Most popular
2-Tank Dive Trips
Two guided boat dives on the best reefs of the morning, tanks and weights included, back for lunch. Open Water and up.
PADI dive center · Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park · Baja California Sur
Scuba diving in Cabo Pulmo, with the people who live on the reef
Small groups of 6 divers per guide, boats 5 minutes from the dive sites, bull sharks at El Vencedor and a 20,000-year-old coral reef that recovered like no other place on Earth. We are the dive center of Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort, in the village since the 1990s.
- 800+marine species in the park
- 6divers per guide, max
- 10dive sites, 5–15 min by boat
- 6full-time PADI instructors
Cabo Pulmo Dive Center is the PADI dive operation of Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort, located in the village of Cabo Pulmo on the East Cape of Baja California Sur, about 60 miles (100 km) north of Los Cabos airport. We run 2-tank boat dives every morning ($2,800 MXN per diver, groups of 6 per guide), PADI courses from Discover Scuba to Advanced Open Water, snorkel tours and Dive + Stay packages with meals. The marine park fee is $120 MXN per person per day. Dive check-in is 8:30 am; the office is open 8 am to 5 pm every day.
What we do
Everything you need to dive the aquarium of the world
One dive shop, one beach, ten reefs. Choose how deep you want to go.
PADI 5 courses
Dive Courses & Certifications
Discover Scuba in half a day, Open Water in 3–4 days, Advanced, Adventure Diver, EFR and referrals. On-site pool, 6 instructors.
Families welcome
Snorkel Tours
Mermaid Beach, the sea lion colony and Las Navajas reef. The only snorkel tour in Cabo Pulmo with certified guides and oxygen on board.
Why Cabo Pulmo
The reef that came back
In 1995 the fishing families of Cabo Pulmo asked the Mexican government to protect their bay. Within ten years the fish biomass inside the park had grown by more than 400 percent, the largest recovery ever measured in a marine reserve, and the predators returned: bull sharks on the wreck, tornadoes of bigeye trevally, groupers the size of a diver.
The reef itself is one of the oldest and northernmost living coral reefs in the eastern Pacific, estimated at 20,000 years old, hugging the desert coast of the Sea of Cortez. Dive sites are a 5 to 15 minute panga ride from the beach, so you spend your morning underwater, not commuting.
- Bull sharks at El Vencedor wreck (45 ft)
- Jack and sardine tornadoes year round
- Humpback whales heard underwater Dec–Mar
- Mobulas and guitarfish in spring
- Sea lion colony at La Lobera
- Turtles, morays and rays on every dive
How a dive morning works
Check in at 8:30, back for lunch at the beach
Book online or on WhatsApp
Pick your date, tell us your certification level and whether you need gear. We confirm the same day.
8:30 am check-in
Paperwork, gear fitting and the briefing at the dive shop, the two-story blue building in the village.
Two dives, two reefs
Groups of 6 with a local dive master. Surface interval on the boat with fruit and water, 5 minutes from the beach.
Lunch with a view
Back around 12:30 pm. Log your dives at the Coral Reef Restaurant, the only place in town with Wi-Fi and cold beer.
Dive + Stay packages
Sleep next to the dive shop, meals included
Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort rents 5 villas inside the village and bundles them with diving: 2 to 6 nights, 2 or 3 guests per unit, breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Coral Reef Restaurant, 2 tanks every dive day and an optional afternoon pair of tanks. Groups of up to 6 divers per package.
Ocean-side double units3 meals + welcome cocktail2 tanks per dive dayFrom 2 nights
See the packages
Dive sites
Ten reefs, one bay
From the 45-foot wreck where the bull sharks gather to the 100-foot outer reef. Every site is inside the National Marine Park.
El Cantil
15–55 ft · 5–17 mCoral reef wall · Open Water
Guitarfish, humpback whales (heard underwater in winter)
The team
Local, bilingual, in the water every day
Our dive masters grew up in Cabo Pulmo or have guided its reefs for years. They know where the turtles sleep at Las Casitas and at which tide the bull sharks come up on the wreck. Six full-time PADI instructors, briefings in English and Spanish, oxygen and first-aid on every boat.
The operation was started by Cole Barrymore, whose family landed in Cabo Pulmo in 1970 in a Cessna 182 and founded the resort in 1987. When the marine park was declared in 1995, the family traded their spearguns for dive tanks. Read the story.
PADI dive center6 instructorsO2 on boardGroups of 6Since the 1990s
Good to know
Diving in Cabo Pulmo: quick answers
How much does a dive trip in Cabo Pulmo cost?
Our 2-Tank Dive Trip costs $2,800 MXN per diver. Full equipment rental is $600 MXN per day, and every visitor to the National Marine Park pays a park fee of $120 MXN per person per day. Prices are in Mexican pesos; the online booking system may display US dollars at the exchange rate of the day.
How many divers go on each boat?
We dive in small groups of 6 divers per guide. Our boats can carry up to 32 divers across several groups, so large dive clubs can book together while every group still has its own local, bilingual dive master.
What certification do I need to dive in Cabo Pulmo?
Any entry-level certification (PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent) is enough for most sites, which sit between 15 and 60 feet. La Esperanza and Outer Pulmo are deep reefs (75 to 100 feet) and are reserved for Advanced Open Water divers. If you are not certified, you can join a Discover Scuba Diving experience instead.
Can I see bull sharks in Cabo Pulmo?
Bull sharks are a common encounter at El Vencedor wreck and are also seen at El Cantil, La Esperanza and Los Morros. Sightings are most frequent in the cooler months, but they are wild animals and no encounter can be guaranteed.
Can I get PADI certified in Cabo Pulmo?
Yes. The dive center has 6 full-time PADI instructors and an on-site training pool. We teach Discover Scuba Diving ($4,000 MXN), Open Water Diver ($12,200 MXN), Advanced Open Water ($9,400 MXN), Adventure Diver ($6,400 MXN), Emergency First Response ($3,600 MXN) and Open Water referral dives ($3,400 MXN per person for 2 tanks plus a $500 MXN PADI certification fee).
Where is the dive center and how do I get there?
Cabo Pulmo is on the East Cape of Baja California Sur, about 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Los Cabos International Airport (SJD). The drive takes around 1.5 to 2 hours on Highway 1 north and then the La Ribera road; the last 6 miles are a well-kept dirt road. The dive center is the two-story blue building in the village, across from the Coral Reef Restaurant.
Why is Cabo Pulmo called "the aquarium of the world"?
Jacques Cousteau used the phrase for the Sea of Cortez. Cabo Pulmo earned it in its own right: after fishing stopped in 1995, the fish biomass inside the park increased more than 400 percent in a decade, the largest recovery recorded in any marine reserve. Today the park shelters more than 800 marine species over a 20,000-year-old reef.
All frequently asked questions
Ready to dive the aquarium of the world?
Book your 2-tank dive trip online in two minutes, or message us on WhatsApp and a bilingual instructor will help you plan your days in Cabo Pulmo.