Anchorage· Bahía de Chamela· Mexico
Bahía Chamela Anchorage (Punta Pérula)
19° 35.1′ N · 105° 7.4′ W · approximate
The northern gateway to the Costalegre: a long palm-backed beach curling into the lee of Punta Pérula, with the village of Pérula and its beach palapas a dinghy ride away. It is the classic first stop after the overnight run from Cabo San Lucas or Banderas Bay, and the last stop for boats waiting on a window to round Cabo Corrientes northbound.
Practical
Position approximate: placed about 250 m off the beach in the northwest corner of the bay, in the lee of Punta Pérula, from the OpenStreetMap coastline; no published waypoint was found, so confirm on your chart. Depth reported 22-23 ft over a flat sand bottom in the main anchorage (Fagan, March 2011). Protected from the prevailing northwest; open to the south and to swell, which can make nights rolly. Dinghy landing is through surf on the beach; a 2020 report lands on a sand spit at the river entrance in the northwest corner of the bay, where the town was building a breakwater, malecón and possibly a dock (verify locally). Pangas move at night, so show an anchor light and a stern light. Small tiendas, a market, a hardware store and palapa restaurants in Pérula (see Pérula Village). The March 11, 2011 tsunami surge set boats spinning on their anchors here. No fuel dock or marina.
Best for
Staging for Cabo Corrientes and a quiet first night on the Gold Coast
Season
Nov-Apr; untenable in southerly swell; hurricane season May 15-Nov 30
Nearby
- Pérula Beach Palapas0.2 NM away
- Pérula Village0.3 NM away
- Chamela Beach Walk1.6 NM away
- Isla Pajarera Anchorage (Chamela)1.9 NM away
- Isla Cocinas Snorkel2.3 NM away
- Isla Cocinas Day Anchorage (Chamela)2.5 NM away
- Isla Colorada Anchorage (Chamela)3.3 NM away
- Santuario Islas de la Bahía de Chamela3.7 NM away