Scuba diving & snorkeling in Puerto Vallarta is known for close encounters with giant mantas, dolphins, and schools of jacks. If you are lucky, swim with whale sharks, eagle rays, hammerhead sharks, and sailfish in the open ocean.
Below are some of the best places for snorkeling and the most popular scuba diving sites in Puerto Vallarta.
Best Snorkeling Spots in Puerto Vallarta
Snorkeling in Puerto Vallarta is a fun way to explore the area. You can find family-friendly adventures in the bay with any of the tour companies in the area. It is one of our favorite things to do in Puerto Vallarta with kids, and the best snorkeling spots are:
Los Arcos National Park
This rock formation is about 15 minutes south of Old Town, and it is well worth the trip. The scenery is beautiful and you can catch glimpses of Blue-footed Boobies, Humpback Whales (seasonal), dolphins, stingrays, pufferfish, and so many colorful fish!
Majahuitas
Grab a boat from Boca de Tomatlan to the beach of Majahuitas. It looks straight out of a postcard, and the amount of colorful fish makes it one of the best snorkeling spots in Puerto Vallarta.
Conchas Chinas
Just a 10-minute drive from Old Town, it is easily accessible. The best snorkeling is found slightly past the rocks where you will find all sorts of colorful fish swimming.
Las Marietas Islands
This protected marine preserve is full of marine life and home to the famous Hidden Beach. The boat ride can take up to an hour, but you’ll be rewarded with turtles, dolphins, and maybe even whales! Also, keep an eye out for the famous blue-footed booby birds.
Best Scuba Diving Sites in Puerto Vallarta
Some say the best time for scuba diving in Puerto Vallarta is between November and May when sea conditions are calmest and wildlife encounters are at their peak (including humpback whales and their calves). It is also sunny, warm, and dry during these months, but the water temperatures can get quite chilly. The rest of the year is when water is the warmest and visibility is best, so it’s never a bad time to go scuba diving in Puerto Vallarta. See the dive sites map below:
Visit the best dive sites near Puerto Vallarta including hidden caves, tunnels, reefs with tropical fish, shipwrecks, and underwater mountain ranges – with many of them being suitable for beginners. We get a lot of people asking about Puerto Vallarta shark cage diving, but that type of tour is not offered in the area.
The 5 best dive sites in Puerto Vallarta include:
- El Morro – a series of rock pinnacles extending above the surface. Due to its depths of up to 150 ft, El Morro offers wall diving, caves, and a 50 ft tunnel, giving experienced divers the chance to practice more technical diving (Advanced divers or 25 logged dives required).
- Los Arcos National Marine Park – a cluster of granite islands that perch out of the water in the southern part of Banderas Bay. With depths ranging from 30-1600 feet, the waters surrounding Los Arcos are the deepest in the entire bay, offering experienced divers the perfect environment for night diving. See lobsters, octopuses, moray eels, rays, and all kinds of other colorful fish.
- Las Caletas – an exclusive tropical beach hideaway on the south shore of Banderas Bay. There are underwater coves and a nearby natural reef wuth a diverse array of sea life, colorful tropical fish, turtles, manta rays, and some of the finest scuba diving on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
- Marietas Islands Marine Reserve – one of the most popular sites on Mexico’s pacific coast for scuba diving, and very close to Punta Mita. Since it is protected from fishing, there’s an abundance of marine life here. It is part of an underwater mountain range that peaks above the ocean’s surface, and they mark the entrance to Banderas Bay. See giant manta rays, sea turtles, dolphins, eels, and whales (in the winter months).
- Chimo – find rock formations beginning at the surface with a reef going from 30 feet all the way down to 200 feet.
Scuba Diving Tours
Choose from any of the above locations for a scuba diving tour in Puerto Vallarta that includes the following:
- A PADI certified divemaster and top-of-the-line equipment
- BCD
- Wetsuit & fins
- Regulator
- Weights
- 2 Scuba Tanks
- Lunch & Beverages
Scuba Diving Classes
Learn how to scuba dive in Puerto Vallarta in the beautiful waters of Las Caletas, which is home to intricate reefs, sunken caves, and diverse sea life. There is also the option to take a PADI Scuba Diving Certification Course with flexible study options. Receive personal instruction from a PADI-certified divemaster. Las Caletas really is the ideal place to learn scuba diving in a controlled environment since there is abundant colorful marine life really close to the shore and to the private pier.
Marine Wildlife Calendar
Below is the Puerto Vallarta wildlife calendar from PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.
Beach Please independently selects & reviews the businesses, restaurants, tours, and expeditions we recommend on our website. If you purchase through affiliate links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
English 
Spanish