Santa Cruz Bay
Huatulco · Mexico
Santa Cruz Bay serves as Huatulco's main dive hub but hides genuinely world-class encounters: whale sharks cruise the outer bay mouth from November through May, drawn by plankton blooms stirred by coastal upwelling. The inner reef slopes gently from 3 m to 20 m, providing a coral nursery for juvenile fish and a sheltered training ground that also rewards experienced divers with cleaning stations busy with roaming jacks. Night dives on the sandy patches reveal octopus, hunting morays, and the occasional Pacific guitar shark resting motionless on the substrate.
Conditions
Depth
3 to 20 m
Open water and up
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
6 to 12 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
22 to 31°C
3mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 23 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 |
| Vis (m) | 12 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 12 |
| Current | Still | Still | Still | Still | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Still | Still | Still |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Great Kiskadee
Last confirmed Jul 4, 2026 · 176 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Tropical Kingbird
Last confirmed Jul 4, 2026 · 58 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Pacific Guitar Shark
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Whale Shark
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Spotted Eagle Ray
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear