Shark Diving • Gordo Banks
Hammerhead Sharks • Silky Sharks • Whale Sharks
What can be more exciting than diving with sharks? Our unique shark diving site, ‘Gordo Banks’, is located 10 miles off-shore from San Jose del Cabo. Gordo Banks is comprised of two seamounts, one at approximately 120 feet, and another at around 250ft – together they provide the best shark diving Cabo has to offer, just a 40 minute ride from shore!
Schools of jacks, mackerels, tunas and snapper, large groupers, devil rays, eagle rays, cow-nose rays and mobula rays are common visitors at this offshore reef. And of course, all this life brings in predators – scalloped hammerhead sharks and silky sharks.This is a truly unique place where huge numbers of sharks can be seen – however it is very important to understand that it is not an aquarium, and sightings are not guaranteed.
During the drive, you will receive a detailed and thorough briefing on how to dive the site correctly, safety procedures, shark behavior, and more from our highly experienced Dive Guides. And then you drop into the blue – with no reference, you execute a controlled descent to the depth decided by your guide, and float through the endless ocean while looking for sharks.
Shark Diving • Group Tour • Gordo Banks
Price • 2 Tanks • Shark Diving:
$195 USD per person (taxes & park fees included) 10% off for cash payments
Availability:
Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays from 7:15 – 15:00
How to book:
1: Click the ‘Book Now’ button below.
2: Book a 2-Tank Local dive with us on a date of your choice (compulsory before shark diving)
3: Book your shark diving trip to Gordo Banks!
Included:
• 2 boat dives, if conditions permit at both sea mounts
• 63 or 80cf scuba tanks, weights & dive computer rental
• Multilingual Dive Guide | Drinks and snacks
• Underwater photography and video service
Add Ons:
100 cf scuba cylinder – $10 US
Dive equipment rental – $35 US
Private Dive Guide – $100 USD
Passenger / Snorkelers – $45 US
Certification Level:
The open water diver certification is sufficient but you need to be a competent diver with experience in blue water diving to fully appreciate the site.
Shark Diving • Private Charter • Gordo Banks
Price • 2 Tank Dive • Private Charter:
$690 USD 1 or 2 divers (taxes & park fees included)
$180 USD per additional diver
$75 USD per additional dive
Availability:
Daily from 8:00 – 13:30
Included:
• 2 private dives off our 33 ft customized dive boat
• Choice or 63, 80 or 100cf scuba tanks
• Full dive equipment rental including dive computer
• Multilingual Dive Guide (certified PADI Instructor)
• Enriched Air “Nitrox” upon request
• Drinks and snacks
Tour Itinerary: Gordo Banks
Check in is at 8.15am at our dive shop at the marina “Puerto Los Cabos” in San Jose Del Cabo. The boat ride to Gordo Banks takes approximately 40-60 minutes depending on sea conditions
During the drive, you will receive a detailed and thorough briefing on how to dive the site correctly, safety procedures, shark behavior, and more from our highly experienced Dive Guides. And then you drop into the blue – with no reference, you execute a controlled descent to the depth decided by your guide, and float through the endless ocean while looking for sharks.
We conduct 2 deep dives to a maximum of 130ft/40m, with a 1 hour surface interval. Depending on the sea conditions we aim to return to the marina in San Jose del Cabo between 1-2pm.
Safety Precautions:
Our highly experienced, professional dive guides are equipped with 2 large 10 ft. marker buoys, 2 reels, underwater and surface noisemakers, and buddy lines. Furthermore, we provide each diver with a 10 ft. long surface marker buoy in case of surface emergency. Although shark diving at Gordo Banks is an advanced dive, our guides will keep you safe and give you as much time to enjoy the pelagic action as possible. Our maximum divers per guide ratio is 4:1, allowing all divers to receive hands-on, personal service.
Due to the somewhat advanced nature of our Shark Diving trips, we ask that all divers take part in a 2-tank local dive with us or our sister location Dive Cabo prior to the trip. For your and others’ safety, your air consumption, buoyancy skill and general dive ability will be reviewed, with advanced blue water diving in mind.
Transportation:
Uber is readily available, reliable and the best economical way to get to our dive shop.
We also offer private round trip transportation for:
$50 USD for 1-3 people | $80 USD for 4-7 people
Disclaimer:
Please note that the ocean is not an aquarium, so Gordo Banks can be a hit or miss dive. Obviously the objectives of our shark diving trips are to see the schooling hammerhead and silky sharks, but please understand that sightings are not guaranteed. However due to the depth and remoteness of the seamount, anything can come out of the blue, so you never know what you’ll see! Gordo Banks is 40 – 60 minutes away by boat from our dive shop. We are proud to say that no other provider in Los Cabos has more experience shark diving at Gordo Banks than us.
Common Marine Life at Gordo Banks
Hammerheah Sharks • Manta Rays • Whalesharks • Silky Sharks • Tope Sharks • Mobula Rays
Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks
Scalloped Hammerheads, like all sharks, are perfectly designed to do what they do. Every aspect of their body is custom made for their interaction with their environment. Their hammer-shaped head, properly known as a cephalofoil, gives them multiple advantages. It is narrower at the ends, allowing them to change direction rapidly by cutting through the water.
This is particularly useful, as often their prey are fast-moving and agile animals, such as mackerel and squid. Their eyes are positioned at the far ends of the cephalofoil, creating an effect that essentially reduces their blindspot, allowing them to judge distances more easily, which aids in hunting. Scalloped Hammerheads can grow up to 8ft long, and weigh more than 80lbs. They gather in large numbers during the day around the seamounts, to shelter from currents, socialize, and utilize safety in numbers.
Giant Mobula Rays
Otherwise known as Giant Devilrays, these are some the largest of the Mobula rays. At Gordo Banks, we can often see them in large schools, as well as alone. They are curious and relatively unafraid, and will sometimes slowly approach diver groups and circle them once or twice, often doing graceful acrobatic displays.
Like whales, Giant mobula rays perform breaches or jumps above the water for unknown reasons. Giant mobula rays all have a black “crescent” shaped stripe that extends shoulder to shoulder, differentiating them from the similar-looking Manta Ray.
At maturity the giant devil ray will measure out at an average of 6-9 feet wide, but can continue to grow to a max of 17 feet. .
Silky Sharks
Silky Sharks are the rockstars of Gordo Banks, and for many of our divers, their favorite shark to dive with. The Silky Shark gets its name from the smooth and silky texture of its skin. At Gordo Banks they can be seen singly all year round, but their main migration is July-September.
They have an extremely strong sense of hearing. This acts as a great advantage for locating their prey, mostly consisting of bony fish (especially Tuna), octopus, and squids. These predators have a perfect and effective hunting behavior. They dive together in large groups of fish and attack them with lighting fast speed and wide open mouths. For us as divers, they are great fun – they have almost no fear of humans, and love to approach closely before veering away. Silkies are not dangerous to humans, but your dive guide will explain best practice for diving with them, to ensure you get the best interactions.
Humpback Whales
We are lucky here in Baja California Sur to have the opportunity to see many different species of whale. However our most frequent visitor is the Humpback. The Whale season is from December to April, with the most sightings being in February.
On our journeys to and from Gordo Banks, as well as in the hour long surface interval, we can often enjoy spectacular displays from males, females and even their calves.
The humpback whale is one of the largest animals on Earth, growing to lengths of more than 50 feet (16 m) and weights of 40 tons (36 metric tonnes).They are very active, and can be seen breaching out of the water, slapping the surfacing with their fins and tails and twirling underwater.
