Cabo Pulmo National Park, established by the Federal Government in 1995, is a marine park on the East Coast of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, between Pulmo Point and Los Frailes Cape. It is approximately 21 miles south of your hotel room at Buena Vista Resort and holds the largest living coral reef on the North American continent.
Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, named Cabo Pulmo as “the most robust marine reserve in the world.”
You’ll snorkel and/or dive in moderate-to-warm-waters that rank among the clearest in the world, with the greatest variety of fish and aquatic critters anywhere! Although you may experience encounters with micro organisms, it’s the big fish that place the Sea of Cortez apart from other seas in the world.
Options for your Buena Vista Resort above- and underwater adventure:
• Discover Scuba Introductory Resort Course
A Certified PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) instructor conducts a brief orientation followed by an underwater experience in a swimming pool.
Following the pool orientation, your English-speaking PADI instructor will conduct a closely supervised underwater experience in the pool. Next, there’s an introductory Scuba dive in shallow water. Here, accompanied by your PADI instructor, you will experience the same excitement shared by Scuba divers worldwide. Two person minimum; includes Scuba equipment.
• Open Water Certification
The complete Open Water Certification course requires a minimum of three full days. The academic training material is available in a textbook or CD Rom format, which may be ordered through Our Dive Master prior to your trip.
The course consists of three phases:
– Academic training, five separate modules
– Confined water training, (pool sessions) five separate modules
– Open water training, four dives.
Each student progresses at his/her individual ability, must have studied the academic material prior to arrival and is required to read and understand the academic material; knowledge reviews for each module must be completed.
• Scuba Diving Tours
All tours depart in a van in the morning and return between noon and 3:30 p.m. Tours consist of dives at two sites. They include pick up from the Buena Vista Resort front desk, a certified PADI Dive Master tour guide, two 80 cubic foot aluminum air tanks, weights and weight belt, shaded transport boat and a cooler with ice.
All dives are drift dives. Your Dive Master will accompany you underwater while the captain follows with the boat. Arrange for lunch and beverages with the Boat Master at the restaurant the night prior to your dive tour. We recommend reservations; all others subject to space availability. Scuba certification cards are required for rentals, air fills and dive tours.
• Cabo Pulmo Marine Park
The nine mile long site, with at least eight fingers of coral reefs, is recognized internationally. The amount of undersea life found inside the park is staggering in both volume and variety and is considered a premier must-see area for both diving and snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez. It is less than an hour’s scenic boat trip south.
Dive’s Depth: The shallow dives vary from 25- to 45-feet. These dives are great for beginners and for the resort course divers. The best sites are in the 50- to 70-feet. Additionally, there are more challenging dives of up to 125-feet.
• Snorkeling
Baja’s East Cape can be called the Snorkeling Capital of the World with few arguments. The sea around us is a veritable bouillabaisse of fish, lobster, crabs, eels, coral and creatures great and small. It must be seen to be believed; book a snorkeling trip with our professional tour guides. The best part? There’s no need to carry anything from home. Rent whatever minimal equipment you need right here.
• Snorkeling in front of the hotel
Want to snorkel, but not with a group or tour? Try the “front yard” directly in front of the hotel or walk a few minutes south. These “Do it Yourself” or DIY activities are at your own pace and time schedule. Similar to our professionally-guided snorkel tours, you’ll have an opportunity to see underwater critters from magnificently colored reef fish to large game … roosterfish and amberjack.
Our pier serves as underwater “structure” and seems to attract fish, so there’s no need to go very far to witness the very best Baja has to offer. Once you don a mask, fins and snorkel, you never know what awaits you in the magical Sea of Cortez. Rent everything you need right at the hotel – no need to pack and carry gear from home.
East Cape offers numerous snorkeling locations to enjoy a beautiful underwater world. All tours include snorkeling equipment. A box lunch; beverages may be ordered from the hotel. Tours are subject to a four-person minimum. This can be waived if combined with a Scuba tour.
Tours to Cabo Pulmo Marine Park’s Iguana Beach are in a 23-foot Super Panga provided by Vista Sea Sport. Tours to Bahia de los Sueños or Coral Beach are provided by a resort boat or Vista Sea Sport panga. Availability determines the boat you will be on. You may also reserve a cabin cruiser for your snorkel tour (no cabin cruiser available for the marine park).
• Coral Beach
A half day adventure that departs at 7:30 a.m. and returns at noon. About 25 minutes away is Coral Beach, a stunning white sand beach south of Punta Pescadero. Umbrellas and beach mats provided. Just steps from the shore are rock formations and tide pools with living coral and loads of colorful tropical reef fish. Also available afternoon trips to this and other nearby reefs. Durations vary from 2 to 3 hours; call for availability, destinations and prices.