Explore Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a beach resort/cruise ship port city in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is located on a large bay facing the Pacific Ocean called Bahía de Banderas (Banderas Bay). In addition to its beautiful beaches and rapid development, Bahía de Banderas is known for being a breeding ground for humpback whales.
Scuba diving is one of Puerto Vallarta’s main attractions. Diving in Bahía de Banderas is great for novice divers because the currents are mild. Various local dive shops offer certification courses and they take their students to dive here as well. These dive shops also organize daily boat trips out to the offshore islands of Los Arcos and Las Marietas Islands for some more advanced diving. The biodiversity of marine flora and fauna at these islands is spectacular, which makes sense because Los Arcos, or Los Arcos de Mismaloya, is a National Marine Park and Las Marietas is a protected wildlife sanctuary.
Top Puerto Vallarta Dive Sites
Los Arcos de Mismaloya
Located 15 kilometers/9.3 miles south of Puerto Vallarta, Los Arcos de Mismaloya is a National Marine Park featuring granite islands with arches and caves. Divers can spot manta rays and moray eels. It's suitable for all levels, offering scuba and freediving opportunities with depths from 3–30 meters/9.8–98.4 feet.
Las Marietas Islands
Part of a wildlife sanctuary, these islands offer diverse marine life, including mollusks, corals, and nudibranchs. Accessible via a 70-minute boat ride, it's great for both scuba and freediving, with opportunities to see dolphins, sea turtles, and whales during breeding season.
Majahuitas
A protected cove with shallow, calm waters ideal for beginners. Known for tropical fish, moray eels, and spotted eagle rays, it's accessible only by boat. The site is perfect for scuba diving, offering a serene diving experience.
La Corbeteña
Situated 60 kilometers/37.3 miles offshore, this advanced dive site features caves, arches, and steep walls. Divers can encounter pelagic species like reef sharks, whale sharks, and marlin. Recommended for experienced divers due to strong currents, primarily for scuba diving.
El Chimo
Located near the village of Chimo, this site offers stunning underwater rock formations and vibrant corals. It's a longer 90-minute boat ride, suitable for scuba divers seeking to experience large schools of fish and possible manta ray sightings.
The best Months to dive in Puerto Vallarta
The best time of year to dive the offshore sites such as Los Arcos and Las Marietas is from November through May, when the ocean conditions are calmest. This is also the time of year when divers have the chance of spotting manta rays and whale sharks, as well as humpback whales. Visibility can be slightly worse during these times, however, due to the plankton blooms that are attracted by the cooler waters.
If you prefer warmer waters (26°C/78.8°F) and the best visibility, June through October is the ideal time to go.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Puerto Vallarta
There is much to see when scuba diving in Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas. Since parts of the bay are protected as a National Marine Park (Los Arcos de Mismaloya) and a wildlife sanctuary (Las Marietas Islands), the wildlife is diverse and plentiful. In terms of fish, common sightings include pufferfish, damselfish, and grunts. As for pelagic species, this region attracts humpback whales, whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays, eagle rays, and sailfish.
From November through March, Bahía de Banderas in a sanctuary for humpback whales. Visitors can expect to spot these whales from afar breaching and hitting their tails against the water.
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 approx.: 200
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Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
Green Turtle
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus
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Total number of species approx.: 25
iStock/Juliosanjuan
Eagle Ray
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Alamy-National Geographic Creative
Leatherback Turtle
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iStock-crisod
Reef Manta Ray
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Total number of species approx.: 130
AdobeStock-JirinaVFR
Pufferfish
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Total number of species approx.: 90
Shutterstock-Rich Carey
Angelfish
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Total number of species approx.: 25
AdobeStock_Vladimir Wrangel
Boxfish
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Total number of species approx.: 3
Shutterstock_Leo Lorenzo
Trumpetfish
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