CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons (from Flickr)Dive· East Cape (Los Frailes, Cabo Pulmo, Los Barriles)· Mexico
Cabo Pulmo National Park
23° 26.0′ N · 109° 25.5′ W
A 71 sq km national marine park around the oldest of North America's three west-coast coral reefs (about 20,000 years old), where a community-backed fishing ban since 1995 brought fish biomass back more than 400 percent - bull sharks, schooling jacks, groupers and sea lions.
Practical
Coordinate from Wikipedia. Established June 5, 1995; part of the UNESCO 'Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California' World Heritage site. Yachts may not anchor anywhere in the park except Bahía Los Frailes (The Log) - visit by anchoring at Los Frailes and joining a dive/snorkel boat, or snorkel from the beach south of the village. Dive Center: 2-tank trip 2,800 MXN, gear 600 MXN/day, check-in 8:30 am, Open Water certification needed for boat dives (2026 prices). Ten regular sites 15-100 ft: El Vencedor wreck (bull sharks), El Cantil, La Esperanza, El Islote, Outer Pulmo, Las Casitas, Mermaid Beach, La Lobera, Los Morros, El Bajo. Park rules: no fishing, no anchoring (even a dinghy) on the reef, no touching or standing on coral, no feeding, no gloves; park fee 120 MXN per person per day (2026) on top of any Conservation Passport. Small stinging jellyfish ('agua mala') in summer - wear a rash guard.
Best for
The best reef diving in the Sea of Cortez
Nearby
- Mermaid Beach Reef (Cabo Pulmo)0.1 NM away
- Cabo Pulmo Village (Restaurants and Dive Center)0.3 NM away
- El Cantil (Cabo Pulmo)0.5 NM away
- El Islote (Cabo Pulmo)0.5 NM away
- Cabo Pulmo Mirador Pergola Hike0.7 NM away
- La Lobera Sea Lion Colony (Cabo Pulmo)0.7 NM away
- Los Morros (Cabo Pulmo)0.9 NM away
- Cerro Pulmo Summit Hike (Pila Trail)1 NM away