Gordo Banks
Explore Cabo San LucasScuba diving in Cabo San Lucas, the bustling resort town at the far southern t
Explore Cabo San Lucas
Scuba diving in Cabo San Lucas, the bustling resort town at the far southern tip of Baja California, offers a wealth of underwater sights and experiences. San Lucas Bay is a protected area with well-preserved dive sites and lots of fish life; it was actually the second marine park to be established in Mexico, after the Caribbean jewel of Cozumel! At Cabo San Lucas, the mighty Pacific Ocean meets the magical Sea of Cortez, which endows local dive sites with a mix of pelagic, migratory, and resident creatures. Seamounts, sea lions, hammerhead sharks, deep walls, unique ‘sand falls’, and plenty of fish and critters are all among the many landscapes and marine animals which make Cabo San Lucas diving unique.
Cabo San Lucas enjoys a high density of dive centers and tour options. It’s easy to visit Cabo Pulmo’s reef or even the whale sharks in La Paz with a Cabo San Lucas operator. It’s even easier to spend a day diving the uncrowded ‘Corridor’ sites on the way to San Jose del Cabo. For divers who want to go farther afield, Cabo San Lucas is the departure point for many liveaboards to Socorro and Guadalupe. For those staying in town, activities, nightlife and restaurants provide plenty of entertainment.
Places to explore
Dive Activity
Diving in Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas may be the Baja dive hub with the widest range of dive options. There are plenty of dive centers, offering courses from beginner levels through technical diving. There are even dedicated tec-diving shops which specialize in taking divers to unexplored and deep destinations. Another special offering in Cabo San Lucas is bluewater shark diving. While these tours use snorkels instead of scuba gear, they bring visitors face to face with silky, blue, mako, and even hammerhead sharks, not to mention marlin and potentially mantas.
In San Lucas Bay, deep walls, reefs and wrecks can all be found. The bay is also a great location for night diving, which is offered at various Cabo San Lucas dive centers. Sea lion encounters are also a local specialty. Of course, liveaboard diving in the offshore destinations of Socorro and Guadalupe can also be accessed from Cabo San Lucas.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Cabo San Lucas
The stars of Cabo San Lucas marine life are schooling hammerhead sharks at the dive site Gordo Banks. But these aren’t the only special sharks in the area, which also sees silky sharks, whale sharks, mako sharks and blue sharks. A small colony of playful sea lions can be observed frolicking against the iconic scenic backdrop of the arch at Land’s End, where Baja California Sur tapers to its southern point. Humpbacks, gray whales, and orcas grace Cabo San Lucas with their presence every year on their traditional migration routes between winter and summer habitats.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
607 Sightings
J
52
F
39
M
49
A
31
M
23
J
49
J
56
A
37
S
50
O
65
N
63
D
93
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 7
iStock-Michael Zeigler
Sea Lion
459 Sightings
J
47
F
35
M
26
A
12
M
18
J
2
J
7
A
28
S
58
O
52
N
81
D
93
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 25
iStock/Juliosanjuan
Eagle Ray
147 Sightings
J
4
F
8
M
8
A
1
M
2
J
3
J
18
A
10
S
17
O
10
N
29
D
37
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus
123 Sightings
J
12
F
11
M
0
A
1
M
2
J
8
J
14
A
14
S
11
O
10
N
11
D
29
iStock-crisod
Reef Manta Ray
62 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
2
M
0
J
9
J
12
A
9
S
12
O
7
N
0
D
11
AdobeStock-Magnus
Humpback Whale
48 Sightings
J
13
F
6
M
7
A
2
M
3
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
3
O
3
N
2
D
9
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
42 Sightings
J
0
F
16
M
0
A
0
M
1
J
0
J
11
A
2
S
4
O
4
N
4
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 130
AdobeStock-JirinaVFR
Pufferfish
659 Sightings
J
59
F
48
M
57
A
36
M
41
J
54
J
54
A
40
S
47
O
53
N
74
D
96
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 90
Shutterstock-Rich Carey
Angelfish
449 Sightings
J
44
F
45
M
39
A
17
M
24
J
34
J
35
A
34
S
49
O
32
N
38
D
58
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 100
iStock-burnsboxco
Parrotfish
356 Sightings
J
30
F
26
M
27
A
13
M
19
J
19
J
28
A
22
S
37
O
32
N
42
D
61
The best Months to dive in Cabo San Lucas
The fabled hammerheads at the dive site Gordo Banks are most reliably seen between June and November. Just before they arrive, silky sharks and whale sharks may also be seen at Gordo Banks from April through June. Schools of migrating mobula rays, which number in the hundreds or more, can be seen in the spring and autumn months. From December through April, humpback whales and gray whales can be found as they nurse their young in the warm Baja waters. Orcas may even visit between January and June.
The water temperature in Cabo San Lucas ranges from 22°C/72°F to 29°C/84°F. The Pacific hurricane season may bring in some stormy weather between July and September, and September sees some rainy days.
To visit Socorro, divers should plan to be in Baja California Sur between November and May. The season for cage diving with great white sharks in Guadalupe is from August to October.
