An internet search for La Paz snorkeling will produce pages of excursions offered by local tour operators. But, if you want to hang out at a beach and snorkel on your own, there isn’t a lot of information available.
Many tourists (and locals) don’t realize that beautiful beaches with clear and calm turquoise waters – perfect for snorkeling – can be found very close to the city. We have spent several months exploring La Paz and its beaches, and have compiled a list of our favorite snorkeling beaches.
They are in order of closest to furthest from downtown La Paz. The farther away from the city, the better the snorkeling is. There are fewer people, less trash, better visibility and more marine life.
La Concha and Caimancito
La Concha Beach Resort is the first stop. It is 6km north of the city, over the hill at the very end of the Malecon. The resort rents fins, masks and snorkels and the restaurant and bar are available to non-guests. The reef is accessible either from the beach or at The Cortez Club Dive Shop. You can easily swim from here to Caimancito – only 250m north of the resort – and back.
Scorpionfish at Caimencito
Caimancito has several palapas (large thatched umbrellas) where you can leave your things and that provide a bit of shade. Take a picnic to enjoy after you snorkel at this small beach. A jetty splits the bay in two, so you can snorkel the north side of the jetty and after lunch you can swim to the rock by La Concha and back.
The visibility here is never optimal and a fine layer of sand and silt covering the rocks and coral makes everything seems grey. There are plenty of fish here, but beware of jellyfish during the summer months.
Pichilingue
Don’t let the ferry terminal and plastic-strewn beach discourage you from visiting Playa Pichilingue, 17km north of downtown. Never judge a book by its cover, or a snorkeling site by its beach. There is parking at the boat launch, and at the main beach and restaurant.
Pacific Mutton Hamlet, Sergeant Major and Cortez Damselfish at Pichilingue
Just past the boat launch, the overturned wreckage of an old panga is teeming with life, and the north side of the bay is encrusted in coral. When it comes to fish, all the usual suspects are here. Angelfish, Trumpetfish, Damselfish and the ubiquitous Sargent Majors are guaranteed. The popping of Parrotfish crunching the coral is a constant sound. This spot is a little gem hidden in plain sight.
Tecolote East
Octopus at Tecolote
Either end of this beautiful bay has interesting snorkeling. The east end (turning right through the sand at the restaurants) offers a quiet spot, often shared by a few octopus hunters. Swimming towards the point, the sandy bottom gives way to seaweed covered rocks and rocky outcroppings.
There’s not much coral here, but in among the seaweed and the rocks there’s a lot of life to be found. A keen eye will spot the signs of an octopus den and patience will be rewarded with an appearance.
A few dozen yards offshore the shelf drops down to about 15 feet where all kinds of fish hide under the adjacent rocks and in the crevices. A good return snorkel is to swim towards the point along the shore, circle back around the shelf, and come back to the beach.
Tecolote West
Sharpnose Puffer at Tecolote
At the west end of the beach, a short walk past the Isla Partida Restaurant, there’s a lovely little cove and the start of a wonderful snorkeling experience. This site is best done at low tide on a calm day, with little wind or swell. Swim close along the rocky shore, in and out of the jutting rocks, around large boulders and over the coral reef.
Sabertooth Blennies poke their heads out of barnacles, while Sharpnosed Puffers, Orange-Sided Triggerfish, Cortez Damselfish and Mexican Hogfish seem to be in every nook and cranny.
Video: Octopus squirting ink
Octopus aren’t uncommon, as the hunters tend to stick to the east end of the bay. One day, an octopus – hiding rather poorly on a rock – squirted ink at us here.
It’s worth taking the time to swim the entire way around the point to the next beach – about a 45 minute slow swim. Haul out onto the warm sand and laze in the sun. There is no road access to this beach, so it is rarely visited and we’ve always had the place to ourselves.
Whale Sharks
Every dive shop will take you snorkeling with Whale Sharks on the other side of the Mogote Peninsula across from downtown La Paz. All operators require a permit and rules exist to minimize the effects of boats and snorkelers on the sharks. These rules aren’t strictly enforced or sometimes even obeyed. Boats will often move in front of the fish to keep them from swimming away from the tourists who struggle to keep pace.
“Le plus grand aquarium du monde.” (The world’s largest aquarium)
– Jacques Yves Cousteau (referring to the Gulf of California)
Whale Sharks are filter feeders and eat plankton (microscopic organisms). As such, visibility is usually terrible and the shark must be within ten feet to be seen. Like all wildlife, finding a shark is never guaranteed, and you will likely spend most of the trip looking for one. Despite all that, swimming with one of these massive and docile creatures is an incredible experience nobody can ever forget.
El Saltito
Chinese Trumpetfish at El Saltito
This beach is on the other side of the Peninsula Pichilingue. It is accessible through private property, and a guard waits by the gate to keep track of how many people are on the beach.
The northwest wall is easiest to access and explore. Large rock and coral formations extend away from the wall into the bay, and it is deeper than the other snorkeling sites in the area.
Moorish Idols, Chinese Trumpetfish and ocotpus are commonly found here. We even saw a school of baby sailfish as soon as we got in the water.
Punta Arena
Southeast of La Paz, Highway 286 is a scenic and easy 60km drive over the mountains and down into a lovely agricultural plain surrounded by cardon cactus. About 3km before the end of the road is the northeast turnoff for Punta Arena.
Jawfish at Pichilingue
Stay to the right after the airstrip and park by the building at the beach. Like elsewhere in the area, it is private property and guards keep track of visitors from their huts on the roadside.
Reefs flank both sides of the beach and are full with life of all shapes, sizes and colors. From Parrotfish to Angelfish and Gobies to Moray Eels, there simply isn’t enough space here to list all the beautiful creatures you will see there. Not surprosingly, it is also a popular site for local scuba divers.
Bahia de Los Muertos
Guineafowl Puffer and Moorish Idol
Just around the corner is perhaps our favorite spot, Bahia de Los Muertos. At the very end of Highway 286 is Restaurant 1535, beside a boat launch. Plan to go in the middle of the day when the boats are out fishing rather than coming or going. Despite the occasional boat traffic, it is an excellent snorkeling spot. Follow the reef at the north end along the restaurant.
Swimming out around the point and the remains of the old pier, the terrain becomes a shallow shelf with many rocky outcroppings and small swim-throughs. Don’t be surprised to find a school of Gold-Rimmed Surgeonfish like we did.
Grand Suenos Resort
Two great snorkeling sites can be found at the Grand Suenos Resort. About 1.5km before the end of the Highway 286, where the pavement ends, there is a dirt road and guard hut on the south side of the highway. The guard will let you through if you tell him you are going for lunch and how many people are in your party.
Snowflake Moray Eel near Gran Suenos
The first spot to visit is the last beach at the very end of the road. There is a reef off the north end of the beach and a wall at the south end. The reef is an interesting maze of coral and towering rocks teeming with fish, including Guineafowl Puffers and Moray Eels. The southern wall is a shallow swim over coral and is best explored at high tide.
The other snorkeling site is right in front of the resort. Park at the cheap and cheerful Centro De Trenes restaurant and walk out to the beach. There are several palapas for those seeking shade.
The reef along the south end of the beach is an extension of the coral garden from the beach to the south. Peacock Razorfish, Juvenile Rockmover Wrasse, Moorish Idols, Spotted Boxfish are not uncommon. We were even lucky enough to have a large California Sea Lion take a swim by to check us out on one trip.
There is another reef to the left of the palapas worth exploring as well. The visibility at both beaches is usually crystal clear. Be sure to have lunch at the resort’s excellent and inexpensive restaurant.
La Paz Snorkeling Tours to Los Islotes
Every tour and panga operator in La Paz offer snorkeling trips to Los Islotes. This rock, whitewashed with bird dung, just off the tip of Isla Partida, is a sea lion colony. It is one of the most popular tours in La Paz for good reason.
Video: Sea Lions at Los Islotes
The pups are born in the summer and weaned by September, when the rookery opens to tourists. The sea lions are mostly young pups and are extremely friendly and playful.
Surrounded by dozens of these elegant creatures, who nibble at you fins, blow bubbles at you and chase each other around is a wonderful and unforgettable experience. You won’t want to get out of the water. If you go, try to get there early before the wind picks up everybody else arrives.
La Paz is a mecca for watersports on the Baja. The kayaking and scuba diving in the Gulf of California are world-famous. However, independent La Paz snorkeling is often under-played and we’re not sure why. We have done a lot of diving here over the years, and some of our snorkeling trips have been better than some of our dives. So, leave the regulator and BCD at home, grab your mask, fins and snorkel, and check out what lies just below the surface in “the world’s largest aquarium”.
Hi Diane and Alex,
Thank you so much for the informative blog! I had been looking everywhere for actual information about snorkel sites around La Paz and I couldn’t find anything until now. After reading your blog we drove to El Saltito and had an amazing time! We were the only ones on the entire beach (what a beautiful beach!) and during the snorkel we saw many moray eels, schooling fish, an octopus and even a large sea lion! Really thank you so much for the wonderful tips your blog provides.
Cheers!
Thanks Arthur! We’re thrilled that you found our blog post useful. We are even more thrilled that you had a wonderful experience and exciting animal encounters at El Saltito. It takes a bit of effort to find empty beaches on Baja Sur, but the rewards are always worth it. Thanks again, and Fins Up!
Thanks for the information. Can you tell me (roughly speaking) how cold the water is in February, do you need a wetsuit and if the snorkeling is worth it at that time of year? Thank you. Phil
Hi Phil. The Gulf of California starts getting a bit cool in December and can get down to the low-60s F° in the winter. You should be able to find the same fish along the shore year-round. If we were to go in February, we would wear 3mm shorty wetsuits – maybe even a full wetsuit. We would suggest renting wetsuits from a local dive shop if you don’t have or aren’t bringing your own. Thanks for checking out The Blue Path and let us know if you have any other questions.
Great blog, keep up the good work!
Thank you Luna Cabo. We love your part of the world!
Great blog!
I noticed you mentioned jellyfish at Caimancito during the summer months. Any more details on that? We’ll be in La Paz during the summer and would love to check out these amazing areas, but would prefer to avoid any unnecessary stings. Any advice?
Thanks!
Thanks Ryan. We’re glad you found our article useful!
Please don’t let the chance of a jellyfish sting deter you from enjoying the ocean around La Paz.
Apart from avoiding areas with jellyfish, the best way to prevent a jellyfish sting (and sunburn) is to cover up. We wear long-sleeved rash guards – thin, form-fitting Tshirts made of nylon/polyester with UV protection. They are sold in all surf shops and most shops that sell bathing suits. You could also wear a 3mm full wetsuit, but it might be a bit hot during the Mexican summer and, because of the buoyant nature of neoprene, you might also need some lead/weight to dive below the surface. Alternately, you could use a thin “skin suit” which is like a full-body rash guard. The last time we were in La Paz, the only shop specializing in scuba and snorkeling gear was Anroga Sports at the south end of Alvaro Obregon, across from the Malecon between the Fin and Mermaid/Dolphin statues.
It is always best to play in the ocean with someone else – which it sounds like you are planning to do. That way, you can help each other out if needed, and four eyes are better than two for looking out for jellyfish and their tentacles/stingers.
In the off-chance that you do get stung by a jellyfish, pour vinegar on the area for 30 seconds, remove any stingers with tweezers (not you fingers), and soak the area in hot (not scalding) water for half an hour if possible. The vinegar will neutralize the stingers and the hot water will help with any pain or discomfort. The “old wives tale” of using urine doesn’t work. Trust us, we’ve tried it 😉 We always carry a small spray bottle of vinegar with our diving and snorkeling gear, just in case.
Please let us know if you have any other questions or if you need more information.
Have a great time in La Paz and bien viaje!
Are there in La Paz any sites for offshore swimming with possibility for whale sharks or dolphins encounter?
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for the comment.
Dolphins and whales are unpredictable. Your best chance of seeing them is on your way to a dive site. Last time we were diving in La Paz, a pod of Pilot Whales swam by and under the boat. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to grab our gear and jump in the water before they were gone.
Whale Shark encounters are by and large offshore events, for which the boat must be licensed. These tours are mostly done on the north side of the Mogote peninsula across from La Paz harbor.
A good day would be to see the sea lions at Los Islotes and try to find a Whale Shark at Mogote on the way back to La Paz. With any luck, a pod of dolphins or Pilot Whales may swim by while you’re under way. Some tour operators might stop at San Rafaelito for lunch and a snorkel around the island.
Stay safe and Bien Viaje!
Thank you so much for your blog post , we are in La Paz for 2 weeks and tried several of the sites you mentioned. In mid March 2022.
Suenos was FULL of jelly fish and Ensenada de los Muertos also had them, but not in as large of numbers as Suenos. We have 2 days left and will try Saltito and Punta Arena.
Wet suits are definitely needed as the water is still too cold to remain in for longer than 15-20 minutes without a suit and your core temperature could drop substantially without one.
We called ever dive shop in La Paz and no one rented wetsuits, they only sold them. Because it was spring break time, the tour operators would only rent wetsuits to their clients taking a tour. Even the local tour pangas would not rent them, unless they were not going to use them due to wind closing the trips to the island.
We only found one shop in La Ventana, the wind surfing school that would rent us the suits, and he found it very odd that we wanted them for a week, his cost is $300 pesos per day, we ended up paying $120 US dollars for 2 suits for 5 days , but it gave us the comfort for snorkeling as we wanted and made it comfortable and safer to swim with the jellyfish, although I still got stung with a shorty wetsuit.
Without your blog we would not have been able to find these great places, thank you so much you made our trip so much better by knowing exactly were to go to have a good experience. With 2 days left and high winds we hope Saltito and Punta Arena are still good for snorkeling.
Hi Yolanda.
Thank you for your thoughtful and informative comment! We are glad you found our blog post useful and hope your La Paz snorkelling experience was a great one.
The Gulf of California can get chilly in the winter and 3mm wetsuit would definitely make things more comfortable, and safer when jellyfish are in the area. Anyone planning to snorkel around La Paz during the winter might want to bring/buy their own wetsuit rather than renting one for $12/day. Please see our comment below outlining how to avoid and treat jellyfish stings and where to buy wetsuits in La Paz.
Thanks again and stay safe.
Thank you for your blog! Heading to La Paz for the month of January. Appreciate your time and efforts. Stay safe.
Thanks for the comment Sonia. Enjoy your trip to Baja and Buen Viaje!
We used your tips last December and LOVED Pichilngue, which as you said looks pretty underwhelming from the road–we probably wouldn’t have thought to try it without your guidance! Same with Gran Suenos; though snorkeling wasn’t great the day we went, the drive was surreal and the resort was pleasant. thanks so much! We’re going back at Christmas and will try Caimancito as well as definitely revisit Pichilingue.
Hi Sandy. Thank you for your comment! We’re glad you enjoyed the snorkeling at Pichilingue and found our article useful. Have a great time at Caimancito on your next Baja trip and consider giving Gran Suenos another try if you have time.
Hi there- thanks for this amazing post. We snorkeled today at Saltito and it was incredible. So many fish! It rivaled our experience at Isla Espirito. Question- we want to go to the Grand Suenos Resort sites next. Is the restaurant you mention called Centro de Trenes? Or is it Bahia de Los Suenos? For the first one you get off 286 well before the end. For the second one it looks like you go all the way to the end of 286. Thanks for any help!
Hi Kelly. Thank you for your comment. We’re very happy that you enjoyed our blog post as well as the snorkeling at El Saltito. The restaurant we mention in the description of Grand Suenos Resort is Centro De Trenes. The restaurant (we assume) gets its name from the miniature train set that circles the large dining room’s balcony. There were also Ms. Pac-Man and pinball machines up there when we visited – makes for some 70’s and 80’s retro-fun 😉 There is another restaurant (1535) mentioned in the description of Bahia de Los Muertos which is at the very end of Highway 286. We have updated the article to be more specific and include the restaurant names. We hope that helps and that you have a great time!
Which months would you recommend (or avoid) when it comes to weather and water clarity?
We have never been to this part of the world so also wondering if La Paz is your favorite spot for snorkeling in the region or are there better spots on the Baja peninsula?
Hi Doug. Thanks for the comment and questions. The weather and water start getting a bit cooler this time of year (late November to early December) and the north winds start blowing down the Gulf of California as well. September and October are probably the best months to go for the best weather and visibility with minimal crowds and hence hotel rates, etc. La Paz provides the easiest access to the most snorkelling spots on the Baja. The next town north accessible by road is Loreto which has better diving than snorkelling. Farther north, Bahia Conception near Mulege has good snorkelling options. In the Cabo Corridor, Playa Chileno has great snorkelling – particularly south of the Chileno Bay Resort. Have a great time and Fins Up!
Hello again! We just returned from another trip to La Paz, we were there in March of this year. We of course re-read your article and although we tried to go to Ensenada de los Sueños again, in March there were far too many jelly fish, we were denied entry because the restaurant was closed, we asked if we could just go to swim and the guard said no! We checked out Ensenada de los Muertos and saw some snorkelers, so we waited for them to get out and they said there were many jelly fish and they got stung, even though they were wearing full suits, the jelly fish were on the surface thus stung their faces. We did not venture in……. however we decided to try Punta Arena, mainly because in March when we tried to snorkel the ocean was too rough. This time we found a spot that rivaled Cabo Plumo in variety of fish with smaller schools of the same variety of fish and we were fortunate to see octopus for the first time! The site is where the abandoned resort is and in the black rocky area in front of the resort. It was fabulous and the guards could not have been nicer. We learned that “someone” used to bring food for the dogs the guard keep, they have 5 dogs, but this “hombre” had not delivered food for some time and the dogs were very hungry, they guards salary does not leave enough money to buy dog food. We ended up returning to deliver 50 kilos of food, snorkeled again and on this occasion we witness baby turtles hatching and making their way to the sea, it was fantastic.! I would place this site at the top of our snorkeling adventures around La Paz, and it was originally recommended by a Marine Biologist living and working in La Paz. Make sure to keep to the right on the road intersections to get to the right location, it is NOT around the lighthouse, but in front of the abandoned resort, you will need to go through 2 guard gates, but they were the nicest guard EVER!
Hi Yolanda. Thank you for another great comment and revisiting our blog post! The plight of stray animals in Mexico, and all over the world, is heart-breaking. Many visitors have a story or two about rescuing, adopting or otherwise helping them when and where they can. We’re thrilled that you had such an awesome experience, especially the octopus and turtles! Although we have never snorkeled at Punta Arena, we have done several shore-dives there, and you are absolutely right about how amazing the site is. We have included it on our list and will take our own advice about leaving our regulators and BCDs at home next time we go.
Hi and thank you for this wonderful and informative post. I sincerely appreciate it. We are heading to La Paz in early Feb 2023 and wondering if you could answer, as best you can, a few questions. FYI: we are very experienced ocean swimmers and snorkelers and plan to wear full winter wetsuits with hoods and gloves. We would like to stay in the water 2 to 3 hours. We would love to snorkel at Bahia de Los Muertos and Gran Suenos on the same day — GS in the AM and BDLM in the afternoon. Does this make sense? Or is it best to spend the morning and afternoon at only one? If so, which would you recommend? Does it seem likely that we will encounter lots of jelly fish at this time of year? If yes, would it be best to spend the day elsewhere? If yes, which would you recommend? Finally, could you clarify your directions to Bahia de Los Muertos? “At the very end of Hwy 286” But for Gran Suenos you wrote “At the end of the Hwy 286” It sounds the same. Are both situated next to each other? If you have any other comments or suggestions for our upcoming 3 short day trip to La Paz, We would be extremely grateful for your input. Kind Regards, Robert
Hi Robert. We’re glad you enjoyed and found our article useful! Although it is a bit of a drive down Route 286, we would suggest spending a few hours at each site perhaps on separate trips. If you choose to snorkel at both sites in the same day, it probably wouldn’t matter which site you visited first – just try to avoid the fishing pangas coming and going at Bahia de los Muertos. Having said that, please read Yolanda Rawlings comment above regarding ocean conditions, jellyfish and restaurant closures from her trip to the area last March – she suggests Punta Arena instead. The very end of Highway 286 is Bahia de los Meurtos, the southwest turnoff to Gran Suenos (where the pavement ends) is about 1.5km before the very end of the highway, and about 1.5 km before that (3 km before the very end of the highway) is the northeast turnoff for Punta Arena. Thanks for the input – we have clarified the directions in our article. If you have time, an interesting side trip along Highway 286 is the Presa de la Buena Mujer dam – a peaceful place for a picnic and hike. The northeast turnoff to the dam is about 11km past the Tecolote Road junction and Cajoncito bridge. The parking lot is another kilometre down the dirt road where the hiking loop to the dam starts. Have a safe trip and Bien viaje!