The Three Best Sites to Snorkel in Cabo San Lucas

I've written quite a bit about my snorkel adventures in Cabo San Lucas. Even beating out whale watching and beachcombing, snorkeling is indeed my favorite activity in this resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. As a cruise passenger, the easiest site to visit for underwater exploration may be Pelican Rock, a fast ride in a water taxi from the municipal dock. I even wondered if it might be Cabo's best snorkeling spot when I wrote about it just over two years ago. (See Pelican Rock.) But I was recently reminded on a November cruise that there are two additional sites that are also both excellent for snorkeling and almost as easy to reach: Chileno Bay and Santa Maria Bay.

I've actually visited those beaches before, on excursions while on other cruises. Cruise lines sell tours that sail vacationers from Cabo's harbor to both bays in the Sea of Cortez. Usually from a catamaran, I've snorkeled in the pristine water sheltering coral reefs. In the winter on the short sail up the coast, I've even encountered humpback whales along the way. However during my November visit I opted for something different, reaching the bays by car to try snorkeling from the beach for the first time.

Negotiating with a local taxi driver to take me to and from both sites was much cheaper than buying a Princess Cruises excursion. The cruise line didn't even offer a single trip that included a visit to both bays. Also, I was able to decide exactly how long I'd spend on each beach and in the water once I got there. Of course, I was responsible for bringing my own snorkel gear. And it was up to me to watch out for my own safety and to make it back to the ship before it departed late that afternoon. Cruise ships don't wait for tardy passengers that travel ashore independently!

Santa Maria Bay was the first stop. I've admired the beautiful beach for a long time, and have watched hotels and luxury residences slowly encroach on the cove over the years. However the city has also added an extensive parking area with bathrooms and outdoor showers for day visitors like myself. And a covered pathway follows a verdant arroyo for a long, shaded walk to the beach.

I snorkeled the far south end of the beach, along the start of a rocky coastline. Dense schools of yellowtail surgeonfish greeted me within seconds of entering the warm autumn water. A Mexican hogfish roved the underwater canyons as I swam along the reef further out to sea. I wasn't surprised to see giant damselfish, one of the most common fish in the Sea of Cortez. Guinea fowl puffers didn't venture far from the crevices they called home. An orangeside triggerfish attracted much of my attention as I tried to photograph its bright underside shining more yellow than orange to my eyes. The most colorful fish was a type of wrasse decked out in pinks, blues, and greens.

It didn't take long to leave the shelter of the bay and enter choppier, open water below steep cliffs, and to then wisely turn back in the direction of the safety of the beach. During the return, I explored more isolated outcrops of coral and the reef's shallows where I rose and dropped in the swells as I tried to focus on my camera's subjects. Closer to shore I noticed two different creatures that remained mostly still on their rocky ledges. One was a Pacific graysby, the other a type of hawkfish.

I didn't snorkel the reefs at the northern end of Santa Maria Bay. Instead I returned to my waiting taxi and drove the mile up the road to Chileno Bay. This second inlet of water was much more expansive than the first, with a much longer beach. And it was just as busy with lots of construction underway. It also offered ample parking and restroom facilities. A catamaran was already anchored in the bay with morning passengers snorkeling in the water.

Again I opted to snorkel the southern end of the bay, not only because it was the easiest walk but because my taxi driver said it was better. He also referred to the additional coves that extended along the shoreline. The water was still warm and mostly calm. The first fish I observed was another type of hawkish, known as the giant, which rested still on a reef ledge. Additional schools of yellowtail surgeonfish gathered along with more orangeside triggerfish and giant damselfish. I also witnessed a variety of colorful wrasses.

The reef jutted out to sea quite a way, providing lots of channels and coral ridges to explore. I noted quite a few different fish I hadn't seen in Santa Maria including a white-cheeked tang, a Cortez angelfish, a golden-phase guineafowl pufferfish, and a dense school of convict tangs. As I headed back toward shore, I enjoying chasing a large redlip parrotfish. Just before exiting the water I paused to photograph a curious sea chub and a trumpetfish.

Concessions on both Santa Maria and Chileno Bays appeared to offer beach chair and umbrella rentals. I suspected snorkel gear might be available too, along with refreshments for purchase. Both locales would be five-star destinations for any beach-lover, and close to that for all but the pickiest of snorkelers.

But how did they compare to Pelican Rock for snorkeling? While the safe zone - outside of boat traffic - between Pelican Rock and the nearby narrow shoreline contained a much smaller, tighter area than either of the two bays, I've witnessed a much denser concentration of marine life at Pelican in much calmer water. So I'd have to vote for it as my favorite Cabo San Lucas snorkeling destination. However Santa Maria and Chileno Bays certainly offer the better overall beach vacation experience.

As I've explored and investigated the opportunities for snorkeling in the area over the years, I've heard of a fourth place. Some people I've spoken to have insisted it's their favorite: Parque Nacional Cabo Pulmo. The marine park is a sixty-mile, two-hour drive north along the Sea of Cortez coast. Hopefully I'll make it there in the not-so-distant future to find out how it compares to the Baja sites I already know and love.