Santa Maria Bay
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
Santa Maria Bay sits along the Los Cabos corridor of Baja California Sur, between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, on the Sea of Cortez side of the peninsula. It is a protected cove backed by a national marine park designation, with the surrounding coastline made up of rocky points and small sandy beaches. The reef here tops out at around 10 metres, rated a beginner dive with visibility generally described as great. Octopus are a regular find on the reef, and divers have also reported angelfish, damselfish, eagle rays, grouper, jacks, moray eels, nudibranchs, nurse sharks, parrotfish, reef sharks, sea turtles, snapper, and even whale sharks passing through. Some divers have noted strong currents at the site, so it is worth checking conditions on the day despite the otherwise easy depth range.
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.
Moray eelMoray eelReported here · unconfirmed
Reef sharkReef sharkReported here · unconfirmed
Whale sharkWhale sharkReported here · unconfirmed
Sea turtleSea turtleReported here · unconfirmed
Jack / amberjackJack / amberjackReported here · unconfirmed
Panamic Sergeant MajorAbudefduf troscheliiReported here · unconfirmed
Sally Lightfoot CrabGrapsus grapsusReported here · unconfirmed
Cortez Rainbow WrasseThalassoma lucasanumReported here · unconfirmed
Razor SurgeonfishPrionurus laticlaviusReported here · unconfirmed
Common Bottlenose DolphinTursiops truncatusReported here · unconfirmed
Giant DamselfishMicrospathodon dorsalisReported here · unconfirmed
AngelfishAngelfishReported here · unconfirmed
ParrotfishParrotfishReported here · unconfirmed
Whale SharkRhincodon typusReported here · unconfirmed
Nurse sharkNurse sharkReported here · unconfirmed
Eagle rayEagle rayReported here · unconfirmed
OctopusOctopusConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
SnapperSnapperReported here · unconfirmed
NudibranchNudibranchReported here · unconfirmed
GrouperGrouperReported here · unconfirmed
DamselfishDamselfishReported 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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