...Highlights: whale sharks, hammerheads, bull sharks, shark action, dolphins, whales, manta rays, schooling fish & big pelagics...
...Diving environment: wall dives, drift diving, beginner and advanced divers...
The Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California, is a 700 miles (1,126 km) stretch of water sheltered from the Pacific Ocean by the Baja California peninsula. As a result, the swells of the Pacific have little effect here meaning the seas are often flat calm. From Puerto Peñasco in the north to San Jose del Cabo in the south, there are thousands of islands, pinnacles and rocks in the sea around which are countless liveaboard dive sites. The sea is blessed to be a destination of many migratory oceanic creatures, as well as being home to a wide range resident fish species, so much so that Jacques Cousteau once described the Sea of Cortez as the "world's aquarium" after diving here.
One of the highlights is when tens of thousands of mobula rays migrate and gather here in the water to perform acrobatic breaching displays. Their arrival signals a hunting spree of killer whales that prey on the rays. Underwater you can expect unforgettable scuba encounters with playful sea lions throughout the sea. Schools of hammerhead sharks, bull sharks, encounters with giant manta rays, and magnificent whale sharks are also headline diving attractions of the Sea of Cortez. Cetaceans are commonly spotted and include vast pods of dolphins, porpoises, pilot and sperm whales hunting Humboldt squid, fin whales, and even humpback whales.
It wasn’t always like this. Commercial fishing was rampant in the 1990s and fish stocks plummeted. However, the Mexican government enacted marine protected areas and exclusion zones, and the marine life has bounced back very nicely. A strong sign that a body of water is in good health is the number of sea birds that are present, and birders will not be disappointed by the countless number of blue and brown footed boobies, cormorants, frigate birds, and the endemic yellow footed gulls.
Unlike some other dive sites on the Pacific side of Mexico, there are also plenty of smaller creatures to see as well as healthy reef scenes to experience. Reefs commonly feature colorful sponges and gorgonian sea fans and kelp, while you can keep your eye out for creatures like sea horses, octopus, moray eels, nudibranchs, Panamic porkfish, and a variety of blennies, jawfish, damselfish and angelfish. So whether poking around in a hole in the reef or hanging in the water column, gazing out into the blue, the Sea of Cortez will keep scuba divers enthralled.
While many of the sites close to shore can be dived as day trips, liveaboards operate here and provide the best means of experiencing all that this wondrous stretch of water has to offer. For more information on the tour options, and all the travel information you might need to visit Mexico, read our Sea of Cortez liveaboard section.
Depending on the liveaboard you choose, you will either board at Puerto Penasco on the Mexican mainland along northern coastline of the Sea of Cortez, or Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of the Baja peninsula.
There are not many diving safaris operating here so it is common for yours to be the only one in the area. Of course this means you can be sure of avoiding 'diver soup' even at the more popular, closer-to-shore locations where liveaboards can overnight and have you in the water before any daytrip boats arrive.
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July to November is the Sea of Cortez liveaboard season, although shore diving is possible year round. Temperatures can vary from site to site and are usually in the range of 70 to 82°F (21-28°C), although thermoclines can make the temperature gauge in your dive computer work hard. For further reading on the climate and water temperature at Puerto Penasco on the Gulf of California, visit HikersBay. Although generally a sheltered stretch of water with calm seas, the surface can become choppy especially when the wind picks up.
The great mobula ray migration runs between May and July, when you can also see orcas. Whales sharks are commonly spotted throughout the year with peak season being from November through April, with juveniles more frequent between late September and the end of November. At this time they come to feed on the plankton blooms near Bahia de Los Angeles so do not expect great visibility. Large, pregnant adult females are known to show up in the spring months of April and May, which is also a time that sees large schools of yellowfin tuna, and schooling scalloped hammerheads.
Sea lions are present all year round. August and September is a great time for scuba divers to play with curious juveniles. In the months prior to that you may witness the birth of this new generation. Gray whales are most commonly encountered between January and March when they seek sheltered bays to mate and give birth. Winter months are also the best time for blue and humpback whales. Sperm whales can be spotted between January and August.
Review our map below of Mexico, showing the location of the Gulf of California. Here, you will find information on how to get to the Sea of Cortez.
16 - >130ft (5 - >40m)
50 - 115ft (15 - 35m)
Usually mild, can be strong
Usually calm but can be choppy
68 - 84°F (20 - 29°C)
Beginner - advanced
>40
8 days
The advice we got from Dive The World was very informative and the staff we spoke to were very helpful. Talking to someone who is experienced with the dive sites and liveaboard operators also helped a great deal. Overall we were very satisfied with the service
Sea of Cortez liveaboards