Diving in Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is the gateway to Banderas Bay, one of the largest and most diverse bays on Mexico's Pacific Coast. Stretching from Puerto Vallarta to Riviera Nayarit, including La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Bucerías, Punta Mita and Sayulita, this region offers exceptional diving for every experience level.

The bay combines: 

• volcanic reefs, 
• dramatic walls, 
• underwater caves, 
• swim-throughs, 
• rocky pinnacles 
• offshore seamounts 

That attract an incredible variety of marine life throughout the year. Calm inshore sites make excellent training locations for beginners, while advanced divers can explore deeper reefs and offshore dive sites with stronger currents and pelagic encounters.

Some of the region's most famous dive sites include Los Arcos National Marine Park, Marietas Islands National Park, El Morro, La Corbeteña, Los Anegados and Majahuitas. Every site offers unique underwater landscapes and different opportunities for marine life encounters.

Divers regularly encounter: 

• green sea turtles, 
• hawksbill turtles, 
• giant Pacific manta rays, 
• spotted eagle rays, 
• mobula rays, 
• moray eels, 
• octopus, 
• lobsters, 
• nudibranchs, 
• schools of jacks, 
• snappers, 
• grunts, 
• angelfish, 
• pufferfish

During the winter season, humpback whales migrate to Banderas Bay, making the region one of Mexico's most spectacular marine wildlife destinations.

Whether you are discovering scuba for the first time or searching for challenging offshore dives, Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit offer year-round diving with incredible biodiversity, warm hospitality and easy access from major tourist destinations including Sayulita and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle.