Cabo Pulmo Best Practices

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TLDR; What are best practices & best locations for Cabo Pulmo National Park in 2022?

Howdy Ya'll!
We have a group headed down to Cabo Pulmo in late November. This will be our first time spending multiple days diving at the National Park. Our only prior experience was a day trip out of Cabo San Lucas, but we loved the energy and the location and the wonderful dive opportunities.

We're diving through Cabo Private Dive Guides, so i don't think there's a physical presence in the Park. It's my understanding that sites are first-come-first-serve.

Whats the morning-of process to reserve a dive location? Can non DMs partake?

What are considered the best sites and why? Links to description?

Any other tips for success when diving in the park? Logistics, Food, Gear?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DangerousDan64]

I just got back from Los Cabo’s last night and I did 8 dives in Cabo Pulmo. They did not allow us to choose our dive sites. At the appointed time, we would walk to “the tower” (marine park office) and they would tell us where we COULD dive. I did; el cantilito, Los morros, pine’s reef, las casitas, el pedregal sur, el isolte and two dives with the big-eyed jacks.

I was very disappointed that we could not dive el vencedor as this is the ‘hangout‘ for the bull sharks and although someone saw a bull shark on one of our dives, my brother and I did not. We were told that the dive site was closed until November 7 but then we found out on our last day that a group we had dived with at the same shop had dived it that morning and they had great photos of the sharks. When we got to CSL, we met a couple of sisters on our trip to gordo banks who had been in CP during the same time and they too were able to dive this site and saw the sharks. My last trip was two weeks in the Philippines so I was underwhelmed by the diving there. Los Morros was my favorite of the sites we dived (not exciting enough for me to have made notes in my dive log) and I loved my first dive with the big-eyed jacks. We’ve all seen swarms of starlings before and this felt to me as if I had become a part of the swarm although I was stationary. I spent much time just laying in the sand, looking up into the kaleidoscope of living flesh in the hydrosphere. I have never taken drugs but I imagined this was maybe what a “good trip” feels like. we did see a huge school of Mobula rays but UNFORTUNATELY, this was during our surface interval and they told us that there were very uncommon in the area at this time of year (I was hoping that we would get a surprise visit during subsequent dives but it was not to be… I had less expectations of the diving in CSL but I was pleasantly surprised by most of them, especially because of the large animal encounters- some of them above water; breaching mobula, breaching whales, a marlin skipping across the waves (who we had seen below just five minutes before)

We loved the town. There were well-fed, happy dogs all over, many laying comatose in the street or under parked cars. There were only 8 restaurants to choose from- some very well hidden- and we ended up being repeat visitors at Los Tornados and La Palapa. Tornados was our preferred spot for breakfast. They were quick to serve us but we did have to get up and go to the window in order to settle our bil- otherwise they let us sit for a half hour. La palapa was great for lunch because it is right in the water and the food was good. Los caballeros was okay for dinner- breakfast was a little too light, Tornados was a better deal. We had one meal at the coral reef. It was a Sunday night and the bar inside was very raucous and there was an evil odor of a septic tank nature that interfered with our enjoyment. It was the most expensive meal we had in town.

if you are renting a house and want to have food or water, stop at El Rey in La Ribera before driving on to CP as the tiendas there have only the sparsest offerings of junk food at high prices. If you have a truck with good tires and suspension, a trip to Ribera is probably 15-20 minutes away but in our rental car, I think it was close to a half hour.

I would definitely enjoy another trip to Cabo Pulmo but I think I would have to figure out a way to get some preferential treatment as to dive sites if possible.

 

[Still Kicking]

Thanks for the thorough report. I have great memories of CP and it's too bad that it's gotten so busy that the dive sites are restricted. A victim of it's own success.

 

[G&G]

Thanks for the thorough report. I have great memories of CP and it's too bad that it's gotten so busy that the dive sites are restricted. A victim of it's own success.

We were in Cabo Pulmo a few years ago. Unfortunately we went near the end of October and many of the dive sites were closed (already had their allotment of divers for the month at the better sites). We are looking at possible going there again and assuming they have the same system in place where the # of divers allowed gets 're-set' at the beginning of the month - we will then book for the beginning of November or December instead.

 

[carloslzn]

We were in Cabo Pulmo a few years ago. Unfortunately we went near the end of October and many of the dive sites were closed (already had their allotment of divers for the month at the better sites). We are looking at possible going there again and assuming they have the same system in place where the # of divers allowed gets 're-set' at the beginning of the month - we will then book for the beginning of November or December instead.

Hello,

Yeah, here in Cabo Pulmo National Park, from high season (september end of december) dive sites are on lottery system... so, each day the national park rangers take a paper from a divesite and that divesites open...

I work here, have my company if you want, send me a message, and I can help you

 

[Cbrazarq]

Hello,

Yeah, here in Cabo Pulmo National Park, from high season (september end of december) dive sites are on lottery system... so, each day the national park rangers take a paper from a divesite and that divesites open...

I work here, have my company if you want, send me a message, and I can help you

Hello, I'll be in Cabo Pulmo with my wife the 21th October to dive. Can you send me your WhatsApp number so I can ask for prices to stay and dive?