Best Place to Scuba Dive in Puerto Vallarta

Are you planning a trip to Puerto Vallarta and want to know more details on the best scuba diving in the area? Here is an overview of my recent diving experience in Puerto Vallarta and why it was one of mine and my husband’s favorite places to dive on the Pacific side of Mexico. Although it is enjoyable diving, it is not like the diving in the Caribbean or the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

In this post I’ll give you an overview of what season to dive, dive shops, the dive sites, the diving conditions while scuba diving in Puerto Vallarta and the sea life in the area.

Best Time of Year to Scuba Dive in Puerto Vallarta

June through October months will provide warmer water and often there is better visibility. Water temps are in the 80s. These months may be better if you are a beginner diver or get particularly cold while diving.

November through May months are cooler water temps in the 60s and low 70s, despite air temps still averaging highs in the 80s. Seas can be calmer during these months and there are more of the larger animals in the area during this time, such as humpback whales.

Dive Shops in Puerto Vallarta

When we were looking for a dive shop in Puerto Vallarta, I received a recommendation for Banderas Dive Shop on Facebook. I did some follow up research and read their reviews online – everything looked great. They have a great reputation and it was the close to the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta where we were staying.

There are other great dive shops in Puerto Vallarta as well. When picking a dive shop, make sure they are PADI recognized and have an emphasis on safety. PV Ocean Tours is another one that comes highly recommended, as well as Pacific Scuba.

Best things about Banderas Dive Shop

• Extremely focused on safety and education – I’ve never learned that much from a dive master on a single day of diving.
• The shop itself was organized and Cesar, the owner, was great at communication.
• The equipment was all in good shape and they took care of transporting all of our gear and setting it up for us.
• They provided substantial (and absolutely delicious) sandwiches on the boat and reusable water bottles. I loved that they didn’t have disposable plastic cups adding to the landfills or flying away into the ocean.
• Small dive groups and not huge, overwhelming boats

Things to know about Banderas Dive Shop

• The dive shop isn’t located at the pier itself. After getting all set at the dive shop you will have to take a taxi down to the Muelle de Playa Los Muertos pier to get on the dive boat (the taxi was included in our dive cost). The owner did mention this may be changing soon, though!
• The boats they use are small and simple but we didn’t have any issues with them at all. (My husband and I actually prefer smaller groups and smaller boats when diving – just don’t go in expecting anything luxurious).
• There are two dive shop locations so make sure you pay attention to the location details in your reservations and go to the correct one.
• There was not a booking online process. I emailed the owner, put down a deposit on our dates and paid the rest in the shop via credit card.

The Most Popular Dive Site in Puerto Vallarta: Los Arcos

One of the most popular scuba diving spots in Puerto Vallarta is Los Arcos (“The Arches”). It is a quick 20-30ish minute boat ride along the coast from the pier. This felt like the perfect amount of time to get our dive site debriefings from our dive master and the scenery along the coast is beautiful. There are mountains and jungles all around the beaches and resorts. It is stunning!

Los Arcos is a National Marine Park filled with caves, islands and an incredible amount of sea life. There are many tours to the area, including snorkeling and kayak tours. It was pretty quiet when we were there (a cool weekday in January). Warmer, sunny days can be very busy.

Los Arcos has many dive sites, we specifically dove at Christ Reef and The Eagle Ray Arch. This dive was special, as there is a cave in one of the main arches that is home to eagle rays. Other notable dive sites in Los Arcos include Aquarium (shallow, easy dive) and Devil’s Canyon (deep dive where you can experience Banderas trench). Los Arcos has diving for everyone!

Dive Details and Conditions at El Cristo Dive Site

When we dove, there was a gentle current, but obviously this can vary. Visibility was about 15-20 feet and the water was chilly (64 degrees Fahrenheit at the lowest temperature). We were wearing 7mm wetsuits and managed fine. It is much warmer in the summer and 3mm suits would be fine for most people then.

Our group was pretty small (6 of us total) but even that felt like a lot in the actual cave. It was pretty tight and there was a strong surge. If you are not an experienced diver this may have been a bit disorienting as it was also a bit dark. We did see the eagle rays, but only briefly. It was a unique, special dive – but probably best for experienced divers if there is strong surge.

The Point at Mismaloya Dive Site

Mismaloya is a cute little beach just south of Puerto Vallarta. There are restaurants on the beach and plenty of water activities there, such as snorkeling and paddle boarding.

Our second scuba diving site was a point off this beach. Before we even got in the water we saw something spectacular – a giant manta! They come near the surface for warmth and we were lucky to spot one before any divers even got in the water. Several of us got in quickly and were able to see it again while waiting on the surface.

The Mismaloya dive site is sandy bottom and rock shores and outcrops. It is a very approachable dive site, as you can stay shallow if you’re not an experienced diver or want to stay shallow to conserve air.

Dive Details and Conditions at Mismaloya

No surge to worry about at this dive site when we were there, although there was a slight current. Water temp was similar at about 64 degrees Fahrenheit but there were some occasional pockets of warmer water that felt glorious.

The sandy bottom did impact visibility slightly as sand was churned up a bit from the current. If you are struggling with buoyancy, stay a bit above the bottom as to not stir up more sand.

Other top dive sites in Puerto Vallarta

• Isla Marietas – also a popular National Park with many dive sites
• El Morro (a part of Isla Marietas) is particularly notable for its stone mounds, caves and tunnels (best for experienced divers)
• Majahuitas – known for its garden eels
• La Corbetena – this one is far from shore, so prepare for a long boat ride – but known to have experiences with larger pelagic animals

Wildlife you may see while scuba diving in Puerto Vallarta

You will not be disappointed with the wildlife while scuba diving in Puerto Vallarta. What you see can depend greatly on the time of year, as is normal with many locations.

• Turtles: Green Sea Turtles and Hawksbill Sea Turtles
• Rays! So many rays. Giant Pacific Manta Rays are a highlight, but also Spotted Eagle Rays, tons of little Cortez Rays and Diamond Rays in the sand
• Eels: Jewel Moray Eels, Zebra Moray Eels, garden eels and more
• Pufferfish: Holy cow the puffer fish. We saw one that was at least 4 ft long and many times we could see 10-15 pufferfish at one time.
• Octopus, Urchins, Triggerfish, Angelfish, Sea Stars, Lobsters, Pacific Flounder, Nudibranchs, so much more!

Added Bonus: SO Many Whales

Throughout our day, we spotted numerous humpback whales (on the surface from the boat, not while diving). On the way back to the pier we spotted some pretty close so our captain took a little detour so we could spend some extra time watching them. It was a like a private whale watching tour tacked on at the end of our diving!

Whale season in Puerto Vallarta is December thru March, so if you are there during this time there is a high likelihood you will see whales. In fact, we could see them in the distance from our hotel. Many times people will hear them under the water while scuba diving in Puerto Vallarta.

If you are interested in seeing the humpback whales, the best months to visit Puerto Vallarta are January and February. Our divemaster told us there are typically over 400 whales in the area during that time! We were lucky enough to see a calf practicing breaching!

Final Summary

If you’re like me and you want to scuba dive whenever you’re visiting new places, don’t count out Puerto Vallarta. There are plenty of different types of dive sites in the area and a plethora of beautiful wildlife to experience.

Consider the variations between the seasons when planning for your dives in Puerto Vallarta. Summer brings warm water and often times better visibility. Winter brings the majestic humpback whales and calmer seas.

Hopefully this helped you prepare for some awesome scuba diving in Puerto Vallarta!