Cabo Pulmo National Park Diving: How the Day Trip Works and Who It Is For

Cabo Pulmo is the best diving in Baja California Sur and it is not close to Cabo San Lucas. That is the first thing to understand. The reef sits on the East Cape, about two hours by road, inside a national marine park that has been protected long enough for the fish to come back in numbers you will not see anywhere else on this coast. Here is how the day works, what you need, and what to do if you are not certified yet.

What you are diving

A living reef around 20,000 years old, one of the healthiest in the Sea of Cortez, with over 200 fish species, coral, sea turtles, sea lions and a historic shipwreck. The dive sites on the tour are places like El Islote and El Bajo. This is a place you go to be surrounded by fish, not to hunt for one small thing.

Cabo Pulmo Diving Tour

The day trip for certified divers. It runs eight hours, leaves at 7:30am from the Cabo San Lucas marina or by hotel pickup for select hotels, and includes the van ride out and back, two guided dives with PADI-certified bilingual guides, and lunch at a local restaurant after. Minimum age 12. $289 USD per guest plus 16% IVA, rated 4.6. Bring your certification card.

Cabo Pulmo Snorkeling Expedition

The same reef from the surface, for the non-divers in the group. Eight hours, 7:30am start, the scenic two-hour drive, small-group guided snorkeling with turtles, sea lions and tropical fish, and a Baja-style lunch. Minimum age 10. $289 USD plus 16% IVA, rated 4.5. Divers and snorkelers can go on the same day, which settles the family argument.

Not certified yet? Two paths

PADI Discover Scuba Diving in Cabo

If you have never dived, do this first in Cabo San Lucas. A PADI-certified instructor teaches the basics at the surface, then takes you on up to two guided dives at Pelican Rock, a beginner-friendly site in the bay with tropical fish, octopus, stingrays and seahorses at depths up to 40 feet. Three hours, 8am or 11am, ages 10 to 60, $129 USD plus 16% IVA, rated 4.8. It does not certify you, and it does not qualify you for the Cabo Pulmo dive, but it tells you whether you like it.

PADI Open Water Diver Certification

If you know you like it, get certified here. Three days: theory, pool skills, then four open-water dives in the Sea of Cortez, down to 60 feet. Start the eLearning before you fly and you spend less of your vacation in a classroom. $609 USD plus 16% IVA, rated 4.9, ages 10 and up. Do this early in a week-long trip and Cabo Pulmo becomes possible at the end of it.

Closer dives while you are in town

Scuba Diving at Land's End & The Arch

Two guided dives under the Arch, past Neptune's Finger and the sea lion colony, with turtles and rays. Three hours, 8am or 11am, $128 USD plus 16% IVA, rated 4.8. A good warm-up dive the day before Pulmo, and the one to book if you only have a morning.

When to go

May through November has the warmest water, 78 to 85°F, and the best visibility, plus a better chance of bigger pelagic species. December through April is cooler in the water but still clear, and you may see whales from the boat on the way out. In summer, go early: the 7:30am departure exists for a reason.

Practical notes

• It is a long day. Eight hours, with four of them in a van. Bring water, a hat and something to read.
• Minimum ages are firm: 12 to dive, 10 to snorkel.
• Certified divers bring their card. No card, no dive.
• Weekdays are quieter on the East Cape than weekends.
• Prices above are per guest and do not include the 16% IVA.

Get certified early in the trip, warm up at Land's End, then give Cabo Pulmo a full day. Book the dives on our adventures in Cabo page.