Cabo Pulmo · Mexico · Reef · Coral garden
El Bajo
Reef topography that mirrors the cliffs above, at 11 to 18 metres.
Area photo: Peter Potrowl · CC BY-SA 4.0
El Bajo is a hard-coral reef on the Cabo Pulmo park reef, dived between about 11 and 18 metres, where the relief underwater mirrors the cliffs standing over the shoreline. The fish are sub-tropical reef species in numbers, and manta rays, eagle rays, sea lions and whale sharks are all logged here as possible sightings rather than as residents.
Where it is and how deep
23.4374° N, 109.4198° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive works the reef between roughly 11 and 18 metres, quoted locally as 35 to 60 feet. That is shallow enough for a long single-tank profile that stays inside no-decompression limits, and it keeps the whole site in daylight. The relief underwater mirrors the cliffs standing over the shoreline, and that stepped, ridged rock is what gives the dive its shape.
Work along the structure and the sub-tropical reef fish come thick, with hard coral growing over the rock in colonies rather than as continuous cover. Look out into the open water off the reef and the larger animals are the other half of the site: manta rays, eagle rays and whale sharks are all logged here, and sea lions turn up as well. None of them are resident, so they are a possibility on any given dive rather than the reason it is planned.
Marine life and season
- Manta rays
- Eagle rays
- Whale sharks
- Seals & sea lions
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Cabo Pulmo: Warm water June-November brings bull sharks and large mobula aggregations; winter is cooler and calmer but still diveable.
Dive videos
Cabo Pulmo Mexico Diving El Bajo.mpg · b1pearl1 on YouTube
El Bajo Hammerheads · raphaeldpm on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is El Bajo?+
The reef runs from about 11 to 18 metres, quoted locally as 35 to 60 feet, so the site sits well inside recreational limits and works on a single tank without decompression planning.
What can you see at El Bajo?+
Sub-tropical reef fish in numbers, with manta rays, eagle rays, sea lions and whale sharks all logged here as possible sightings rather than as anything you can count on.
Sources
- El Bajo - Cabo Pulmo — SSI MyDiveGuide / Scubago
- Dive Sites at Cabo Pulmo — Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort
- Cabo Pulmo National Park — Wikipedia
In The Logbook
- Where to dive with seals and sea lionsBig animals · 17 min read
- Where to dive with whale sharks, month by monthBig animals · 16 min read
More dive sites in Cabo Pulmo
Reef
Cracked shallow reef where big-eye trevally school.
Pinnacle
A rock pinnacle circled in one easy lap, out to 20 m.
Wreck
A sunken tuna trawler that gathers bull sharks in season.
Reef
Sea lions in 3 to 9 metres, on a rock bottom with no coral.
Reef
Rated advanced for swift current rather than for depth.
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