Snorkeling at Santa Maria Beach, Cabo: All You Need to Know
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So you want to go snorkeling at Santa Maria Beach, Cabo San Lucas? Great idea!
It’s one of the best places to snorkel in Los Cabos. And guess what? You might even see whales. Seriously!
But let’s start this fishy-sounding tale from the beginning… ’Coz the whales are just the bonus.
We’ve recently returned from yet another awesome visit to Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur, Mexico – and another morning trip to snorkel at Santa Maria Bay – where we had a great time snorkeling, swimming and whale watching.
The bay is a marine preserve in the Sea of Cortez (renowned for its marine life), so it’s an excellent spot for snorkeling.
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Santa Maria Beach, Cabo
Contents: Visiting Santa Maria Beach
Tips for DIY snorkeling (no tour)
How to get to Playa Santa Maria
Chileno Bay vs. Santa Maria Beach
Pssst! Also see lots of comments and questions from readers at the end of this post.
Lovin’ the Santa Maria Bay snorkeling
There’s not a ripple stirring the sea.
The water is so clear, we can spot tiny iridescent blue fish (damselfish?) at least 50 feet away, darting about the reef.
We love scuba diving in Cabo in October when the water is bathtub-warm. (For snorkeling and diving, October and November are prime months.)
But it’s now January in Los Cabos – a winter day when daytime temps can sometimes be in the low 70s F. And yet today, the sea is warm enough for snorkeling.
So that’s what we’re doing.
Snorkeling in Santa Maria Bay – bumping fins with schools of colorful reef fish, feeding bread to large clouds of yellow porkfish that swirl around us, and loving every moment!
Tip
As you face the water from the beach, the best snorkeling is at the far end by the rocks to your right (in front of the beach club for local residents).
About the beach itself
Santa Maria Beach is a public beach.
It’s one of the top three Cabo San Lucas snorkeling beaches. (The other two are Chileno Beach and Lover’s Beach.)
Heck, it’s one of the best beaches in Los Cabos, whether snorkeling or not!
The coarse golden sand (mixed with small pebbles) is pristine. And its calm waters make it a great choice for swimming, even if you’re not interested in snorkeling.
Having arrived early (before 9:00 a.m.), we almost have the bay to ourselves. Where we’ve plopped down, there’s nothing much more than us, the seagulls and the sand.
Just one lone permanent thatched palapa sticks up out of the sand. It’s marked for wheelchair use only.
Some time around 10:00 am, a vendor arrives to rent out umbrellas and chairs at the entrance to the beach.
When we asked, we were quoted a cost of 250 Mexican pesos (about $13 USD) per umbrella and 100 pesos per chair (about $5.20 USD).
Tip
For the best snorkeling and to appreciate the natural beauty of the beach when it’s quiet, arrive early. We usually come and go by 11:00 am!
But Santa Maria is still a great beach to kick back on even after more people have arrived.
See whales when snorkeling Santa Maria Bay, Cabo!
Later, drying off on the beach in the sun, after more than an hour in the water, we spot the whales. They’re about 100 feet away from us.
At first, we see only plumes of spray. And then – we see the slick round humps of humpbacks as they swim on the water’s surface. And tails!
Admittedly, we’ve seen closer-up views of whales in Cabo on whale watching tours.
But even though it’s the whale season, we just didn’t expect to see these whales there and then.
And they just keep spouting and finning and showing us a whale of a time. A nice way to finish off a glorious morning of snorkeling…
Tips: Snorkeling at Santa Maria Beach your own way
Here’s the key.
We didn’t take a tour to go snorkeling at Santa Maria Beach.
(If we had, we’d be sharing our views of Captain Nemo with up to 100 other eager snorkelers jumping off their catamaran or sailboat.)
No, if you want pristine conditions, the best way to go snorkeling here is to do it on your own.
Each year we visit Cabo, we make a point of returning to Santa Maria Beach to snorkel.
We enjoy it so much, we often end up going several times each trip. It’s one of our favorite things to do in Cabo.
Get to the beach early though.
The first of the snorkel tour boats arrive around 10:00 am.
Often by 11:00 am, there are some five snorkeling tour boats anchored in the bay. The snorkelers from the boats don’t usually swim to the beach though.
Tip
We mentioned there’s a vendor who usually shows up to rent umbrellas and chairs.
You’d be wise to bring your own beach umbrella, though, if you plan to hang around on the beach after snorkeling and want to be assured of shade.
Facilities at Santa Maria Bay, Los Cabos
Toilets and showers
The public beach facilities have been spiffed up recently.
When you arrive at the parking lot to the beach, you’ll notice a big clean new bathroom building, with flush toilets and change rooms.
Outside the bathroom, there are outdoor showers, so you can rinse off the salt water after swimming and also rinse off your snorkeling gear.
From the parking lot, it’s a short walk along a newish wooden boardwalk down to the beach.
Montage Los Cabos
If you haven’t been to the beach in a few years, you’ll no doubt be surprised to see a large new hotel there.
There’s no stopping development in Cabo (which just keeps getting bigger and better!).
A Montage Los Cabos hotel has been built on the shores above the beach. One of the finest luxury hotels in Los Cabos, the low-rise resort is quite tasteful though, and blends in with the landscape.
It has beach chairs and umbrellas for guests set up in a middle section of the beach.
You can have lunch at the Montage Los Cabos if you reserve in advance. Marea, the hotel’s stylish open-air beachfront restaurant, serves fresh seafood, Mexican food and burgers.
But you can’t just walk up from the beach and access the hotel restaurant as a non-guest. (We asked.)
You need to drive around to the front of the hotel and enter through the lobby to have lunch at the hotel restaurant. (Obviously you’ll want to wear suitable clothing, not just a wet bathing suit!)
Beach club for local residents
At the far end of the beach from the public parking lot, you’ll see a chichi beach club, usually empty!
It’s for the exclusive use of local home-owners. So it’s off limits if you don’t have privileges.
Tip
Bring your own snorkel gear, water and food or snacks, as there’s no gear rental stand or readily-accessible public restaurant or bar.
Getting to Santa Maria Beach, Los Cabos
Where is Santa Maria Beach in Cabo San Lucas?
The beach parking lot for Santa Maria Beach is located along the Tourist Corridor, about 8 miles east of Cabo San Lucas at Km 13, Carretera Transpeninsular (Federal Highway 1).
How to get there by car
Drive along the Corridor Highway 1 connecting Cabo San Lucas with San Jose del Cabo to Km 12 (7½ miles east of Cabo) and look for the “Playa Santa Maria” sign, indicating the turn-off toward the ocean.
Follow the road for about a ¼ to ½ mile to the paved parking lot.
The public parking is free.
How to get there by bus
It’s easy to hop on the bus if you don’t have a car.
While we usually go in a rental car, we have taken the bus. It’s not a “first-class Mexico bus” like we took for longer distances when visiting Mexico’s colonial towns.
But the local Cabo bus is very inexpensive and not a hardship if you’re feeling a little adventurous.
Buses will stop along the Corridor highway if you flag them down. Tell the driver you want to get off at Santa Maria Bay for snorkeling. There’s a bus stop on the side of the highway there.
Guided Santa Maria Bay snorkeling tours
What if you haven’t rented car – and don’t fancy taking a taxi, Uber or the bus to get there?
No worries! We can recommend several excellent guided snorkeling tours that include round-trip transfers from your hotel. (The boat tours all leave from the Cabo San Lucas Marina.)
- Kayak and snorkel combo: Paddle to both Santa Maria and Chileno Bays on this fun kayaking-and-snorkeling tour with Cabo Outfitters. We’ve done it ourselves – and loved the extra adventure kayaking adds!
- Santa Maria and Chileno Bay duo: This popular 3-hour snorkeling tour takes you first to Santa Maria Bay to snorkel, then to Chileno Bay. You travel by AC mini-van (with hotel or cruise port transfers included).
- Fun catamaran cruise: Prefer sailing to Santa Maria Bay on a catamaran instead? This 4-hour snorkeling cruise includes an open bar and lunch and gets great reviews too.
- Private yacht experience: For a more luxurious option, this private snorkeling yacht tour (for up to 4 guests) includes lunch and premium drinks aboard a 42-foot sailing yacht. We’ve sailed with Cabo Sailing (who run this boat tour), and they’re fantastic!
Chileno Bay vs. Santa Maria snorkeling
Gosh, this is a toss-up. Tacos or tostadas?
Santa Maria and Chileno are both great places to snorkel in Cabo San Lucas.
No motorized water sports (like jet skis) are allowed at either beach. So they’re both more tranquil than, say, Medano Beach.
Like Santa Maria Bay, Chileno also has a public parking area, washrooms and showers, along with umbrella and chair rentals.
We think Santa Maria Beach has slightly softer sand, however. The sand at Chileno is a little more pebbly with crushed shells.
Chileno Beach is also larger than Santa Maria and a little rockier, with more rocks on the sea floor as you’re walking into the water.
On the other hand, some people think the amount of fish you see when snorkeling is a bit better at Chileno.
The good news is: You don’t have to choose between Santa Maria Cove vs. Chileno Bay. You can snorkel at both!
If you go on a Santa Maria Bay snorkeling tour, chances are it will include Chileno Bay as well.
Last words on Playa Santa Maria, Los Cabos
For some of the best snorkeling in Cabo, head to Santa Maria Bay.
It’s one of the most beautiful beaches in Cabo, with thick golden sand lapped by crystal-clear waters.
Go early in the morning before the breeze picks up and the snorkel cruises arrive – and you’ll have the beach to yourself. And you’re sure to love spotting all the colorful fish that swim about the reef in this lovely horseshoe-shaped bay.
There’s virtually no natural shade (and we wish more palapas could be built for the public). But if the Santa Maria Bay vendor appears, you can rent an umbrella and chairs from him. You also need to bring your own drinks, snacks and snorkeling gear.
If you’d prefer, there are also several good snorkeling tours that take you out by boat to snorkel off Santa Maria Beach.
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Photo credits: 2, 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | 6 to 8, 15 Andrea Norrie, Janice’s sister-in-law
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