Chileno Beach Snorkeling Guide: When to Go, What to Bring, Which Tour

Chileno is the beach we send people to when they ask where to snorkel in Cabo without a boat. It is a protected bay on the Corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, the water is calm, you can swim straight out from the sand, and on a clear morning you see fish before you are waist deep. It is also easy to get wrong: the wrong day, the wrong hour, no shade. Here is how we do it.

Why Chileno works

The bay is sheltered, so the swell that hits the open beaches around Cabo San Lucas mostly stays out. That is the whole reason. Calm water means you can float over the rocks at the edges of the bay, which is where the fish are, without getting pushed around. Swimming is safe here, which is not true of every beach in Los Cabos. Santa Maria, the next bay over, is the other calm snorkel spot, and the two are close enough to do both in a morning.

Pick the right day and hour

• Go on a weekday. Weekends are dramatically busier. Our beach guides say it plainly: weekdays are the quiet days.
• Avoid Sunday. Cruise ship crowds flood the marina, and the tour boats that come out to the bays are fullest.
• Go early. In summer the water is warmer but the wind comes up in the afternoon and chops the surface. In winter the mornings are calmer and the water is cooler. Either way, the first hours of the day are the clear ones.
• Check conditions that day. Visibility changes with the wind and the swell. If it looks murky from the sand, it will be murky under it.

What to bring

Your own mask and snorkel if you have them, since a mask that fits your face is worth more than any rental. Reef-safe sunscreen, put on before you leave the car so it sets. Water, a snack, and something for shade: umbrella rentals on the busier beaches run $20 to $30 a day, so a cheap one from a shop in town pays for itself on the first trip. A rash guard saves your back from the sun while you float face down for an hour. Cash in pesos for tips, since workers get a better rate on pesos than on dollars.

Snorkeling from the beach versus a tour

From the beach costs nothing beyond sunscreen and you set your own pace. The trade-off is that you only see the edges of the bay you can swim to. A tour drops you in the middle of the good water, brings gear and lunch, and usually adds a second bay. Our picks below all stop at Chileno or a bay like it, with the price per guest from our listings. Add 16% IVA to each.

Luxury Two-Bay Snorkel

The one built around Chileno. Four hours on a power catamaran past the Arch and Land's End, then snorkeling at both Chileno and Santa Maria, with sea turtles, tropical fish and sea lions on a good day. Snorkel gear and paddleboards on board, a fresh lunch and a premium open bar. $149 USD plus 16% IVA, ages 5 and up, departures at 9am and 1pm, rated 4.9. Take the 9am.

Cabo Snorkel & Land's End Arch

The budget version. A three hour speedboat run to the Arch, Lover's Beach and Land's End, past the sea lion colony, then snorkeling in a clear bay with kayaks, paddleboards and underwater scooters on hand. Quesadillas and drinks included. $98 USD plus 16% IVA, ages 5 and up, rated 4.7.

Luxury Snorkel Catamaran Cruise

Four hours on one of the newest boats in Los Cabos, a snorkeling stop in clear water, and a menu from a Michelin-starred chef with a premium open bar. $179 USD plus 16% IVA, ages 5 and up, one departure at 10am, rated 4.8. This is the one for a birthday.

Cabo Pulmo Snorkeling Expedition

Not Chileno, but if Chileno hooks you, this is the next step. A full eight hour day to the living reef at Cabo Pulmo National Park, one of the healthiest reefs in the Sea of Cortez, with a two hour drive each way and a Baja-style lunch. $289 USD plus 16% IVA, ages 10 and up, leaves at 7:30am, rated 4.5. Reviews are a little more split than the local tours, mostly about the long drive.

If you want to go deeper

The step past snorkeling is a discover scuba session at Pelican Rock, a beginner reef right off the marina: three hours, up to two guided dives to 40 feet, no certification needed, $129 USD plus 16% IVA for ages 10 to 60.

Before you go

Weekday, early, your own mask, and a plan for shade. If you only have one morning, snorkel Chileno from the beach and save the tour for a day when the wind is forecast to come up early.

Calm bay, early start, weekday if you can. See every water trip we list on our adventures in Cabo page.