Mexico Pacific
Best Time to Dive in Cabo Pulmo
23.45°N 109.41°W
Go July to November for bigeye trevally. 23% of years see a tropical storm pass within 250 km then — January to May is calmer, but the animals have gone. The full season runs November to July.
- Best time
- Jul–Nov
- Water
- 22–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–25 m
- Season runs
- Nov–Jul
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.7–1.6 m
- Species logged
- 12
Worth knowing: 23% of years see a tropical storm pass within 250 km.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Cabo Pulmo — monthly breakdown
A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Moderate | Excellent | Excellent | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 25 |
| Visibility (m) | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 10–20 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Jul–Nov
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Cabo Pulmo diving season
July to November · Peak season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 7 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The wind eases.
Marine lifeCalifornia sea lion (likely) peaks at Cabo Pulmo in these months.
December to June · Off season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 22–27 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains less.
Marine lifeCalifornia sea lion (likely), Munk's mobula (likely) peak at Cabo Pulmo in these months.
- Spring tides run 1.6 m against 0.7 m on neaps, so currents build around the full and new moon.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Cabo Pulmo water temperature and weather
1,970 underwater observation records · 27 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Cabo Pulmo water temperature by month
The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.
10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean
2
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 6% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
0
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
3
wet days a month
1 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.5 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 25 °C | 10.7 h |
| February | 1.4 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 26 °C | 11.2 h |
| March | 1.3 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 28 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 1.1 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 30 °C | 12.5 h |
| May | 0.9 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 32 °C | 13.1 h |
| June | 1.3 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 34 °C | 13.4 h |
| July | 1.1 m | 0% | 5 | 1 | 35 °C | 13.3 h |
| August | 1.2 m | 1% | 13 | 3 | 34 °C | 12.8 h |
| September | 1.5 m | 1% | 11 | 2 | 33 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.4 m | 1% | 4 | 1 | 32 °C | 11.4 h |
| November | 1.3 m | 0% | 2 | 1 | 29 °C | 10.8 h |
| December | 1.4 m | 0% | 2 | 0 | 26 °C | 10.6 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.
| Week 1 | January week 1: Moderate | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Good | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Moderate | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Good | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Moderate | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Good | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Excellent | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Good | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: second of November
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 5% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 22 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.6 m | 21 km/h | 2% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.5 m | 21 km/h | 4% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 5% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.4 m | 19 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.3 m | 19 km/h | 5% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 4% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.3 m | 19 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.3 m | 19 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.3 m | 19 km/h | 0% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.4 m | 18 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.2 m | 17 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 23 °C | 0.9 m | 16 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 24 °C | 0.8 m | 15 km/h | 0% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 24 °C | 0.9 m | 15 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.0 m | 16 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.0 m | 15 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 26 °C | 0.9 m | 15 km/h | 2% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.0 m | 14 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.1 m | 15 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 16 km/h | 4% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 16 km/h | 6% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 17 km/h | 10% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 13% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 15 km/h | 17% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 15 km/h | 19% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 15 km/h | 27% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 15 km/h | 43% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 15 km/h | 46% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 14 km/h | 44% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.8 m | 15 km/h | 47% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 2.0 m | 14 km/h | 41% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 14 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 14 km/h | 27% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 15 km/h | 23% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 15 km/h | 19% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 16 km/h | 13% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 16 km/h | 6% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 17 km/h | 4% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 18 km/h | 6% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 19 km/h | 9% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 19 km/h | 10% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.3 m | 19 km/h | 10% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 25 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 7% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 4% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 24 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 3% |
10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.
Gear & storms
What to wear
Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | January: 5 mm | February: 5 mm + | March: 5 mm + | April: 5 mm | May: 3 mm | June: 3 mm | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: 3 mm | December: 5 mm |
- Dec–Jan5 mm full suit
- Feb–Mar5 mm with hood and gloves
- Apr5 mm full suit
- May–Jun3 mm full suit
- Jul–Octskin or 3 mm shorty
- Nov3 mm full suit
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
18 of the last 30 Septembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Jun–Nov.
Share of the last 30 years with a storm that month.
- NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
- ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
- OBISMarine species records within 60 km
- IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025
Cabo Pulmo marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humpback whale | Feb–Mar | Near-guaranteed | 1451 | ||
| California sea lion | Jan, Mar–Apr, Nov | Likely | 52 | ||
| Bigeye trevally | All year | Likely | 110 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Likely | 49 | ||
| Bull shark | All year | Likely | 125 | ||
| Munk's mobula | Feb–Mar, May | Likely | 17 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | Sep–Nov | Likely | 16 | ||
| Grey whale | Feb | Hit-or-miss | 21 | ||
| Common dolphin | Aug–Oct | Hit-or-miss | 15 | ||
| Silky shark | Jul | Hit-or-miss | 8 | ||
| Orca | Feb, May | Hit-or-miss | 35 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | Jan, Mar, Oct | Hit-or-miss | 11 |
Peak Present
- Observed window
- Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
- Reliability
- Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
- Likely 30% to 60%
- Hit-or-miss under 30%
- Evidence
- Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
- Records
- OBIS sightings within 60 km.
These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.
Diving Cabo Pulmo — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Cabo Pulmo?
- Go July to November for bigeye trevally. 23% of years see a tropical storm pass within 250 km then — January to May is calmer, but the animals have gone. The full season runs November to July.
- When is the diving season in Cabo Pulmo?
- Conditions are good November to July, but most divers come July to November for the marine life.
- Is the diving in Cabo Pulmo good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Cabo Pulmo?
- Between 22 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in September. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Cabo Pulmo?
- A 5 mm with hood and gloves covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a skin or 3 mm shorty is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Cabo Pulmo?
- Roughly 5 to 25 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Cabo Pulmo?
- The most consistently recorded species are Humpback whale (near-guaranteed), California sea lion (likely) and Bigeye trevally (likely), from 1,970 records within 60 km.
- Does Cabo Pulmo get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jun–Nov, most often in September at 18 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Cabo Pulmo?
- The tide rises and falls 1.6 m around the full and new moon, against 0.7 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Cabo Pulmo?
- December–June are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Cabo Pulmo?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Nov–Jul.