We frequently receive inquiries about the high season rules and regulations for the Cabo Pulmo Marine Reserve, and I'd like to clarify how the system works here.

Cabo Pulmo is a Marine Reserve managed by CONANP, a Mexican federal government agency. Due to the increasing number of visitors, particularly during the high season (October to January), CONANP, in collaboration with local tour operators, has implemented measures to manage tourism capacity.

Each of the approximately 15 dive sites in Cabo Pulmo has a designated weekly carrying capacity, which is the maximum number of divers allowed per week. These sites are categorized as follows:

List A (5 sites): El Bajo, El Cantil Norte, Los Morros, El Vencedor wreck, El Islote

List B: All other sites

Dive guides leading tours in Cabo Pulmo must select one dive site from List A and the remaining sites from List B. For example, on a two-tank tour, one site must be from List A and the other from List B. For a three-tank tour, one site is chosen from List A and two from List B.

The park station opens at 7 AM. All guides planning to dive must be present with their divers, and the dive boat must be prepared and loaded on the beach, ready for departure.

On the first day of the week (which can be any day), a park ranger conducts a lottery to determine which List A site will be open. Seven papers are placed in a hat: five with a List A dive site name and two blank. The chosen paper indicates the List A site available for that day. If a blank paper is drawn, no List A site can be chosen, and all divers must visit sites from List B.

Immediately after, another lottery is held to determine the order in which dive guides can select their sites. Guides draw a number from a hat, and selections are made based on this order. Please note that this second lottery primarily occurs during the high season.

List A sites can only be visited on an hourly basis, starting at 7 AM. For instance, if one group begins their dive at 7 AM, the next group can start at 8 AM, and so on.

Once both lotteries are complete, guides can line up at the park station to choose their dive sites. Last year, for example, we observed as many as 25 dive guides lining up at 7 AM for these lotteries.

We appreciate your understanding and patience with these procedures, which are in place to preserve the beauty of Cabo Pulmo.