Scuba Diving In Cabo Pulmo: Off the beaten path, Mexico

About Cabo Pulmo

Cabo Pulmo National Park is a marine protected area in the East Cape of Baja California Sur, Mexico. At one point in recent history, many locals were fisherman and the sea became overfished. The government and the town, which is now a population of just over 100 people, decided to change directions and focus on eco-tourism. In 1995 the marine park was established.

Cabo Pulmo is a remote town that is mostly solar powered and filled with bumpy dirt roads. It’s about two hours away from San José del Cabo and you should plan on taking a high clearance vehicle there. It is a popular destination for off the beaten path adventures, such as diving and snorkeling.

FAQ about cabo Pulmo

Is there cell service or WIFI? We went after hurricane Norma, which caused the satellite to stop working – leaving us without cell reception. But normally there is a satellite providing cell service! Given it’s remote location, it was nice to disconnect for a few days and experience it fully. Remember to contact your cellphone carrier to make sure you have coverage in Mexico – roaming charges can be pricey! There are a few stores or restaurants that have spotty WIFI.

Where do I stay? Villas and bungalows are common places to stay in Cabo Pulmo. The best way to book is to get connected with a dive company. There are usually packages that include housing and will set you up with everything you need. The packages often come with transportation as well. Many of the villas come with kitchens, however, keep in mind this is a fairly remote destination. Water is limited in the desert and they usually ask you to limit water to what you need. Many villas run on solar power, there were a few people in our group that had some issues with electricity. Air condition or fans were provided at most of our groups’ places.

How do I get there? The drive is approximately 1.5 hours from SJC airport. The best way to get to Cabo Pulmo is to book a dive tour or a package with a local dive shop. There are many dive shops that offer day trips from Cabo and La Paz as well. The road to get into Cabo Pulmo is rocky and it’s best to have a high clearance vehicle. There are plenty of people who take personal vehicles to the area, but I’d personally hate to pop a tire out there.

What kind of shops are in town? The town itself is very small and there are not a lot of options for shopping or buying snacks. I would bring everything you need when you come here. There is a convenience small store with basic snacks and food items, but is fairly limited. There are about five restaurants in town. Stores and restaurants may have inconsistent hours and many only take cash.

What’s the weather like? Such as most areas – weather varies through out the year. Warm season is typically between June and mid October with high’s in the 90s being typical. February is the coldest month, which temps usually around 60s to 70s. You can expect a mostly desert climate. March and April are the driest months, however, there is only about 58 days of rain each year.

Other things to do in the area? Diving is the hot commodity of Cabo Pulmo. There are some places that also offer snorkeling for those that are more comfortable on the surface of the water. There are several hikes in the area, but it’s important to note that rattlesnakes and big cats are prevalent in the area. One of the dive guides guided us through a hike with his dogs that are trained to alert to rattlesnakes. The beach near the town is heavily used by trucks putting boats in and out of the water during the day. We had a pleasant time walking down the beach for sunset.

The diving

It is also the largest living reef in the Sea of Cortez. After years of overfishing, the marine park has turned to ecotoursim to sustain the community and has successfully restored it’s sea life!

If you’ve heard about diving in Cabo Pulmo, you’ve likely come across the marine parks’ “big three”: schools of jacks, sea lions, and bull sharks.

To protect the marine life and dive sites, popular sites are not always open. A certain number of divers are allowed in the area for a certain time period. There is usually a daily limit. After a set number of days, it closes for a period of time (usually a few days). Each morning, the dive companies enter a lottery for the open dive sites. You are not guaranteed to dive the popular sites even if they are open. For this reason, I recommend you book a few days diving here to broaden your chances.

Our trip was in October (shoulder season). The whales had not yet arrived as they typically show up starting in November. Peak season can be fairly busy. Diving in shoulder season helped our chances to dive the popular spots. We dove three times each day for three days. We didn’t see much diving around the reef. It wasn’t as plentiful as reef’s I’ve dove in Hawaii, Bali, Florida, or the Caribbean. We were able to dive two of the popular sites and saw huge schools of jacks and plenty of bull sharks!

Last year I dove with hammerheads in the Galapagos. But this was the first time I had seen a bull shark. I was quite nervous before hitting the water, but after descending and getting settled, it was a peaceful experience. The surge was rough during our dive and even despite this, it was hard to want to resurface. We had to hold onto items on the ground to refrain from being blown away (or into a shark!). There were several sharks down in the area, who paid no attention to us (although we did have a smaller one follow us a bit on our way out).

My favorite experiences was watching the schools of jacks! We were able to dive a popular site, known for their sightings – but the next day we saw them in a random spot and were able to jump in. It was much more intriguing than I had imagined. At one point, we watched in awe as we watched dolphins (my favorite animal!) swim through them. Honestly watching all of their formations was very aesthetically pleasing. It was definitely one of my favorite underwater experiences!