Sea of Cortez · Mexico · Wall · Drift
Punta Lobos
Boulder wall to 27 m with summer mobula ray squadrons
Area photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Punta Lobos is a drift along a boulder wall on the La Paz coast. The bottom slopes gently to 14 m (45 ft) before dropping away in a wall of large boulders that runs down to 27 m (90 ft), and the dive is spent working the rock for octopus and giant seahorses. In late spring and summer mobula rays gather off the point in large numbers.
Also known as La Loberita.
Where it is and how deep
24.4588° N, 110.2935° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site opens gently. A slope runs down to about 14 m (45 ft) before the ground turns over into a wall of substantial boulders that continues to 27 m (90 ft), and the dive is a drift along that edge rather than a fixed circuit. How deep you take it is a choice: the shallow slope is easy diving, while the boulder wall puts you at 27 m and shortens the dive accordingly, so most profiles work the drop-off and come back up onto the slope.
The boulders are where the animals are. Octopus move openly across the rock, and the site is known for giant seahorses in black, brown, orange and white, which takes a slow eye on the crevices rather than a fast drift past them. Seasonally the character changes: in late spring and summer mobula rays gather off the point, occasionally in the thousands, moving in formation over open water.
Background
Cortez Club records that two decades ago the point was home to a colony of around 150 California sea lions, the animals that gave it the names Punta Lobos and La Loberita. That resident population appears to have moved on, which the operator attributes to the persistent north winds that hit this stretch of coast during winter storms. The site now trades on its boulder topography and its seasonal mobula ray aggregations rather than a sea lion rookery.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Mobula rays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Sea of Cortez: Calm, clear conditions run October to May; summer brings occasional wind and choppier seas, and Los Islotes closes from June to August.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Punta Lobos?+
The slope runs to about 14 m (45 ft) before a boulder wall drops to 27 m (90 ft), so the maximum on a normal dive is around 27 m.
When can you see mobula rays at Punta Lobos?+
Late spring and summer, when they gather off the point, occasionally in the thousands, moving together in large formations.
Sources
- Dive Sites — Cortez Club — Cortez Club
- Punta Lobos (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap contributors
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