Scuba Diving in Banderas Bay

About the experience.

Los Arcos is a marine reserve of granite islets in the southern bay, where the seabed drops from 30 to 1,600 feet, the deepest water in the bay. Erosion has cut tunnels and arches into the rock, and the site is known as the most biodiverse in the bay: lobster, octopus, rays and moray eels around the Devil’s Canyon and the underwater ridge of El Bajo. A one-tank dive here is the beginners’ option; certified divers take two tanks.

Off the beach at Mismaloya lies a small cemetery of wrecks, the main one being the Princesa Vallarta. Las Caletas combines Pacific reef life, drop-offs and shallows with a beach day, with lunch included; it is also where the sea lion dive takes place, one tank in open water beside a trained sea lion. At the Marietas Islands, a marine reserve made famous by Jacques Cousteau in the 1970s, non-diving companions can kayak or snorkel while you dive.

The outer sites are for experienced, certified divers in small groups. El Morro, six miles west of the Marietas, is a set of rock pinnacles with walls, caves and a 50-foot tunnel down to 150 feet, home to manta rays and large morays. Los Anegados, halfway between El Morro and the Marietas, is a shallower bank of caves from about 30 feet down, where nurse sharks are often seen. La Corbeteña and El Sequial, 40 miles out, are run as private dives for groups of eight or more, with mantas, turtles, sharks and schools of jacks.

What’s included

• PADI-certified divemaster
• BCD, regulator, wetsuit and weights
• Tanks as listed per dive
• Beverages
• Lunch (Las Caletas, Marietas, El Morro, Los Anegados, La Corbeteña)
• Light breakfast (Las Caletas, sea lion and Princesa dives)

Good to know

• Two-tank dives are for certified divers. Beginners without certification must take a dive class before the Las Caletas dives; the one-tank dive at Los Arcos is the beginners’ option.
• El Morro, Los Anegados and La Corbeteña are for experienced certified divers in small groups. La Corbeteña and El Sequial are private dives for eight or more divers.
• Certified divers bring their certification card and logbook and need at least one dive in the previous 12 months; anyone out of the water longer takes a refresher session before going to sea. Certified divers go to a maximum of 60 ft on two-tank dives, advanced divers to 120 ft.
• El Morro, Los Anegados, La Corbeteña and El Sequial require an Open Water certification plus either 25 logged dives or a dive with the same team in the previous seven days. The Princesa shipwreck requires Open Water certification.
• Minimum ages: 10 for Las Caletas and the Marietas two-tank dive, 12 for El Morro and the Princesa shipwreck.
• Diving is not open to pregnant guests or to anyone with respiratory, cardiovascular or ear conditions; divers must be in good physical and mental condition and not under the influence of alcohol.
• Do not fly within 12 hours of a single dive or within 18 hours of two or more dives in a day.
• Las Caletas and sea lion dives: water 65 to 89°F, average visibility 60 ft, depth 25 to 80 ft. Marietas: water 62 to 86°F, visibility about 40 ft, depth 25 to 60 ft.
• Bring: swimsuit, towel, biodegradable sunscreen, certification card and logbook, and cash for the Los Arcos park conservation fee (25 pesos) and for optional activities at Las Caletas.

Choose your dive

Published starting rates per person unless stated. We confirm the final price with your quote.