Puerto Ángel Anchorage

15° 39.8′ N · 96° 29.6′ W · approximate

A small horseshoe bay and working fishing village behind a rocky entrance, the first anchorage of note south of Acapulco and about 15 nm west of the Bays of Huatulco. Pretty, but tight and often crowded with moored pangas.

Practical

Approximate: placed mid-bay between the OSM positions of the town pier (15.6655, -96.4912) and Playa Panteón (15.6649, -96.4954). The lighthouse on the west headland is at 15°39'30.2"N 096°30'01.7"W (SEMAR notice 579/2022, restored and operating). Roads Less Traveled tried twice to anchor in Jan 2012, found no swing room among the moored pangas and too much ocean swell, and went on to Huatulco; other cruisers report room for only a few boats. The 19th-century pier (refurbished 1999) is too high for small boats; pangas run up on Playa Principal, so land the dinghy on Playa Panteón. Fresh tuna is landed at the wharf in the mornings. A useful stop only in settled conditions. S/V Cool Runnins (Aug 2010) dragged after a wind shift and bumped a moored panga at about 6am, then reset the anchor every few hours: set carefully, keep an anchor watch, and remember the floating panga markers are very hard to see at night. Dinghy landing and restaurants: see 'Puerto Ángel Dinghy Landing (Playa Panteón)'.

Puerto Ángel Anchorage

Practical

Best for

Season

Nearby