Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Los Arcos is a cluster of granite rock formations rising from the sea off Puerto Vallarta on Mexico's Pacific coast, near the entrance to Banderas Bay. The arches and islets sit just south of the city, off the shoreline near Playa Los Muertos and Mismaloya, and are reached by short boat trips from Puerto Vallarta's marinas. The site is built on a reef bottom reaching a maximum depth of about 36.6 metres and is rated a technical dive. Divers here regularly encounter butterflyfish, moray eels, nudibranchs, sea turtles, and snapper, with angelfish, grouper, lobster, manta rays, octopus, parrotfish, pufferfish, seahorses, and triggerfish also reported. The west wall requires a free descent, and currents and surge have been noted there as well.
AI overviewMarine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Manta rayManta rayReported here · unconfirmed
ButterflyfishButterflyfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Moray eelMoray eelConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Sea turtleSea turtleConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
LobsterLobsterReported here · unconfirmed
SnapperSnapperConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
SeahorseSeahorseReported here · unconfirmed
AngelfishAngelfishReported here · unconfirmed
Sally Lightfoot CrabGrapsus grapsusReported here · unconfirmed
Giant DamselfishMicrospathodon dorsalisReported here · unconfirmed
King AngelfishHolacanthus passerReported here · unconfirmed
Panamic Sergeant MajorAbudefduf troscheliiReported here · unconfirmed
Cortez Rainbow WrasseThalassoma lucasanumReported here · unconfirmed
NudibranchNudibranchConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
ParrotfishParrotfishReported here · unconfirmed
PufferfishPufferfishReported here · unconfirmed
TriggerfishTriggerfishReported here · unconfirmed
GrouperGrouperReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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