Best time to dive Sea of Cortez (La Paz)

October–December is the sweet spot: warm water, playful young sea lion pups at Los Islotes (closed June–August for breeding) and whale sharks arriving from mid-October/November (in-bay encounters are snorkel only). Mobula rays school in their thousands April–July (peak May–June), with a smaller winter run November–January. Winter water drops to about 18–24 °C.

Peak season: September–November

Best upcoming months:7.6November 2027 7.4October 2027 7.2November 2026

Book a Sea of Cortez LiveaboardUpcoming departures on Divebooker

Overall diving, month by month

Balanced scoring · forecasts include the 2026/27 El Niño outlook

Confidence: Nov medium · Dec medium · Jan medium · Feb medium · Mar medium · Apr medium · May medium · Jun medium · Jul medium · Aug medium · Sep medium · Oct low · Nov low · Dec low

What's good when

Each attribute scored 0–10 for every month

	Nov2026	Dec	Jan2027	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Pelagic & big animals	8	7	6	6	6	6	7	6	7	8	8	9	9	9
Macro life	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Coral & reef health	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
Visibility	7	6	6	6	6	7	7	8	8	8	8	7	7	6
Water temperature	10	7	5	4	5	5	6	8	10	10	10	10	8	5
Weather & sea state	8	7	7	7	7	8	8	8	7	7	6	7	8	7
Operations & access	10	10	9	9	9	9	9	7	7	7	9	10	10	10

Climate outlook

How this year's forecast differs from a typical year

Water temperature +1.6 °C · El Niño warms the Mexican Pacific (Nov 2026 – December 2027)
Pelagic & big animals -1.3 · Warm, low-productivity El Niño water thins manta and pelagic action (Nov 2026 – June 2027)

Water temperature & visibility

Month	Water	Visibility
November 2026	27.8 °C (82 °F)	15–25 m
December 2026	24.5 °C (76 °F)	10–20 m
January 2027	22.6 °C (73 °F)	10–20 m
February 2027	21.4 °C (71 °F)	10–20 m
March 2027	21.7 °C (71 °F)	10–20 m
April 2027	22.4 °C (72 °F)	15–25 m
May 2027	24.1 °C (75 °F)	15–25 m
June 2027	26.4 °C (80 °F)	20–30 m
July 2027	28.1 °C (83 °F)	20–30 m
August 2027	29.0 °C (84 °F)	20–30 m
September 2027	29.4 °C (85 °F)	20–30 m
October 2027	28.3 °C (83 °F)	15–25 m
November 2027	26.2 °C (79 °F)	15–25 m
December 2027	22.6 °C (73 °F)	10–20 m

Marine life calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
california sea lion	●	●	●	●	●				●	Peak	Peak	●
whale shark	●	●	●	●						●	Peak	Peak
mobula rays	●			●	Peak	Peak	●				●	●
schooling jacks	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

Peak = best odds · ● = regularly seen · blank = unlikely. Calendar months, every year.

About the diving

Difficulty: Intermediate
Current strength: 3 / 5
Luxury level: 4 / 5
Typical depth: 5–30 m
Max depth of interest: 35 m
Dive styles: Day boat, Liveaboard
Suggested certification: Open Water (El Bajo: Advanced)
Nearest airport: LAP
Snorkelling: Good
Known for: california sea lion, whale shark, mobula rays, schooling jacks

Famous sites: Los Islotes · El Bajo seamount · Salvatierra wreck · Fang Ming wreck

Season notes & sources

October–December is the sweet spot: warm water, playful young sea lion pups at Los Islotes (closed June–August for breeding) and whale sharks arriving from mid-October/November (in-bay encounters are snorkel only). Mobula rays school in their thousands April–July (peak May–June), with a smaller winter run November–January. Winter water drops to about 18–24 °C.