SSI x Edges of Earth: Diving Pristine Oceans in Cabo Pulmo
October 28, 2024
"The ocean looks so different from when I first started diving". If you have met someone who has been in the dive scene for 10, 20, or even 30 years, you have surely heard that phrase. Seasoned divers often describe an ocean that was far more vibrant, alive, and abundant. There was more coral coverage, more fish, and more action. Hearing this repeatedly, you cannot help but ask: In a world that has been crippled by the climate crisis and human impacts, is there anywhere like this left? Join the Edges of Earth team as they strive to answer that question in Cabo Pulmo, Mexico - a hidden diving gem and global conservation success story.
Diving in Cabo Pulmo, Mexico
For us newer divers on the Edges of Earth expedition team, every dive feels like stepping into another world—a journey back in time. Yet, our baseline is markedly different from that of someone who has been diving for decades. We strive not to let this narrative overshadow our experiences or make us long for a different time and place, as that is no way to approach present-day diving.
However, this narrative occasionally and inevitably weighs on us, making us feel that no dive will ever compare to what was experienced in earlier eras. It makes us ponder the "what ifs," and that is a mindset that is rarely beneficial in any aspect of life.
We were driving from Cabo San Lucas to Cabo Pulmo in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The combination of the dirt road and intense heat created a challenging environment, with the brown dust clinging to our sweaty skin and covering anything and everything it came in contact with.
Cabo Pulmo is one of those rare places entirely centered around scuba diving, renowned for some of the best diving in Mexico. We were arriving just in time for Cabo Pulmo’s 29th anniversary as a national park, ready to dive into its famous waters and explore the rich history of this remarkable place. As we made our way into the park zone, we passed stretch after stretch of stunning beaches.
Nestled on the east coast of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, the Cabo Pulmo National Park is a marine sanctuary that spans from Pulmo Point to Los Frailes Cape, about 100 kilometers north of Cabo San Lucas. This park is home to the oldest coral reef on North America’s west coast, estimated to be 20,000 years old. It is the northernmost coral reef in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and within its 27 square miles, you will find 11 different species of coral. That is why the Marine Conservation Institute designated Cabo Pulmo as a Blue Spark, and it is now on track toward achieving the Blue Park Standard.
Cabo Pulmo National Park is predominantly ocean, with just 1% of its area being land, and it is meticulously patrolled in collaboration with the marine secretary.
Cabo Pulmo is divided into three zones, each designated for specific activities, including a very serious no-take zone that has 35% coverage. Residents can fish with proper identification, limited to 10kg per day for personal use, ensuring the reef’s delicate ecosystem remains intact. Commercial fishing is strictly prohibited, preserving this underwater paradise for future generations and keeping marine life as vibrant as it was centuries ago.
When we arrived, the water was perfectly flat—some of the calmest we had seen in months. It felt like an open invitation. The heat and the beckoning stillness of the water made us more excited to be right here, in this moment, at this time. We passed Minamar, the northernmost beach, completely deserted. Then Barracas Beach, where loggerhead sea turtles were beginning to nest. We could see their tracks in the sand, and small sharks were known to come close to shore. El Cerrito beach was another empty stretch in terms of people, but it was filled to the brim with pelicans. They were feeding, fighting over fish, and lining the shore in droves. Finally, we arrived at Cabo Pulmo beach.
The entire community of youth seemed to be gathered for anniversary celebrations. Children were learning about turtles, sharks, and seabirds, while adults supervised and tried to avoid the heat. The town of Cabo Pulmo was essentially just restaurants and dive shops—nothing else.
This tiny town on the southernmost coast of Baja is entirely set up for people like us, searching for the last remaining ocean paradises.
And that is exactly what the entire town was celebrating that day. Cabo Pulmo had managed to restore its ocean to unprecedented health after completely depleting its resources.
On June 6, 1995, Cabo Pulmo was designated as a national park and marine protected area to address the overfishing crisis in the region. Fishing had been the primary source of income for Cabo Pulmo’s residents, but over time, fish stocks were severely depleted. Fisherfolk had to venture further out to sea, requiring more boats, fuel, and human power, making their livelihoods increasingly difficult. In the 1980s, scientists from La Paz, Baja California Sur, began visiting Cabo Pulmo to educate the community—mostly consisting of members of the Castro family—about the deteriorating reefs.
The Castros, led by Mario Castro and Juan Castro, collaborated with these scientists to establish the national park. Later, this role was taken over by Judith Castro, who is now the face of Cabo Pulmo. This family shifted the primary source of income from fishing to tourism, fostering a dive community with the hope of restoring the once-thriving reefs.
When the Castros decided to protect the ocean surrounding Cabo Pulmo, it was a novel, first-of-its-kind scenario and, therefore, highly controversial. Requiring the community to upend their way of life to restore the ocean was not an easy transition. However, with time, patience, and full commitment from those living in Cabo Pulmo, it proved to be a visionary move.
Over the years, and not without much initial hardship, the reef rebounded, diving tourism flourished, and regulations were implemented to sustainably manage ocean-based activities, including traditional fishing, diving, and spearfishing.
Scientists have reported a 460% increase in marine biomass since Cabo Pulmo was protected—a remarkable recovery celebrated throughout Mexico and the world.
For years, Cabo Pulmo has been viewed as a case study for restoration and recovery, as well as a cautionary tale for what not to do when establishing marine protected areas. There are lessons to be learned, both positive and negative, when transitioning from one primary source of livelihood to another. While fishing was initially the culprit in Cabo Pulmo, diving tourism has now become the new culprit as its boom begins to impact this small community living on the fringe.
Cabo Pulmo takes you back to a time when the ocean was genuinely thriving
It is a destination modern divers seek out so that they can experience what it once was like beneath the waves. They come here to understand what people mean when they say that ubiquitous nostalgic catchphrase of the older generations: "The ocean looks so different from when I first started diving."
Our expedition team can confidently say that Cabo Pulmo floored us with its marine abundance, and we did not even have to travel far from shore to experience it. A 15-minute boat ride and an 18-meter descent surrounded us with arguably the most fish we have seen in a single location, and that is saying a lot after traversing the globe for a year in search of such pristine ocean sites.
Groupers the size of our bodies were feeding alongside green moray eels, emerging fully from their holes and crevices to get in on the hunt. Once nearly extinct in this region, with less than 1% of their population remaining, the gulf grouper has rebounded tremendously due to the park’s protective measures.
It is said that their population has increased 15-fold over ten years! The groupers and eels work together as a team to hunt for food. This partnership enables groupers to identify prey for the eels, and the eels to help round up the food for the groupers. Working in harmony, these two species coexist. With what seemed like 10 eels for every 25 groupers, the combination was unlike anything we had seen before.
Then there are the schools of bigeye jacks, said to be the largest in the world. They swam alongside us, with their huge eyes following our every move. Alongside them were schools of yellow snapper and grunts, chased by amberjacks—the largest of the jack family, torpedoing through the water.
These gigantic schools moved at a rapid pace, maintaining their perfect formations and breaking around us while trying to escape the amberjacks’ hunt trail. We found ourselves in the middle of this wild chase for half of every dive we went on!
Day after day, we watched the ocean’s rhythm, as if we had traveled back in time, before humans had taken their toll on the ocean. We were in certified diving heaven.
But it was not just the schools of fish that drew us in—it was the entire reef itself. The coral was remarkably healthy, a rarity for us to see. The entirely women-led ranger team of the national park limits the number of people in the water at any given time, requiring divers to go with certified operators and book their dive times per site.
This ensures there are never more than seven divers with two guides at a single site. If you venture beyond 20 meters from the shoreline, you must have a guide with you; it is their zero-tolerance policy. This strict governance is why the reef thrives with yellowtail surgeonfish, damselfish, parrotfish, king angelfish, and so much more.
Restoring the ocean to its former state within our lifetime IS entirely possible, as we have seen firsthand.
Of the 20 dive sites that are designated throughout the protected zone, we visited five. And of the five, each one transported us back in time, reminding us that coexistence is possible. We witnessed the perfect balance of the natural world, with eels helping groupers and amberjacks chasing grunts.
More importantly, we saw a place where people were committed to living alongside their natural resources, demonstrating the positive impacts when everyone acts as an eco-warrior. It all comes down to balance: taking what we need, diving responsibly, and leaving room for regrowth and rebirth by knowing when to pull back.
To say Cabo Pulmo is perfect today would not be accurate. While significant efforts have been made to protect the reef, much more needs to be done to maintain it. The best things in life require hands-on work and unwavering dedication, and that does not change with the designation of a national park or marine protected area. Once the designation happens, the real work begins.
For those of us in the diving community chasing the last remaining pristine oceans, we need to understand our role in preserving them. We must consider our contributions to the frontline communities of these unspoiled places and the impact we have every time we enter the water. It is up to us to handle with care, perfect our dive skills, and treat these ocean environments as if they are our last, because, in many cases, they are.
As Judith Castro aptly put it:
"We learned that as a community, we must take care of Cabo Pulmo because we ARE Cabo Pulmo. Now, we need the divers who come here to understand that too."
As seekers of the world’s best dive sites, we must commit to sustainable tourism. That means diving with local operators, staying at locally run accommodations, eating at local restaurants, and adhering to the guidelines set by enforcement teams. Your actions can make or break a place like Cabo Pulmo—one that offers a glimpse into the past and shows what a thriving ocean truly can be.
Together we can protect places like Cabo Pulmo.
Join the Blue Oceans movement to find out more:
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Andi Cross is an SSI Ambassador and lead of the Edges of Earth expedition, highlighting stories of positive ocean progress and how to explore the world more consciously. To keep up with the expedition, follow the team on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and their website.