Cabo San Lucas is situated on the southern point of the Baja California Peninsula at land’s end where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Cabo has become an international destination for vacationers, honeymooners, celebrities, deep sea fishermen and party animals.
The stark, arid, landscape compliments the azure water making Cabo a place of great beauty. The big open bay boasts powdery white sand beaches backed by luxurious resorts and the mallecon (walkway) around the marina is always lively hosting many bars, restaurants, fishing charters and dive shops.
Cabo San Lucas is a world class destination for deep sea fishermen and is host to the richest sport fishing tournaments on earth. The rich marine life that makes Cabo the premier fishing destination is also why it has become an underwater Valhalla for scuba divers with its great diversity of dive sites.
The Canyon
One of the most spectacular features of the Cabo San Lucas underwater world is the canyon. Starting just yards off shore the submarine canyon drops down to over 3000 feet. The vertical walls of the canyon are forested with colorful sea fans and gorgonions amid myriad tropical fish. Perhaps the most amazing spectacle in the canyon is the underwater sand falls. First discovered by Jacques Cousteau, chutes of sand continually flow from the shallows and drop into the abyss. Canyon divers often observe schools of tuna, bonito, groupers and an occasional shark.
Headland
The rocky promontory that reaches seaward and borders the canyon edge, ends at the world famous Cabo arch. A shelf at the top of the canyon offers divers a sandy bottom with numerous rocks, pinnacles and reefs and is an excellent second dive for those that went ‘over the wall’. Pelican Rock and La Anegada are virtual fishbowls with an abundance of marine life. Lobsters, moray eels, puffer fish, angelfish and schools of jacks are plentiful. At lands end a colony of sea lions await to play with divers and garden eels and guitar fish take refuge on the sandy bottom.
The Corridor
Along the Corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo there are a variety of excellent dive sites. A 40 minute boat ride from Cabo takes the diver to Santa Maria cove that known for its large marine life. Divers see bat rays and sea turtles and large grouper play hide and seek in the reef. About a half mile offshore at Chileno Bay is a maze of reefs that will please any scuba diver. The reefs are forested with sea fans and gorgonions and offer a kaleidoscope of colors. Frequent visitors to the reef include manta rays, huge grouper, sea turtles and nurse sharks.
Gordo Banks
Approximately 8 miles off lands end in the open sea are the Gordo Banks. Banco Gordo is one of the wildest dives on the planet and is reserved for very experienced divers only. The top of this submarine seamount is 120 to 140 feet deep and is cut up with a maze of canyons and spires covered with soft corals. In this openwater environment, anything in the ocean may swim by and it is a favorite haunt of schooling hammerhead sharks. The banks are rife with pelagics and marlin, sailfish, tuna and bull sharks are ever present. Springtime divers stand a chance to dive with the ocean’s largest fish, the gentle, giant whale shark.
Cabo San Lucas Dive Operators:
Amigos Del Mar (http://www.amigosdelmar.com/scuba-diving-dive-sites.html#sites)
Manta (http://www.caboscuba.com/)
Sunshine Charters (http://www.divecabo.com/corridor_dive_sunshinedivecharter.html)
Deep Blue (http://www.cabodeepblue.com/)