- Open Water course
- MX$7,678
Updated July 2026
Good to know
Good to Know
- There is no true shore diving at Sayulita itself — every dive trip involves being driven from the Sayulita dive shop to a marina (Punta de Mita or La Cruz de Huanacaxtle) before boarding a boat, so budget a half-day minimum even for a single dive site.
- Dive times inside Marietas Islands National Park can be shorter than divers may be used to elsewhere (one diver reported 45-minute dives due to park rules) — set expectations accordingly.
- Whale season (roughly December–March) is a bonus for boat rides to the Marietas and other sites, with frequent humpback sightings en route, but isn't required for good diving — the sites are run year-round.
- More advanced sites like El Morro and La Corbeteña involve real depth, current, and navigation demands and are marketed specifically to certified/advanced divers rather than beginners.
- If a dive shop's marketing mentions the wreck 'Thistlegorm,' be aware that this is very likely a website content mix-up — Thistlegorm is a famous wreck in Egypt's Red Sea, not a site in Banderas Bay; treat any such reference with skepticism.
- Course prices quoted by Sayulita shops are typically for the in-person 'water portion' only — PADI's online eLearning/student materials fee is paid separately, directly to PADI, so budget a bit above the advertised course price.
- Dive boats don't launch from Sayulita's own beach — expect a short van transfer (commonly to Punta de Mita or La Cruz de Huanacaxtle) as part of any course or dive trip booked through a Sayulita-based shop.
- Completing PADI eLearning/knowledge development before you arrive can shrink your in-person time in Sayulita from the standard multi-day Open Water schedule down to just the open-water dive days.
Dive Sites And Conditions
- Access Summary
- Diving out of Sayulita is genuinely day-boat/panga diving, not shore diving and not liveaboard-dependent. Dive shops are based in central Sayulita but the boats themselves launch from marinas up the coast — typically Punta de Mita or La Cruz de Huanacaxtle — so every trip involves an overland van transfer before you ever get on the water.
Sites
Islas Marietas (Marietas Islands) National Park
- Type
- Volcanic pinnacle/reef complex with caves, swim-through tunnels and rock passages; both wall and drift-style dives are done here
- Best Season
- Diveable year-round; December–March adds a strong chance of humpback whale encounters on the boat ride, per the Oceano Adventures shop.
- Marine Life
- Sea turtles, dolphins, humpback whales in season, puffers, angelfish, moorish idols, trumpetfish, moray eels, large schools of snappers, and rays hiding under the sand.
- Notes
- Protected as a Mexican Marine National Park since 2005 and cited by tour operators as a UNESCO-designated site with a daily visitor cap. Dive times inside the park are capped, with one diver reporting park rules limited dives to about 45 minutes each. Access from Sayulita is by van transfer (roughly 30–45 minutes) to a marina at Punta de Mita or La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, then a boat ride of about 20–30 minutes to the site.
Los Arcos Marine Park
- Type
- Rock arch/reef formation, generally considered accessible for both new and experienced divers
- Best Season
- Not separately specified by sources beyond general year-round diving in the bay.
- Marine Life
- Moray eels, seahorses, coral reef growth, and large numbers of small and large tropical fish.
- Notes
- A protected area often paired with the Princess Vallarta wreck as a two-tank combo (wreck first, reef second). Located toward the Puerto Vallarta side of Banderas Bay, so it involves a longer transfer/boat ride from Sayulita than the Marietas.
El Morro
- Type
- Rock pinnacle field with wall diving and cave exploration
- Best Season
- Not separately specified; treated as an advanced-diver, year-round site.
- Marine Life
- Diverse reef and pelagic life associated with the pinnacle structure; described as rich in marine life without a single standout species.
- Notes
- Located about six miles west of the Marietas Islands on the edge of Banderas Bay. Divers should expect depths of roughly 90 feet (about 27 m), making this an advanced-level site.
Unnamed Manta Ray Pinnacle (Between Marietas Islands and El Morro)
- Type
- Shallower pinnacle dive
- Best Season
- Not separately specified.
- Marine Life
- Giant manta rays are the highlight; also eagle rays, moray eels, and occasional nurse sharks.
- Notes
- Sits roughly halfway between the Marietas and El Morro. Noticeably shallower than El Morro at around 30 feet (about 9 m), making it accessible to less advanced divers while still offering big pelagic sightings.
La Corbeteña
- Type
- Offshore blue-water seamount with deep drop-offs
- Best Season
- Not separately specified; conditions (current) are described as variable rather than seasonal.
- Marine Life
- Giant mobula rays, schooling tuna, nurse sharks, and other pelagics; some operators also describe nearby sites with mantas and shark sightings in season.
- Notes
- Described by one Sayulita-area operator as a legendary site, but one that requires deep drop-off navigation, variable currents, high-powered boats, and advanced local knowledge — it's run as an advanced-diver trip departing from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle rather than a beginner-friendly option, and is a longer run than the Marietas.
Princess Vallarta Wreck (and Adjacent Small-wreck Cemetery Near Mismaloaya)
- Type
- Wreck dive
- Best Season
- Not separately specified.
- Marine Life
- Wreck-associated reef fish; specific species not detailed in available sources.
- Notes
- Sits near Mismaloaya beach, on the Puerto Vallarta side of Banderas Bay — this is a real day-boat option offered by Sayulita-based shops, but requires a minimum PADI Open Water certification (Advanced recommended) and a longer overland/boat transfer than the Marietas trips, since boats for this site typically launch from La Cruz or Bucerías rather than Punta de Mita.
Cueva De La Virgen and El Amarradero
- Type
- Coves/passages within the Marietas complex, primarily used for snorkeling rather than scuba
- Best Season
- Not separately specified.
- Marine Life
- General reef and coastal marine life typical of the Marietas area.
- Notes
- These are named more as premium snorkel stops than scuba dive sites, used by boutique operators timing their arrival to avoid the large commercial catamaran crowds at the Marietas.
Certifying Bodies And Levels
- Primary Agency
- PADI
- Notes
- PADI is the certifying body actually documented for Sayulita's dive shops. Oceano Adventures explicitly lists Discover Scuba Diving, Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver and Divemaster training among its PADI programs, and also offers PADI Open Water via referral/eLearning so students can complete academics online before arriving. No SSI, NAUI, or other certifying agency presence was found documented for Sayulita specifically, so PADI should be treated as the dominant/only agency here.
Levels Commonly Offered
- Discover Scuba Diving (non-certification intro/try-dive)
- Open Water Diver
- Advanced Open Water Diver
- Rescue Diver
- Divemaster (professional level)
Operator Density
- Summary
- Sayulita itself has a small, boutique dive scene rather than a large cluster — two established, town-based PADI operators were confirmed: Oceano Adventures and Sayulita Entourage (formerly Sayulita Diving School). Both run their in-town shop as a booking/gear base and then transport guests by van to Punta de Mita or La Cruz de Huanacaxtle to board dive boats (pangas), since Sayulita's own beach isn't the boat-launch point.
- Wider Area Context
- Additional PADI centers exist in the broader Riviera Nayarit/Bahía de Banderas area (Punta Mita, Bucerías, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle) and in Puerto Vallarta, and several of these explicitly market themselves as serving Sayulita guests via pickup/transport, but they are not physically based within Sayulita town itself.
Named Operators
- Oceano Adventures (Sayulita) — PADI 5-Star/Dive Resort, founded by Sebastián Briones; family-owned, small-group focus
- Sayulita Entourage (Sayulita) — PADI Resort #24159, formerly Sayulita Diving School, founded by Stephane and Roberta
Typical Cost
- Open Water Diver
- MX$7,678
- General Note
- Prices for Sayulita dive courses are commonly quoted in USD by local shops even though MXN is the official local currency. Sayulita Entourage also publishes a dedicated certifications-with-pricing page but specific line-item numbers were not confirmed at the time of research.
Freediving Crossover
- Detail
- Oceano Adventures lists PADI Freediving alongside PADI Scuba Diving, PADI Snorkelling and EFR/First Aid among its programs, meaning at least one Sayulita-based dive shop genuinely offers freediving courses as a crossover to its scuba offering, not just a hypothetical add-on.
- Genuine Crossover Found
- Yes
- Shared Sites Note
- The same offshore sites used for scuba training and trips — Los Arcos and the Marietas Islands — are also where snorkeling/freediving-style excursions are run, so there is genuine site overlap, though dedicated freediving-specific dive sites/depths were not separately documented.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.