in and was quite impressed. Your Cabo guide is great and you were right on with the restaurant recommendations. We ate lunch at Tobascos everyday, although their prices have gone up a bit... Thanks again, and we hope to come back some day.

Ray V.