Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee. Resort nearby
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Last updated on April 21, 2024
Chileno Bay is one of the most popular snorkeling spots in Cabo San Lucas area. The rocky outcrops to the south of the beach create some spectacular underwater scenery, with many sand gullies between vertical rock walls, very large boulders and overhangs. Extensive areas are covered in corals, although not generally in brilliant colors. The fish life is varied and often abundant with one of the special features of the area being the easily observed porcupinefish, pufferfish, and boxfish.
Chileno Bay (or Playa Chileno) is situated close to the most southerly location on the Baja California peninsula, halfway between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. The reef is accessible from a public beach, or from the beaches of the Chileno Bay Resort and Residences.
Four entry/exit points are suggested, listed 1 to 4 on the map. Each gives access to slightly different habitats. If you explore this spot from the public beach (location 1 on the map), the best point to enter is just to the left of the rocky outcrop.
Entry point 2 is only accessible at the top of the tide (at low tide, you can reach this area by swimming from the public beach).
Chileno Bay has a mainly rocky seabed, with some boulders and nice coral patches, although not very colorful.
Best snorkeling areas are to the right of the public beach (entry point 1 on the map, where mixed bedrock, coral, boulders, and sand patches are found) and to the right of the main resort’s beach (entry point 2, where you’ll explore a series of, often narrow, gullies, with lots of shallow water coral outcrops).
The right-hand side of area 3 has some of the most impressive coral cover, while area 4 has the most spectacular rock and gully formations, with corals, sea fans, and, reportedly, whitetip reef sharks. Around 50 fish species can be easily observed at Chileno Bay’s reef. The fish are evidently fed in the public beach area, as they swarm around you on entry.
The king angelfish, Cortez angelfish, blacknosed butterflyfish, and yellow longnose butterflyfish are among the most colorful species you may spot in Chileno Bay. The Cortez rainbow wrasse, the sunset wrasse, and the Panamic sergeant are particularly abundant around the boulders.
Some schools of yellowtail surgeon and convict tang also occur on the reef, feeding on the small algae growing on the rocks. When looking into the rocky crevices or below the outcrops, you may also spot a Panamic green moray, the biggest moray eel species in the Eastern Pacific.
Visibility is strongly influenced by periods of rain, with some considerable land run-off in streams both north and south of the resort. The heaviest rainfall period is between August and October.
This spot is the Chileno Bay Resort and Residences house reef. There are some other accommodations and restaurants in the area.
These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
