Are you ready for your next diving adventure? The expert team of Vallarta Adventures' PADI Five Star Dive Center is excited to bring you to one of the best scuba spots in Puerto Vallarta on your next getaway! Nestled in a cluster of granite islands rising out of the waters of the southern part of Banderas Bay, Los Arcos is a truly thrilling place to explore.
There are the Devil’s Canyon and El Bajo, plus a fascinating multitude of beautiful fish, lobsters, octopuses, rays and eels. Every Monday, Friday and Saturday our PADI Divemasters bring divers to scuba dive at Los Arcos and discover the adventure that awaits underneath the waves!
Why Scuba Dive at Los Arcos
Los Arcos National Marine Park (or Los Arcos de Mismaloya) is located between two beaches, Mismaloya Beach and Las Gemelas. The waters here are some of the deepest in Banderas Bay and their depths conceal deep tunnels, caves, arches, teeming marine life like rays and sea turtles and a thriving reef. Los Arcos is particularly famous for its brilliantly colored nudibranchs and the other small creatures who call the rocky underwater slopes home.
The biodiversity down below mirrors what you’ll find above the waves, and because the water is so clear you can see it all in living color. When you join our PADI Divemaster to scuba dive at Los Arcos you get unprecedented access to an ecological paradise that has flourished thanks to the protection of the archipelago as well as Los Arcos’ status as a protected environment.
If you’ve never scuba dived before or haven't been certified yet, you’ll need to take a PADI Discover Scuba class first with Vallarta Adventures' PADI Five Star Dive Center. In these classes, our PADI Instructors will teach you everything you need to know about scuba equipment and how to use it, breathing underwater and the safety procedures that make scuba diving safe. You can take the course at a variety of hotels in and around Puerto Vallarta and once you’ve completed it, you’ll be ready for your first dive. To reserve a PADI Discover Scuba class and a beginner dive, contact an Adventure Advisor today!
Safety Is a Top Priority
Every one of our scuba dives at Los Arcos is supervised by one PADI Divemaster per each group of four divers. We use the buddy system to ensure that no diver is every alone in a moment of uncertainty - help is always there.
Get Certified to Scuba Dive Los Arcos
We offer many dive certification courses that can open up a world of opportunities beneath the waves, and many of these courses can be completed while you are on your vacation! Our PADI Scuba Diver Certification is a quick way to take a PADI scuba course administered by a PADI Instructor in record time. You’ll receive a limited certification that allows you to dive more locations in the company of a dive guide.
- Please be aware that you must be at the check-in point 30 minutes prior to departure. Boarding will be closed 10 minutes prior to departure time.
- The minimum age to dive at Los Arcos is 10.
- Based on PADI’s flying after diving recommendations, divers shouldn’t fly within 18 hours after two or more dives, and within 12 hours after one dive in a day.
- A $25 USD equipment rental fee will be applied at check-in for certified divers. This fee does not apply to beginner divers or certification courses.
- At least one immersion in the 12 months prior to diving with Vallarta Adventures is required.
- Expecting mothers are not allowed.
FORBIDDEN ITEMS
Please be advised that Mexico's Federal Maritime Ports operate a strict No-Drug Policy, including electronic cigarettes, vapers, and all kinds of drugs. Please be advised not to bring them to any of our tours. We cannot offer a refund or change of day for any guest to who Federal Security has denied access.
One of the best Puerto Vallarta diving spots for certified divers, Los Arcos in Banderas Bay is home to El Bajo, the fascinating underwater mountain range, and Devil’s Canyon, as well as lobsters, octopuses, rays, eels, morays and other fascinating marine life you’ll discover under the waves. There is so much to see among the granite islands that diving here is a real thrill. Come with Vallarta Adventures' PADI Five Star Dive Center!
This dive is also available for Beginner divers with 1-tank dives, please book through our Adventure Advisors.