We partner with Rewilding Britain to help protect our natural spaces for future adventures.
All centres are vetted for safety and quality. Your adventure is in good hands with adventuro.
Boat to Los Arcos marine park for guided scuba on arches and walls rich in fish, rays and turtles when visibility is good. Certified divers get professional-led reef time with briefings on topography, depth and buddy procedures before you enter the water. The half-day focuses on the protected site just south of Puerto Vallarta.
Check in at the cruise pier or Nuevo Vallarta office, board the dedicated dive vessel and listen to a site briefing covering Los Arcos topography and air planning before the first descent. Crew verify certification cards and kit, then you enter the water with your guide along rock walls and arches rich in fish and macro life in crevices.
A surface interval on deck with shade and water separates dives when your departure includes two tanks, and guides track no-decompression limits and group air consumption throughout. You return to port with time to rinse kit and debrief the sites visited before you leave the boat.
Los Arcos rises from the Pacific just south of Puerto Vallarta, with arches and drop-offs that define one of the most photographed dive areas on the bay. Boats leave from Muelle de Cruceros or the Nuevo Vallarta check-in desk, crossing open water to the protected zone with briefing en route.
Current and visibility change with season and tide, so guides choose profiles that match conditions while still showcasing the arches and schooling fish that make this site popular. Surface views from the boat include the city coast and open Pacific swell when you ride back toward port.
Minimum age is ten years. Certified divers should bring certification cards and logbooks if requested; this departure is aimed at divers who already hold a recognised certification rather than first-time students. Follow instructor depth and time limits and avoid flying within the recommended interval after diving.
We recommend good general health for boat diving and comfortable swimming while wearing scuba kit. Bring swimwear, towel, reef-safe sunscreen and cash for port fees at check-in; equalise early on descent because rock walls drop quickly away from the arches.
Certified dive departures are run by PADI five-star teams with long experience on Los Arcos topography and current patterns. Guides know which walls suit certified buddies and when swell calls for a shallower backup site, and bilingual crew brief reef etiquette before you roll in.
Tanks, weights and surface support follow dive-centre discipline honed over twenty years on the bay. Daily kit checks and conservative air planning keep the half-day focused on time underwater rather than logistics, even when multiple experience levels share the same boat.
Meet at Muelle de Cruceros or Paseo de las Palmas 39 as listed for your departure. Bring photo ID.
Allow extra time for traffic near marinas during busy holiday weeks.
Swimwear, towel, certification card, reef-safe sunscreen, cash for fees.
This half-day is for certified divers aged ten and older who can show a valid certification card at check-in. It is not an introductory lesson; you need to be current with basic scuba skills and comfortable on a two-tank boat dive.
We recommend good general health and an honest medical declaration before you kit up. If your last dive was a long time ago, tell the guide so they can keep the first descent conservative along the arches.
Board from Muelle de Cruceros Puerto Vallarta on H. Escuela Naval Militar, or check in at Paseo de las Palmas 39 in Nuevo Vallarta when staff send you to the office. Bring photo ID and your certification card.
Harbour security at the cruise terminal adds a few minutes at peak hours. Arrive early so kit checks and the site briefing finish before the boat leaves for Los Arcos.
Make your own way to the cruise pier or Nuevo Vallarta office. Hotel collection is not part of this dive trip unless staff confirm a pickup for your hotel that morning.
Transport to and from the meeting point is your responsibility. A taxi drop-off at the terminal is simpler than parking through two dives and a surface interval.
Tanks and weights are included for certified divers on the standard rate, along with a guided briefing on Los Arcos topography. Basic scuba kit is available for the dives; confirm at check-in if you prefer to use your own regulator or computer.
A local equipment surcharge can apply if you need a full rental set. Bring pesos for that desk charge, plus your certification card so the crew can match kit to your experience.
You make two tanks at Los Arcos, with a surface interval on deck between them. Plan about four and a half hours including boat transit, briefings and the return to the pier.
Depth and route follow the guide, the arches and the day's visibility. The second dive often stays shallower after the interval, with shade and water on deck while computers clear.
A port fee in Mexican pesos is collected at the desk. Keep cash handy because that harbour charge sits outside the online fare.
Photos, souvenirs and extra kit surcharges are not included. Ask for the peso total before you carry tanks onto the boat.
Los Arcos needs workable sea state for safe entries along the walls. If swell or current is too strong, the captain may delay departure, shorten bottom time, or choose a more sheltered line on the same site.
Ask at check-in if overnight wind has stirred the park. Guides will not push a two-tank plan when entries from the boat look unsafe.
Meals are not part of this half-day. Eat a light breakfast before check-in and bring water. Fruit or a small snack may appear on the surface interval, but do not count on a full lunch.
A heavy meal immediately before the first descent is uncomfortable. Hydrate, skip alcohol the night before if you can, and save a bigger meal for after the second tank.
Certified friends who book together are paired on the same guide whenever boat capacity allows. Groups of around six can often share a briefing and a line along the arches.
If you must stay with a specific buddy, say so at check-in. The crew match experience levels so newer divers are not dropped on a deeper wall without support.
Bring your certification card, photo ID, a swimsuit, towel, reef-safe sunscreen and a warm layer for the ride back when you are wet. A logbook is useful if you want the guide to stamp the dives.
Soft bags only on the boat. Leave large suitcases at the hotel and keep cameras in a dedicated housing; the crew brief camera rules at the site so arches and turtles are not crowded.
About the centre
Puerto Vallarta
For more than twenty years, teams on the Bahía de Banderas have been running boat days, jungle routes, and ocean activities for visitors who want more than a beach afternoon. Trips leave from the Puerto Vallarta area toward islands, hidden coves, and forest canopy lines, with bilingual guides handling safety briefings and the pace of the day.
You'll find PADI dive instructors, sailing crews, and adventure guides under one roof, which makes it easier to mix snorkelling mornings with ATV or zipline afternoons without juggling separate operators. Equipment checks, transport to launch points, and meal stops on longer tours are organised as part of the experience rather than left for you to arrange alone.
Operated by Vallarta Adventure, a partner of adventuro.
Jalisco & Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
From $189
Jalisco & Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
From $179
Jalisco & Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
From $169
Jalisco & Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
From $139
Jalisco & Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
From $109