Sea of Cortez Diving: The Aquarium of the World - Sea of Cortez
The Sea of Cortez lives up to its "Aquarium of the World" moniker with good reason, especially when you hit the right spots. We’ve had some truly exhilarating drift dives here, letting the current carry us past schooling jacks and barracuda, sometimes so thick they blot out the sun. Keep an eye out for the big stuff too; we’ve spotted pods of common dolphins cruising past, and in season, the sheer scale of a whale shark is just humbling. It's a great spot for both those new to drift diving and seasoned pros looking for big pelagic action.
- Location
- Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America
- Coordinates
- 24.142800, -110.310800
Marine Protected Area: Humedales Mogote - Ensenada de La Paz
Best Time to Dive in Sea of Cortez
The warmest water temperatures in Sea of Cortez occur in September, averaging 30.4°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 21.1°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 22.2°C
- February: 21.1°C
- March: 21.5°C
- April: 22.6°C
- May: 24.8°C
- June: 27.1°C
- July: 29.1°C
- August: 30.1°C
- September: 30.4°C
- October: 29.8°C
- November: 27.6°C
- December: 25.1°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Sea of Cortez
- Anegada Rock
- Bait Boat - 10-30m (wreck)
- Barco Encayado (wreck)
- C29 (wreck)
- Cabo Pulmo
- Cabo Pulmo Divers
- Cabo San Lucas - 20m
- Chileno Reef (reef)
- COLIMA - 18m (wreck)
- CONQUISTADOR - 19m (wreck)
- El Bajo
- El Bajo - Cabo Pulmo - 17m (pinnacle)
- El Bajo de los Meros
- El Bajo Seamount (reef)
- El Bajo Sea Mounts - 26m (pinnacle)
Nearest Dive Centres to Sea of Cortez Diving: The Aquarium of the World
- Cabo Pulmo Divers - ["PADI"]
- Cabo Pulmo Travel - PADI, SSI
- CERRALVO DIVERS
- Dive in la Paz
- Divers Inn - ["PADI"]
- Hipoxia Freediving - SSI
Marine Life in Sea of Cortez
Home to 197 recorded species including 172 reef fish, 14 whales & dolphins, 5 sharks & rays, 3 other, 1 sea cucumbers, 1 seagrass & algae.
Notable Species
- Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Orca (Orcinus orca) - Whales & Dolphins
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Cortez Rainbow Wrasse (Thalassoma lucasanum) - Reef Fish
- Barspot Cardinalfish (Apogon retrosella) - Reef Fish
- Spotted sharpnose puffer (Canthigaster punctatissima) - Reef Fish
- Puffer (Sphoeroides annulatus) - Reef Fish
- Porcupine (Diodon holocanthus) - Reef Fish
- Atlantic Silverstripe Halfbeak (Hyporhamphus unifasciatus) - Reef Fish
- King Angelfish (Holacanthus passer) - Reef Fish
- Large-banded Blenny (Ophioblennius steindachneri) - Reef Fish
- Longfin silverside (Atherinella eriarcha) - Reef Fish
- Amarillo snapper (Lutjanus argentiventris) - Reef Fish
- Sea Bass (Epinephelus labriformis) - Reef Fish
- Mulet (Mugil curema) - Reef Fish
- Mottled Soapfish (Rypticus bicolor) - Reef Fish
- Tinsel squirrelfish (Sargocentron suborbitale) - Reef Fish
- Mojarra (Eucinostomus currani) - Reef Fish
- Herring (Harengula thrissina) - Reef Fish
- Jewel moray (Muraena lentiginosa) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Sea of Cortez Diving: The Aquarium of the World
Based on average water temperature of 26.0°C, currents 9 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 26°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories