LOCAL DIVING with MANTA SCUBA

Manta Scuba runs daily dive trips to several regions in the southern Sea of Cortez out of Cabo San Lucas. Our local sites include the Cabo San Lucas Marine Park and the Corridor, which means you can explore over 15 sites on our daily morning and afternoon dive charters.

We also run remote dive safaris to Los Frailes and Cabo Pulmo, Gordo Banks and East Cape and even Whale Shark excursions to La Paz in season. The staff at Manta Scuba love to explore different areas and share our spirit of underwater exploration with our divers. Come experience the many different sites, destinations and all the great wildlife that make the Los Cabos region of Mexico so great!

CABO SAN LUCAS MARINE PARK SITES

Inside the protection of the Bay the conditions are great for diving, rarely much current and typically good visability. These are great sites to try diving for the first time with Discover Scuba Diving or to upgrade to PADI Advanced Diver.

Local sites are a ten minute boat ride away, so those who don't enjoy long trips will enjoy the short cruise. The eastern side of the bay was declared a National Marine Park in 1973, one of the first in Mexico. Over the years the abundance of marine life has grown from this protection, the healthy reef system is impressive.

THE POINT or LANDS END...
Our Divemasters favorite in Cabo San Lucas, Lands End defines what diving in the Sea of Cortez is all about, anything can show up! Next to the famous Arch, the most southern rock of the Baja Penninsula, look out to the Pacific Ocean, nothing but boundless ocean meets the eye...

Between two immense rock pinnacles we begin the dive over 30 feet of sandy bottom, look out for small rays buried in the sand. Out from the sheer rock face there is a small wreck at that is the home to a cleaning station of surgeon and barber fish.

Next is the 'Ice Berg' a large rocky pinnacle that just breaks the surface. Grouper shadow schools of baitfish while Cormorants, a diving bird, hunt underwater. Look into the cracks for green, zebra and jewel morays. Look out into the blue for occassional schools of mobula and cow nose rays passing by...

We return to the main rocky edifice accompanied by Bumphead Parrotfish cleaning the rocky walls, and Giant Hawkfish perched on lookout. Nudibranchs are commonly found hiding between Sea Fans on the way to the Sea Lion colony.

Facing north is the flat rocky islet home of the resident Sea Lion colony. Playful barking announces their presence as they enter the water where they dance acrobatically for underwater photographers and amazed divers. When the sea is calm, we'll enter a canyon were they like to play and chase each other for a safety stop like no other!

NEPTUNE'S FINGER
A sharp rocky pinnacle that rises from the water is Neptune's Finger. As the name suggests this site drops off to great depths on a sheer vertical wall down to Neptune's domain. Beginning in 25 feet over a sandy bottom, we pass rocks covered in gorgonians and sponge with blennies darting from their barnacle homes, small rays often half buried in the sand. We make our way to the edge of the wall and drop to 60 or 100 feet depending on the groups experience level.

The wall of Neptune's Finger is a great place to see eagle rays cruising and a large school of barracuda patrolling the drop off. Angel and butterfly fish dart along the rocks as coronet fish stalk chromis that number in the hundreds. Look up to see a spectacular vista of schooling goat fish moving in unison above the reef. Ascend back onto the sand flats to finish the dive watching moorish idols school near the rocks.

PELICAN ROCK and SAND FALLS
Dwarfed by the sheer desert rock face a rocky islet home to many pelicans breaks the surface. Starting at 20 feet we make our way to Pelican Rock which is covered with sea fans, coral colonies, nudibranchs and even frog fish. Dropping down to 50+ feet on the back of the site we explore the rocky outcropping for sleeping white tip reef sharks, sea horses and scorpion fish.

Schools of snappers, surgeon fish, angels and stalking groupers fill the water above the reef. Look out into the blue for passing schools of jacks, rays and even tunas. For advanced divers, drop down to 90+ feet and visit a unique sight, the Sand Falls, where the slope and rocks channel sand into an underwater mini avalanche of sand, flowing into the depths. Safety stops are done while exploring the shallow rocky face of Pelican Rock for eels, hawkfish, gobies and blennies.

NORTH WALL
The North Wall offers a varied underwater topography of shallow sand areas perfect for Discover Scuba Diving, commonly referred to as the 'Resort Course'. Divers tuning up their skills after having been away from diving for a while will enjoy the easy topography, advanced divers can drop down to explore the deep reef wall.

Starting in shallow water we look over the sandy bottom for reef and bullseye stingrays as they hunt for small crustaceans in the sand. Moving over to the rocky slope we find garden eels swaying from their holes. The upper wall is jumbled rocky formations that are the home to puffers, triggers and many other reef fish. New divers and those warming up for trips to Gordo Banks or the East Cape will enjoy the lack of current and ease of diving here.

Advanced and experienced divers can drop down the rocky slope to look for occasional white tip reef sharks, and out into the blue for passing schools of bat and cownose rays. Follow the rocky drop offs in a drift dive accompanied by many species of puffer fish and large schools of reef fish.

CORRIDOR SITES
Fifteen to twenty minutes from the harbor is the area known as The Corridor. These are some of our favorite sites with very few other dive boats in the area. The rocky reef formations are different from those found in the Marine Park and offer different dive profiles and are especially good for encounters with schooling rays.

Most mornings our 2 tank trips for certified divers head out to the Corridor to begin the days underwater safaris. This allows our divers to see more sites and make the most of our multiple day packages. In the months from December to March we usually find Humpback and Grey Whales cruising along the shore, posing for photos!

CHILENO BAY

Chileno is a large bay with very little in the way of other visitors. The dive site is best toured in the 40 to 60 foot range following a rocky reef system that juts perpindicular from the beach. Chileno is one of the best sites to find diamond stingrays resting on the sand, schools of porkfish and zebra eels.

The rocky reef system here is covered in small colonies of finger coral, sea fans and sponge. Look closely for sea horses and stone scorpionfish, both great at hiding out in the open. Usually conducted as a live pick up, with the reef to one side and the deep blue to the other, don't forget to keep an eye out for schools of Mobula rays passing by.

SANTA MARIA

Santa Maria is a small shallow bay rich in coral coverage. Starting in the bay we make our way westward following the rocky reef system, another live pick up dive. As we make our way out of the bay the depths drop off to 50 or 60 feet and the rocky formations grow.

Santa Maria has many sandy channels between the coral encrusted rocky formations and is a good place to see Cortez Rays, lobsters, spotted boxfish, calico lizardfish and loosetooth parrotfish. As always, keep an eye out for schooling rays and the occasional banded guitarfish.

BLOWHOLE

Between Chileno and Santa Maria there is a unique rock formation in a small bay called Blowhole. You can hear the water shooting up through the blowhole and escaping like a whales spout.

Usually started as a deeper dive, Blowhole is one of those sites where anything can show up. Tall rocky formations hide reef stingrays while schools of jacks prowl through the canyons. We usually dive Blowhole with a multi-level profile to extend our bottom time.

Moving into the bay you can find the reef covered with urchins, sea stars and lobsters hiding in the crevices. Schooling snappers and grunts are common, keep an eye out for the many small blennies and gobies.

GAVILAN

Gavilan is spanish for Sparrow Hawk and named for the beautiful birds of prey that nest and hunt on the shore along this stretch of the rocky desert shore. This site is best enjoyed with a fairly shallow dive profile in the 40 to 50 foot range.

Swim throughs and canyons make up the underwater topography, unique to the area. The rock formations are covered in healthy fan and finger coral colonies with schools of machete and goat fish swimming through the canyons.

Be on the lookout for diamond rays resting in the sand and jewel morays moving through the coral formations.

Some days almost anything can show up. That is the marvelous reality of diving here with Manta Scuba in the Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - awe inspiring diving can happen at any time in the Sea of Cortez.

Start planning your dive trip to Cabo San Lucas today! Send us a message, we can't wait to share some of the great scuba adventures in the southern Sea of Cortez with you...