About us · since 1987
About Cabo Pulmo Dive Center
A family that arrived by small plane in 1970, gave up its spearguns when the park was created and built one of the most respected PADI operations in Baja. This is the short version of the story.
Cabo Pulmo Dive Center is the PADI dive operation of Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort, located in the village of Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur. The resort was founded in 1987 by ski filmmaker Dick Barrymore; his son Cole Barrymore built the dive and snorkel operation after the National Marine Park was decreed in 1995. Today the center has 6 full-time PADI instructors, local bilingual dive masters, several pangas, a training pool and the Coral Reef Restaurant upstairs. Groups are limited to 6 divers per guide.
1970 → today
From a Cessna 182 to a PADI dive center
1970. Dick Barrymore, the pioneer of "hot dog" ski films, flew his family into Cabo Pulmo in a Cessna 182 after spotting the reef from the air. The size of the fish amazed them. They came back every year to fish and spearfish.
1987. Dick left the film business to build a small rustic resort in the bay after a main underground aquifer was tapped: fresh water is what made Cabo Pulmo a destination. The village was officially established that year.
1993. His son Cole, an airline pilot, moved down to help develop the first phase of homes.
1995. The National Marine Park was declared. The family, avid spearfishers, gave it all up. Cole bought his first boat with the earnings of the cabinet shop and started running snorkel tours. The dive operation grew from there.
Today. Cabo Pulmo Dive Center is one of the best-regarded PADI dive operations in Baja, with 6 full-time instructors whose focus is safety, continuing education and fun. Divers come from all over the world for a village with no time-share salesmen, no jet skis and a reef that is teeming with much bigger fish than it was in the seventies.
How we dive
What you can expect from us
Small groups
Six divers per guide, grouped by experience. Boats can carry larger clubs in several groups, each with its own dive master.
Local knowledge
Our guides have logged thousands of dives on these ten sites. They know the tides the bull sharks prefer and the ledge where the whitetips sleep.
Safety first
Oxygen and first aid on every boat, trained captains, briefings in English and Spanish, refresher sessions for anyone out of the water more than 8 months.
Park stewards
We collect the park fee for CONANP, follow the no-anchor and no-touch rules and brief every guest on reef etiquette. The reef is our livelihood and our backyard.
The place
A village of 114 people and 800 species
Cabo Pulmo sits where the desert meets the Sea of Cortez, 60 miles up the East Cape from Cabo San Lucas. The village is off the grid, powered by solar panels and fed by its own well. There are five restaurants, one small store, no bank, no gas station and no paved road for the last six miles. That is the point.
Because it is a National Marine Park, Cabo Pulmo cannot grow into another resort strip. The beaches stay empty, the surface stays quiet and the fish keep getting bigger. Guests who want to stay longer can rent one of the resort's five villas or book a Dive + Stay package; the Coral Reef Restaurant upstairs serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a view of the bay.
The resort's main website is cabopulmo.com, where you will also find lodging, real estate and the restaurant menu.
Good to know
About us
Who runs Cabo Pulmo Dive Center?
The dive center is the dive and snorkel operation of Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort, founded by the Barrymore family. Cole Barrymore started the operation in the mid-1990s with a single boat; today it has 6 full-time PADI instructors, several pangas and an on-site training pool.
Is Cabo Pulmo Dive Center a PADI dive center?
Yes. Courses are taught by PADI-certified instructors and dive masters, and certifications are processed through PADI. Emergency First Response (EFR) courses are also offered.
How long has the dive center been operating?
Since the marine park was created in 1995, which is when the family stopped spear-fishing and began guiding divers and snorkelers. The resort itself dates from 1987 and the family first landed in Cabo Pulmo in 1970.
Come dive with us
Book a 2-tank trip, a course or a package and meet the team on the beach at 8:30.