Puerto Vallarta
Mexico · North America
Puerto Vallarta anchors diving across Banderas Bay — one of the largest bays in the Americas — and the protected waters of Las Islas Marietas National Park just offshore. Giant manta rays cruise the seamounts, humpback whales fill the bay from November through March, and the Marietas hide a collapsed volcanic cave that shelters resting white sea birds and macro life. The bay's warm current pocket and diverse topography make it a year-round destination with genuinely different experiences by season.
How this reef is doing
ⓘ How we measure thisReef state
Live science signals for this reef are still being gathered.
Coral cover
Fish life
Heat
Fishing
Open to fishing, and the water is fairly quiet.
Sources · Global Fishing Watch and reef gravity
What you will see
31 species across the dive sites here
Yellowtail Surgeonfish
Seen 24 days ago
at Los Arcos
Least concern
Cortez Rainbow Wrasse
Seen 1 month ago
at Los Arcos
Least concern
Pacific King Angelfish
Seen 1 month ago
at El Morro
Least concern
Creolefish
Seen 2 months ago
at El Morro
Bigeye Trevally
Seen 2 months ago
at La Corbeteña
Least concern
Panamic Sergeant Major
Seen 2 months ago
at El Morro
Least concern
Schooling Scad (Jack)
Seen 2 months ago
at Islas Marietas
Least concern
Green Sea Turtle
Seen 4 months ago
at Los Arcos
Least concern
Green Moray Eel
Seen 4 months ago
at Los Arcos
Least concern
Giant Manta Ray
Seen 6 months ago
at Los Arcos
Pacific Creolefish
Seen 8 months ago
at Los Arcos
Pencil Sea Urchin
Seen 8 months ago
at Los Arcos
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Seen Jul 2025
at Los Arcos
Critically endangered
Big Eye Trevally
Seen Mar 2025
at Los Arcos
Least concern
Pufferfish (Bullseye)
Seen Jan 2025
at Islas Marietas
Least concern
Black Coral
Seen year round
at La Corbeteña
Bull Shark
Seen year round
at La Corbeteña
Vulnerable
Muricid Sea Snail
Seen year round
at El Morro
Pacific Reef Octopus
Seen year round
at Islas Marietas
Least concern
Rosy Lionfish
Seen year round
at Islas Marietas
Least concern
Silky Shark
Seen year round
at La Corbeteña
Vulnerable
Silvertip Shark
Seen year round
at La Corbeteña
Vulnerable
White-tipped Reef Shark
Seen year round
at Islas Marietas
Vulnerable
Yellow Coral Crab
Seen year round
at El Morro
Yellowfin Grouper
Seen year round
at Islas Marietas
Near threatened
Dogtooth Tuna
Seasonal visitor
at La Corbeteña
Least concern
Hammerhead Shark
Seasonal visitor
at La Corbeteña
Critically endangered
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark
Seasonal visitor
at El Morro
Critically endangered
Spotted Eagle Ray
Seasonal visitor
at Islas Marietas
Endangered
Whale Shark
Seasonal visitor
at La Corbeteña
Endangered
Yellowfin Tuna
Seasonal visitor
at La Corbeteña
Least concern
Dive sites
Islas Marietas
white-tipped reef shark · giant manta ray · schooling scad (jack) · yellowfin grouper
El Morro
giant manta ray · scalloped hammerhead shark · pacific king angelfish · panamic sergeant major
Los Arcos
green sea turtle · hawksbill sea turtle · yellowtail surgeonfish · big eye trevally
La Corbeteña
bull shark · silky shark · silvertip shark · whale shark