Puerto Vallarta – Riviera Nayarit Most Popular Scuba Diving Sites, Silent World Divers

Puerto Vallarta – Riviera Nayarit Most Popular Scuba Diving Sites, Silent World Divers

A note: Other and Alternative sites can be offered (not mentioned here) in the case of bad visibility or other sea conditions.

Scuba Diving is one of the activities that more and more people enjoy during their vacations like diving into the depths of the ocean.

See photos and video links a the bottom of this page.

Certified or coming to be certified, scuba diving The Bay Of Banderas, is where the Mountain side waters are warm, the sea is full of life and colors and there is a wonderful variety of locations to enjoy, both for the new and pros.

Bellow is a description of the most popular sites.

Scuba Diving at Los Arcos

Depth: 29.5-130 ft/9-40 m
Time to reach site: 45 minutes
For all level Certified Divers
Also mostly used for Certifications

Los Arcos is excellent for all levels from novice divers to advanced. This National Marine Park consists of five rocks or islets, shallows and a deep sea canyon. The islets are a natural sanctuary for pelicans, sea hawks, Blue Footed Booby birds and swallows. The dives in this area can be enjoyed from 10 to 90 feet.

Due to erosion of the area there are amazing tunnels and arches. The view from the walled canyon exceeds 800 feet of depth. There are a great variety of fish, turtles and numerous other sea creatures. Since it is illegal to fish or remove anything from Los Arcos, the sea life is abundant. Los Arcos is also famous for its nudibranchs and other small creatures hidden on the rocky slopes.

This tour includes: 2 dives, all diving gear, purified water, sodas, seasonal fruit and a ham and cheese baguette.

Dive trip duration: 9 AM to 1:30 PM (Aprox)

Los Arcos, a series of five rocky granite islets sticking out from the sea surface, it is also the deepest part of the Bay and is full of life, is a protected sea park.

Los Arcos National Marine Park is 45 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta. This dive site has options for all levels, from novices to advanced and experienced divers, depths range from 10 to 90 feet. Los Arcos is also a bird sanctuary, the protected seabirds including the sea hawk, pelican and Blue-footed Booby. Since it is illegal to remove and fish at Los Arcos, sea life is abundant.

Los Arcos has within several sections to explore. “El Acuario” offers waters that are 30 to 40 ft deep, you will find all sorts of tropical marine life in the reefs, seahorses, yellowtail surgeonfish, eagle rays, snappers, zebra moray eels, lobsters, octopuses, and many more.

Next isa unique 800 ft vertical wall where you can enjoy a descent into two distinct dive sites, one called “El Cañón” and the other called “La Quijada del Diablo”, locations that are only for experienced divers. The drop-off is at 60 ft and the dive itself runs between 80 and 120 ft. Here you’ll see schools of bright fish, turtles, manta rays and moray eels.

Another good dive site in the Los Arcos area is “El Bajo del Cristo” with depths from 30 to 80 feet, an underwater peak and several submerged volcanic formations that offer lots of marine life including parrotfish, snappers, moray eels, nudibranchs, and many other surprises.

Other sections can be offered and described by your divemaster, also based on your certification level.

The Marietas Islands

Depth: 25-90 ft/7.5-27 m
Time to reach site: 60 minutes
For all level of Cerified Divers

Islas Marietas are located at the mouth of Banderas Bay 26 miles west of Puerto Vallarta. They are a protected marine area since 2005 and most recently a World Heritage Site. There are over 90 different species of resident and migratory marine birds on the Islands besides the reefs with there extensive, teeming sea life. The underwater diversity is one of the greatest within the Bay, There are shallow coral reef bottoms with many tunnels tunnels and swim throughs.

Jacques Yves Cousteau made the islands famous thru his films. Dolphins and Humpback whales (in season) are common. This is also the most likely place to encounter Giant Manta Rays.

This tour includes: 2 dives, all diving gear, federal park fee bracelets, purified water, sodas, seasonal fruit and a ham and cheese baguette.

What to bring: Certification card, bathing suit, sunblock, towel, light sweater (winter and spring season), hat, sunglasses and $25.50 Mexican pesos to cover the port fee entrance at “Los Peines” pier, gratuities are not included in the price (normally 10%-15% of the cost of your tour)

You’ll be gliding by a mountainous underwater range. Here you can find an impressive descent, reefs tunnels, and caves, filled with tropical fish, sea turtles, giant manta rays and even whales if it is the right time of the year, mostly between November and March. It is common to see dolphins and even Humpback whales along the way if the season is right and you are lucky.

Wreck Diving: Princesa Vallarta Shipwreck

Depth: 40-80 ft/12-25 m
Time to reach site: 45 minutes
For Advance Divers or with Specialties

Scuba divers love the opportunity to dive to and explore shipwrecks, this one got stuck in Puerto Vallarta and it was being towed so it could be sunk off of Los Arcos, but it did not make it there, so it sank more or less in front of Garza Blanca Hotel in the deep waters. The Pricessa Vallarta used to by an all inclusive tour boat that took you to Yelaba Beach further, on the south cost.

The small Bay and the point of Mismaloya

Depth: 15-60 ft/ 5-20 m
Time to reach site: 45 minutes
For all level of Certified Divers

Mismaloya made famous for being the t of John Huston movie “The Night of the Iguana”, shot mostly on the Southern hill where the crumbling remains of the set are still found.

Along the rocks, around this cove, you can find some cool little dive spots. It is full of tropical fish that include the scorpionfish, moray eels, snappers, king angelfish and often eagle rays. Take a peek into the cracks and crevices and you’ll find nudibranchs, and possibly lobsters

It’s a nice and easy training dive site with a sloping seafloor that offers large boulders and depths ranging from 25 to 40ft and also has an interesting dive site for the adventurous and curious diver with a series of rocks and pinnacle.

Colomitos

Depth: 15-60 ft/ 5-20 m
Time to reach site: 50 minutes
For all level certified divers

It is a beautiful and well-protected location that usually offers very good visibility even when the sea conditions make diving impossible in other areas of the bay. Sealife includes a wide variety of rays, butterflyfish, stingrays, and the interesting electric rays.

Majahuitas

Depth: 25-80 ft / 7-24 m
Time to reach site: 50 minutes
For all level certified divers

Majahuitas is a beautiful string of beaches located on the south coast of Puerto Vallarta accessible only by boat. The entire bay is made up of tiny coves that offer excellent sea conditions. Calm and mellow water is perfect for Scuba or Snorkeling. The dives can be as shallow or as deep as the divers wish.

Some of the most remarkable inhabitants of this dive site are the Garden Eels. There is an abundance of sea life with endless schools of Parrot Fish, Cornets, Puffer Fish, Angel Fish, Damsels, Eagle Rays, Great Manta Rays and turtles.

This tour includes: 2 dives, all diving gear, purified water, sodas, seasonal fruit and a ham and cheese baguette.

The underwater visibility is up 80 feet from July to December. You will find shy garden eels living in the sandy bottom, large schools of yellow surgeonfish, rays, octopus, seahorses, green turtles and more.

The amount of sea life in this ecosystem is impressive, hundreds of shy garden eels live in the sand slope bottoms, large schools of yellowtail surgeonfish, clouds of damsels surrounding the huge boulders, eagle rays feeding off the sandy bottoms. This place is also a favorite for the Giant Manta Ray, with a span of over 20 feet. An array of nudibranchs are scattered on the rocks, and if you love octopus, this is the site for you. Other species include sea horses, green turtles, endless schools of Parrot Fish, Cornets, Puffer Fish, Angel Fish, Damsels and more.

Las Caletas

Time to reach site: 50 minutes
For all level certified divers

You’ll dive into an exclusive spot that is beautiful and rated for both beginner and experienced divers. When you scuba dive in Las Caletas, there is a lot to see, there is great visibility, plus the waters are calm with gentle currents that let you really focus on your surroundings. The sea life is abundant here, turtles and tropical fish and much more. There are also two sunken shipwrecks you can visit and explore.

This shore dive will put you eye-to-eye with garden eels, jawfish, eagle rays, manta rays, large schools of colorful tropical fish and our resident sea turtle. It’s one of the finest dive sites on the Pacific Coast of Mexico for marine life alone, plus there is a natural reef nearby.

El Morro

Depth: 30-80 ft/9-39.6 m
Time to reach site: 90 minutes Open Ocean site
For Advance Divers or with Specialties

El Morro is an advanced dive location. El Morro is a small rock located 26 miles out from Puerto Vallarta in the Pacific. It is known for its series of pinnacles that rise from the floor of the ocean, riddled with dozens of caves and tunnels waiting to be explored in a lush sea world that teems with abundant life. The rocks are populated by an incredible number of schools of fish.

El Morro is densely covered by invertebrates such as gorgonians, sea fans, sponges and ascidians. Giant Manta encounters are frequent here. It is recommended only for experienced divers due to strong currents and sea conditions.

This tour includes: 2 dives, all diving gear, federal park fee bracelets, purified water, sodas, seasonal fruit and a ham and cheese baguette.

that is located on the northern edge of the bay area, 6 miles west of the Marietas Islands. It is a series of rock pinnacles extending above the surface of the Pacific Ocean’s blue waters.

This dive site has depths of up to 150 ft, El Morro also offers wall diving and a rock cavern at 70-90 feet under the surface. A wonderful opportunity to dive down a wall and then go through a 50-foot tunnel and admire the variety of marine life that lives there, sea fans and coral, colorful nudibranchs, shrimp and octopuses.

This site is a favorite for experienced scuba divers, it is a small islet out in open waters if you are lucky you will find white tip fin sharks, asleep on the dozens of small caves teeming with life that pockmark this wonderful location, where you might even encounter whale sharks and humpback whales depending on the season and your luck.

Among the most impressive and awe-inspiring experiences for scuba divers is the giant manta ray, watching them glide by and even perform graceful somersaults. They are frequently spotted alone or in groups at El Morro.

You’ll also find turtles, lobsters, octopus, seahorses, yellowtails, and jacks. Other creatures include sharks, dolphins, sailfish and the largest moray eels you’ve ever seen. Breathtaking manta rays, coral and sponges in every color, shape, and sizes alongside tropical fish in amounts you won’t be able to count.

El Chimo

Depth: 40-80 ft/12-25 m
Time to reach site: 60-80 minutes
For Advance Divers or with Specialties

Description

Chimo is a spectacular dive site about 26 miles from Puerto Vallarta along the southern coast of Banderas Bay. Here the ocean floor has distinct and interesting formations. Torrecillas is an undersea plateau from which a series of separate pinnacles rise like trees uprooted to reach light.

Las Iglesias is a line of columns that also rise straight from the sea bed as if supporting an ancient, sunken cathedral. Huge schools of fish, healthy invertebrates and Giant Manta encounters are typical for Chimo. The rock formations and corals are so impressive, that this make it one of our favorite dive sites.

This tour includes: 2 dives, all diving gear, purified water, sodas, seasonal fruit and a ham and cheese baguette.

Chimo is a small fishing village close to the edge of the Banderas Bay on the southern end, 26 miles from Puerto Vallarta.

The dive site at Chimo is only recommended for experienced scuba divers. It is a wonderful and pristine part of the bay where you can find soft corals and even black and white coral, sponges, many different tropical fish species, large schools of reef fish, turtles, giant manta rays and more.

The seafloor has an impressive series of pinnacles that rise from a plateau that are known as “Torrecillas” (Small towers), and an amazing line of columns called “Las Iglesias” (The Churches) that rise straight from the seabed much like cathedral pillars. This dive location is one that experts visit more than once as there is so much to see and the area is quite big, more than 1300 feet across.

La Corbeteña

Depth: 20-100 ft/7-39.6 m
Time to reach site 90-100 minutes Open Ocean Site
For Advance Divers or with Open Ocean Specialties

One of the favorite scuba diving sites in Puerto Vallarta for experienced divers, mainly due to the depths and currents. It is the farthest location, along with El Sequial, outside the bay area that’s offered by scuba charters in town. It is 8 miles NW from El Morro and 40 miles from Puerto Vallarta by sea.

La Corbeteña is a complete paradise, deep dives, crystal clear waters with great visibility that’s full of caves, low arches and steep walls with abundant sea life, large schools of tropical fish, jacks, reef sharks, manta rays, turtles, sailfish, marlin, dolphins, nurse sharks sleeping in the caverns and maybe even whale sharks. But these beautiful creatures are not the only reason to make the trek out to these sites. Dive deep, traverse caves and commune with some of the largest fish in the sea.

El Sequial

Depth: 40-80 ft/9-39.6 m
Time to reach site: 90-100 minutes Open Ocean Site
For Advance Divers or with Specialties

This dive site is in the same location as La Corbeteña. The farthest location outside the Banderas Bay area that’s included in the regular scuba spots in town. It’s 8 miles NW from El Morro and 40 miles from Puerto Vallarta by sea.

Scuba diving in El Sequial and La Corbetena, you’ll encounter a profusion of marine life, including manta rays, sea turtles, dolphins, and sharks. Enjoy a deep dive, go through caves and share the waters with the largest fish in the ocean.

El Sequial (Dry Area), a shallow area 1000 yards north of La Corbeteña island, offers some of the most striking landscapes underwater. At El Sequial there’s a unique submerged tabletop island, a paradise for all kinds of marine life. It’s like a giant underwater sports field (300 meters long) at a depth of 60 to 80 feet with gigantic sailfish and tuna and then over the edges of this flat space a dark drop-off it’s an incredible thing to see and experience.

These drop-offs on each side of the sports field table-top, that can go as far down as 1.5 miles, are what you need for a unique scuba diving experience. Because this site is outside the bay, visibility is much better here than other locations closer to Puerto Vallarta.

Los Anegados

Depth: 30-80 ft/9-25 m
Time to reach site: 80 minutes Open Ocean Site
For Advance Divers or with Specialties

Another scuba location a bit outside the Banderas Bay area, Los Anegados. It is a rock bank located between the Islas Marietas and El Morro, 27 miles from Puerto Vallarta by sea, it is a bank of shallows before moving to deeper waters, where scuba divers can share the waters with eels, rays and fish like jacks, giant manta rays and tuna in challenging waters for experienced divers.

The bank could seem like an easy site, but it can be a demanding dive, even for experienced scuba divers due to the strong currents and north winds that make for a rough sea. It starts off at around 30ft under the water full of caves and intricate rock formations that offer a great hiding spot for all kinds of large and small creatures, including eagle rays, moray eels. As with some other out-of-the-bay dive spots, you’ll be able to find nurse sharks sleeping in caves.

Other dive sites for experienced divers are like Tehamixtle and Cabo Corriente. Enquire by e-mail for details.

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Scuba Diving after 50 Silent World Divers Puerto Vallarta