You can encounter amazing sealife around Cabo San Luca. We went looking for Sharks with Cabo Shark Dive. It is a half-day tour that aims to find big pelagic fishes likes sharks or whales. Was it scary? Read on to find out.

How to get there

The Cabo Shark dive boat departs from the Cabo San Luca Marina. They don’t offer hotel pick up, but it is easy to get a taxi or an Uber from the hotel. For ground transportation in Cabos, I recommend airport shuttle Los Cabos  and Cabo Ground Services 

We were staying at Solaz suites in the tourist corridor, and it took us about 25 minutes to get there. They offer a morning and an afternoon tour. We chose the morning one. We boarded the boat promptly at 8 am and were on our way.

TIP1: The week before, I was staying at the resort at Pedregal, which is more conveniently located. It is a mere 5 minutes walk from the marina where Cabo Shark dive tours depart so if you are planning to do a lot of water activities, it is the best option. You can read my review here.

 

The boat

The boat is a comfortable fishing boat. It has a relaxed seating area with shade as well as an indoor toilet.

Cabo Shark Dive provides wetsuits snorkel and masks. We were also offered water and snacks onboard.

First stop of the day: the arch and the sea lions

As we got out of the harbor, we passed by the Arch and saw the sea lions.

This place is awe-inspiring and a great way to start the day. About ten sea lions were relaxing on the rock.

Tip: if you want to have a good view of the arch, sit on the right side of the boat.

The trip organization on the Cabo Shark dive tour

There is no guarantee that you will see a shark and no refund is offered in case you don’t as we are looking for them in their natural environment.

The chance of seeing sharks is, however pretty good because they feed them. We had a massive bag of smelly tuna with us, and the staff kept throwing fish blood in the water to attract them.

We navigated for about 20 minutes to get away from the coastline.

TIP 2: if you get seasick, take some tablet before going onto the boat. The Tour happens on the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula which can have large waves

TIP 3: This tour is better for people who have experience snorkeling as the waves can be significant. If you have not done snorkeling previously, I recommend doing a snorkeling tour in more tranquil water before going on the shark dive trip. The Kayaking and snorkeling tour at the Arch is a good option. You can read my review of that tour here.

You do not need to be a good swimmer on the Shark Dive tour as they throw a rope in the water, and all the passengers can hold onto that rope while watching the sharks.

Cabo sharks dive tours are exciting because you never know what you will find. A passenger on the boat was doing his seventh tour with Cabo sharks dives. He had been lucky in the past to swim with Dolphins and whales in addition to the countless sharks.

TIP 4: The rope can feel quite busy with six people kicking in the water and trying to look at the sharks so you might prefer to book this tour as a private tour. This will give you more space and privacy

TIP 5: Bring your towel as they are not provided

Initial encounter of the day:  Manta Rays

The staff started to throw fishes in the water to attract the animals. Within 5 minutes, two sharks were in sight. As we jumped in the water, they disappeared, and we were all left disappointed. Two manta rays could probably sense our disappointment and came to check us out. They swam majestically close to us and posed for a few pictures.

Swimming with two Silky sharks

We then got back on the boat, and the waiting game started. We saw 2 Mako sharks and 2 Hammerheads sharks get close to the ship, but they didn’t stay so we could not swim with them. The boat usually returns around 11:30 am. We still hadn’t had a chance to swim with a shark, so we started to get worried.

Fortunately, the crew decided to extend the tour and just at that time, two silky sharks came by and stayed around.

We got to swim with them for about 20 minutes. What an experience it was. The adrenaline ran high as they sometimes looked at us or came within touching distance of us. Was it scary? Maybe a little bit when they came too close, but it was more amazing than scary.

Miguel, the guide from Cabo Shark dive, was in the water with us, making sure we were comfortable at all time. I would not hesitate to do it again.

We all came back on board with a massive smile on our face. The adventure was not over yet. As we entered the Cabo San Luca harbor, a huge sea lion jumped on our boat. He stayed at the back of the boat for about 5 minutes. I think he was asking for a piece of fish 😊

Our guide filmed the experience with a professional camera, so that creates a memorable souvenir to take home. Cabo Shark dive sends the movie of the experience free of charge to all guests a few days after the trip.

Conclusion

The water around Cabo San Luca is teaming with wildlife. Cabo Shark dive is a fantastic way to experience the big fishes that are around. Don’t miss this tour if you are in Cabo. It is only a half-day so you can be back relaxing by the side of your pool by the afternoon

For information and booking of this tour, check the website of Cabo Shark Dive here.  

 

If you are interested in marine life in Mexico, do check out my reviews of diving in Cabo Pulmo and the one-week liveaboard diving cruise of the Sea of Cortez