La Ventana Scuba diving : Jacques Cousteau Island (Cerralvo Island) and La Reina
The Sea of Cortez offers some beautifully secluded day trips from Los Cabos. One of our favourite Baja Sur expeditions is to La Ventana: a kite surfing town with a small population of local fishermen and home to a gateway to Jacques Cousteau Island. The famous ocean explorer led many expeditions in this area and so the Mexican Government changed the name from Cerralvo Island in 2009 in honor of his conservation work here. However, it’s worth noting that many of the locals prefer to use it’s real name ‘Cerralvo’.
But no matter the name, it is the perfect spot for vacation explorers that want to escape the crowd in Cabo. Come and dive or snorkel around the deserted island of Cerralvo and, further north, an isolated rocky reef called “La Reina“.
Tour details Price & booking
What's inclued
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Private guide 4 divers max per guide
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Shared or Private boat Panga style 28ft boat : Shade, ladder, emergency o2 and first aid equipment.
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Transportation
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Ceviche beach picnic With all drinks and snacks for the day
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Go Pro footage
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Snorkel equipment
Schedule
June to January
Private or Shared boat available
Departure
From Los Cabos
Transportation included
Duration
2 dives | 2 Tanks
Full Day (6am to 6.30pm)
Price & Booking
Cerralvo Island & La Reina
Price in USD | 5% Cash DiscountScuba Diving - Shared Boat
$ 795 per tour
For 1-2 people | 2 Tanks
Diving Equipement : +35 USD
Tanks and weights included
Sam Jose Pick up $40 each way
Scuba Diving - Private Boat
$ 1250 per tour
5 people max | 2 Tanks
Diving Equipement : + 35 USD
Tanks and weights included
San Jose pick up $40 each way
Snorkeling - Private Boat
$ 995
1-5 people | Full Day
Snorkel equipment included
San Jose pick up $40 each way
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Included :
Transportation from Cabo San Lucas, Guide, Panga style 28ft boat (Shade, ladder, emergency o2 and first aid equipment), Ceviche beach picnic with all drinks and snacks for the day (let us know if you have any food allergies), Go Pro underwater photos, tanks, weights and snorkel equipment.
Experience level:
Open Water level certified.
Max Depth:
65ft/20m
Maximum group size per boat:
4 divers and a guide.
(2 boats available ask for a price for more than 4 divers)
Diving trip to Jacques Cousteau Island
And underwater? The seafloor drops off to 600 meters within a mile on the channel side and down to 1KM off the east side. This provides the necessary ocean currents and sea habitat for big-game fish and passing migrating pelagic animals. La Reina dise site has seen the return of the giant pelagic manta ray in the past two years, although sightings are still very unpredictable. In addition to this incredible animal encounter, Jacques Cousteau Island is also a sanctuary for super squadrons of Mobula Munkiana (a smaller cousin of the giant manta) that can be found from April through the summer. This, in turn, attracts Orcas that feed on the giant schools. Sperm whales and humpback whales have been seen regularly.
In addition to the larger aquatic life encounters that require some good luck at the whim of mother-nature, Cerralvo Island is home to abundant, resident, tropical sea life and pristine whitesand beaches. In a typical dive we can see tropical fish, free-swimming moray eels, huge eagle rays and more.
Itinerary to Jacques Cousteau Island (Cerralvo Island)
THE DAY BEFORE
Before 4pm come and get fitted for equipment and take care of check in/payments etc.
** We recommend doing a local dive in Cabo San Lucas first to make sure there are no issues when we are very far away from our dive center**
THE DAY OF
6am leave Los Cabos via Route 19.
7.15am breakfast take away at La Garita (tamales/quesadillas or burrito).
8.30-9am arrive at the boat in La Ventana.
9-9.30am departure.
3pm/3.30pm return.
6.30pm back to Los Cabos .
We recommend not making any dinner reservations until 7.30pm.
Dive site : What to bring to your dive in La Reina reef
Are you wondering what to bring for your diving day at La Reina ? Here is list that can help you while diving in this dive site :
- Hats
- Reef safe sunscreen
- Camera
- Any personal equipment you would like to bring
- Any necessary sea sickness medicine if you experience this (we do not experience too much choppy conditions this time of year)
- Tips for the crew
Managing your expectations while diving in La Ventana
This is a bespoke private tour for a small number of people in a rustic area away from the usual luxuries of Los Cabos. Safety and wildlife encounters are our priority.
The cost of the tour is due to the distance from Cabo, the 12 hour tour time and guaranteeing a safe, private or semi/private service so that you can enjoy as much as nature has to offer all to yourselves.
The transportation is a standard vehicle for 1-2 people or a 6 -10 seater for 3-4 people.
Diving boats are 26ft – 28ft dive panga boats with expert crew for diving and snorkeling. There is shade, snacks/refreshments and lunch but some of the boats do not have a bathroom and you would need to jump in the water as you will be at sea for 6 hours. We go here in the hot summer so it’s hard not to jump in the water!
In addition, if there is anything you can think of to help us make the trip more comfortable just let us know.
Price & booking