Cabo Pulmo · Mexico · Reef
La Lobera
Sea lions in 3 to 9 metres, on a rock bottom with no coral.
Area photo: Peter Potrowl · CC BY-SA 4.0
La Lobera is the sea lion colony toward the southern end of the Cabo Pulmo park, dived in 3 to 9 metres over rock rather than coral. The animals are the reason to come: curious and friendly enough to come down and inspect a group of divers at close range. Schools of surgeonfish and Moorish idols work the same shallow ground.
Also known as Sea Lion Colony.
Where it is and how deep
23.3955° N, 109.4135° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Nothing about the profile is demanding. The site runs between about 3 and 9 metres, and a group spends the dive over the rock below the colony rather than following a route from one feature to the next. Depth is not the constraint here; the sea lions are, in the sense that once the animals come down to inspect the group most divers stop swimming and simply stay where they are and watch.
This is not a coral dive — the bottom is rock, with no reef structure to work along — so the interest is the animals and the fish stacked above them. Schools of surgeonfish and Moorish idols move across the site, and spotted eagle rays are listed as a possible encounter. Sea lions are a seasonal presence rather than a permanent one, and sardine schools come through in the same part of the year.
Marine life and season
- Seals & sea lions
- Reef fish swarms
- Eagle rays
| 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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the La Lobera sea lion dive?+
Between about 3 and 9 metres, which makes for a long, low-stress dive and leaves plenty of time with the sea lions when they are on the site.
Sources
- Sea Lion Colony — Scubago
- Dive Sites Cabo Pulmo — Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort
In The Logbook
- Diving with seals and sea lionsBig animals · 17 min read
More dive sites in Cabo Pulmo
Reef
Reef topography that mirrors the cliffs above, at 11 to 18 metres.
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
Rated advanced for swift current rather than for depth.
Similar dives elsewhere
Sea lions, rays and morays over coral heads in 11 m
A nine-foot bronze figure standing in 7.6 m of water
Coral fingers and sand canyons on an SPA reef a mile east of Sand Key light
A shallow patch reef where turtles, sharks and rays pass