Three Short Days in Cabo Pulmo
A few unforgettable days in one of Mexico’s most vibrant marine sanctuaries — where turquoise water, desert mountains, and life in motion remind you why the ocean endures.
(Be sure to scroll below to view our photos and videos after our story for this trip)
Up the Sea of Cortez lies this small coastal gem — Cabo Pulmo — framed by desert mountains and clear turquoise water.
Off a literal beaten path and a healthy trip away from the beaches and tourism of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, is a gem that I’ve been wanting to visit for years. Cabo Pulmo National Park — a UNESCO-recognized marine protected area in Baja California Sur — is a tiny diver’s town famous for giant balls of schooling fish, mobula rays, and plenty of whale, orca, and marlin sightings, just to name a few. Fortunately, friends of ours organized a short trip that thankfully aligned to our hectic schedule, so off we went for a few days to explore the area and its viability for us to promote marine conversation via photography and videography.
I’ve seen with my own eyes the degradation over time of reefs in places like Playa del Carmen, Mexico and southern Florida, and the negative impact it has on the local ecosystem of marine life. I’m always amazed to see the difference when I visit protected areas; plentiful and colorful coral reefs, thriving schools of reef fish, and a wide variety of pelagic species. As a protected national park established in 1995, Cabo Pulmo is often cited as one of the most successful marine conservation stories in the world, and it did not disappoint.
Just barely caught this moment — dolphins weaving through a massive ball of fish after their feed at Cabo Pulmo.
Our first dive was at the Los Morros site where we were instantly met by a huge ball of schooling fish hunted by a trio of hungry dolphins. When I say instantly I literally mean it. My head was just underwater as I began my descent, so I was still fidgeting with my camera when the action was occurring. The only shot I made out was of the dolphins traveling under the fish school, but amazing shots of the two schools we encountered during the dive more than made up for it.
The following days were more of the same. Amazing reef life with hundreds of varieties of fish, pelagics, and shellfish. One of the objectives of the trip was to run into the bull sharks. Unfortunately, our guide was only able to spot them from the surface and they were nowhere to be seen by the time we ascended. However, that disappointment was mitigated by orca and marlin sightings that caused us to jump into the water to snorkel several times (no orcas this time, but several thrilling marlin encounters). We wrapped up the last day diving with a small group of sea lions where we also ran into a couple of eagle rays and a turtle. After three short days we were sold.
We eventually met up in the water with this small group of sun-bathing sea lions resting on the rocks off Cabo Pulmo.
As I mentioned above, this was a short exploratory trip to see where and how Cabo Pulmo fits into our future plans. A short trip with a short write-up and gallery this time around. Yet with fantastic marine action throughout the year, not only will we return for more trips, but we also plan to put together a Quarterly Spotlight in the future to promote this success story and raise awareness and advocacy for other areas to emulate. Cabo Pulmo reminded me what’s possible when protection and patience work together — coral, fish, and life returning in full color. For those of us who tell ocean stories, it’s a reminder that photography is not just art, but witness. CaaS
Gallery: From desert light to ocean depths, Cabo Pulmo reveals a world in motion — where life gathers, spirals, and glides through the balance of protection and presence.
Check out these videos from our trip on our YouTube channel:
