Anchorage· Punta de Mita· Mexico
Punta de Mita Anchorage
20° 46.2′ N · 105° 31.1′ W
The open roadstead tucked inside the northwest hook of Banderas Bay off the village of Corral del Risco, with surf peeling down the point beside the boats. Cruisers come for the calmer afternoons (the daily thermal blows offshore here), the surf, and the 15-minute hop to the Islas Marietas.
Practical
Position per Noonsite: 20 46.23'N, 105 31.13'W. Good holding reported (Noonsite comment, April 2024). Better shelter than La Cruz from the strong afternoon thermal because the wind blows off the land and the wind waves stay small, but expect to roll at night when swell wraps the point. Open to the south; in winter large west-northwest swells can run into the anchorage (Latitude 38, January 2016). Dinghy landing is a surf landing on the beach; one 2024 report pulled the dinghy up beside La Pescadora restaurant. A structure believed to be a dolphin pen was being built just outside the anchorage in January 2016, lit red at night; give it room. SECURITY: repeated reports of thefts from anchored boats, including a night boarding in April 2024 (laptop stolen) and a stolen dinghy in 2012; lock the dinghy and outboard with chain and hoist at night. ATM and groceries in the village (a 'gringo-ish' market up the hill is expensive; small local tiendas are cheaper). After Hurricane Lidia (October 2023) Noonsite warned of debris and missing navigation marks around the bay. Mexico's Navionics data was reported off by at least a mile at Punta Mita in 2014; navigate by eye, radar and depth sounder.
Best for
Calm-afternoon anchorage, surfing, and the staging point for the Islas Marietas
Season
Nov–May; rolly in big winter W/NW swell; hurricane exposure Jun–Nov
Nearby
- Banderas Bay Blast and Punta Mita Yacht & Surf ClubRight here
- El Anclote Restaurants (Punta de Mita)0.1 NM away
- Playa El Anclote (Corral del Risco)0.1 NM away
- Corral del Risco Bus-Stop Street Food (Punta de Mita)0.2 NM away
- Punta de Mita Surf Breaks0.9 NM away
- Playa del Amor (Hidden Beach, Islas Marietas)4.8 NM away
- Islas Marietas Dive Sites5.2 NM away
- Islas Marietas Snorkel5.2 NM away